California
Democrats Are Undoing California's Pension Reforms. Why Are Republicans Going Along With It?
Pension changes passed in 2011 have saved California taxpayers from a fiscal crisis, but public sector unions are now pushing to undo them.
Gavin Newsom Admits He Might Keep Tariffs?
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss tariffs, tech moral panics, social media harms, video games, Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, AI-written journalism, and America’s $40 trillion debt.
California Bill Would Cap Rents During U.S.-Involved War
The war in Iran is causing California lawmakers to consider wider price controls.
Justice Department Finds 'Unbroken Pattern' of Sexual Abuse in Two California Women's Prisons
A Justice Department report documents California's failure to protect incarcerated women from sexual assault going back decades.
A Wealth Tax Built on Billionaires Who Aren't Really Billionaires
Many entrepreneurs with high net worths don't actually have much cash. What bank lends $100 million against illiquid stock in young companies that may or may not succeed?
Unionized Delivery Drivers Vs. Deliveries
Across the country, the Teamsters union is at war with companies trying to ship more things to your door for less money.
San Francisco's 'Historic Laundromat' Project Finally Begins Construction
Activists were able to block an apartment project in the city's Mission District by raising an increasingly ridiculous set of objections.
New Jersey Revives the Fight To Reclassify Gig Workers as Employees
California notoriously fought to do the same, which led to a slew of exemptions and job declines.
Rob Bonta's Paramount Crusade Could Make California's Hollywood Exodus Even Worse
California's attorney general is fighting a merger that 65 countries and the DOJ already cleared. Now, the state may lose thousands of jobs.
The YIMBY-Libertarian Convergence
An eminent domain case out of Rhode Island shows how YIMBY regulatory reforms and libertarian constitutional law activism work in tandem.
Don't Hate the Dodgers for Dominating So Much, Hate the Bankruptcy Court That Helped Them Do It
Plus: FIFA’s president doesn’t understand his own organization's politics; a solid new pickleball movie
California's War on Goats Could Worsen the Wildfire Crisis
Standard minimum wage and overtime laws now apply to the state's goat herders, whose animals clear brush and reduce fire danger. The costs are unsustainable.
California's Prison Reform Experiment Worked. The State's Crime Rate Has Fallen by 27% in 15 Years.
Facts don't care about the GOP's "crime wave" feelings.
A Man Died of COVID at This California Detention Center. A Judge Just Ordered Sweeping Improvements There.
A federal judge ordered sweeping improvements to conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. Families say their loved ones died of neglect inside.
California's Local Governments Want State Taxpayers To Pay More, More, More
California local governments of every size are crying poor as they struggle with budget shortfalls.
Debate: What Actually Happened to Rep. Ro Khanna in the West Bank?
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss the strange turn of events in the congressman's trip.
Taking the W
Developers rush to use California's new apartments-near-transit law, North Carolina eliminates parking requirements, and the federal housing bill finally becomes law.
If You Get Drunk and Brandish a Fake Gun in a Waymo, Don't Blame the Cameras
Firing a toy gun out of a camera-covered robotaxi while underage drinking was never going to end well.
Europe, A.C., and the Housing Exception to America's Economic Success Story
Plus: L.A. criminally charges contractors offering to build an ADU in the Palisades, South Carolina streamlines squatter removal, and a Florida city uses eminent domain to thwart state housing law.
The DOJ Challenges Virginia's 'Assault Firearm' Law and California's Glock Ban
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon argues that both laws are unconstitutional because they prohibit arms in common use for lawful purposes.
Reason Earns 7 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place wins include work on America's gerontocracy, an interview with anti–death penalty activist Helen Prejean, and some Star Wars comedy.
Nancy Pelosi Is the Wrong Namesake for Berkeley's 'Institute for Representative Democracy'
If you want to devote an institute to "strengthening America's democratic institutions," you shouldn't name it for someone who degraded the public's trust in those institutions.
Gavin Newsom Is Totally Wrong About Taxes
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss Gavin Newsom's turn toward socialism.
L.A. Delays Its $30 Hotel 'Olympic Wage' Until After the Olympics
It's a temporary reprieve for a sector that has been struggling for years. But the fight is just getting started.
Even a Global Wealth Tax Can't Solve This Problem
Raise the price of an activity and people do less of it or restructure how they report it. Mobility was never the sole issue.
Secret Emails Reveal Sketchy Tactics in California Public Health's Tobacco Ban 'Endgame'
Here are the sketchy tactics California’s public health agency is using to convince towns and cities to ban tobacco sales.
Did California's Gubernatorial Race Reveal the Limits of 'Abundance' Politics on the Left?
Matt Mahon tried to chart a reform-minded path, but too often he came across as a mushy moderate in an election that will be determined by partisans.
Your Uber Driver May Soon Be Unionized. At What Cost?
It is in part an attempt to treat gig workers as full-scale employees rather than independent contractors. Drivers and riders will pay the price.
J.D. Vance and Mike Johnson Slam L.A. Mayoral Primary Outcome
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss renewed Republican criticism of California's slow election results.
Do Democrats Still Have a Big-City Crime Problem?
Plus: What California's election results tell us, the economic costs of war with Iran, and the push to nationalize AI
More Than 1,000 University of California Professors Want Standardized Tests Back
The letter, penned by U.C. Berkeley professors, claims STEM students are arriving to college severely underprepared.
California Conservatives Champion 'Local Control' Until They Dislike the Results
Conservatives want local control over housing policy, but they're happy to let the state restrict when local governments can raise taxes.
California Elections, Graham Platner, Recalling COVID Insanity
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are hoping socialism doesn’t make the leap from New York City to Los Angeles to D.C.
Google Aims to Debug California and Florida by Releasing 64 Million Mosquitoes
An earlier project already led to a 95 percent drop in biting females of one disease-carrying species in Fresno.
After 40 Years, No One Has Produced a Workable Single-Payer Health Care Plan
Vermont passed single-payer legislation in 2011 and abandoned the plan after three years of failure. Why?
California Public Sector Union Threatens Environmental Lawsuit Over Gavin Newsom's Return-to-Office Policy
Unionized state workers say agencies need to study the additional emissions that would be caused by requiring employees to come into the office four days a week.
How the Billionaire Tax Could Make California Poorer
One upcoming ballot measure would expand the state's taxing power. A lesser-known measure would limit it. Which will win?
Does Anyone Know What's Happening in Iran?
Plus: Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign rattles Los Angeles, Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund" sparks backlash, and the editors revisit Project 2025
