Sacramento

Fully Oligarchic Luxury Socialism

homeless.jpg

What happens in California matters well beyond its borders. The Golden State’s cultural and technological influence on America, and the world, now could provide the nation’s next political template.  read more »

How Los Angeles Descended Into Neo-Feudalism and How to Fix It

Arroyo_Seco_Homeless_Encampment_04.jpg

For most of the last century, Los Angeles loomed as the next great American city, a burgeoning paradise riding the shift of world power west. It seemed posed to leave New York and London in the dust, the engines of growth inexorable. There was the city's dominance of the entertainment and aerospace industries, which incited migration from both the rest of the country and abroad, and all this promise was symbolized by a spread of suburban single-family houses that seemed to embody the ideal American dreamscape.  read more »

California Governor Newsom's Energy Policies Biased Against Those Who Voted For Him

gas.jpg

It has been a tough year for everyone during the pandemic, but more so on the lower income portion of the population. As we emerge from an emotionally and financially challenging year, we are seeing that the wealthy and middle-income folks have mostly recovered. The bottom half remain far from it.  read more »

The California Economy vs. Sacramento

sac-capital_CA.jpg

Over the past few years California’s plight has taken on mythic proportions — a cautionary tale of progressive woe among conservatives, but a beacon for a future enlightened capitalism among its woke supporters. The current battle over the potential recall of the preening governor, Gavin Newsom, likely will enhance these extreme interpretations on both sides, but likely will not be sufficient to make the changes needed to restore the state’s legendary promise.  read more »

SoCal Desalination Plant Inches Towards Approval

pier-at-oxnard-california.jpg

In a rare and commendable display of political courage and common sense, California Governor Gavin Newsom has been working to finally grant permits to construct a second major seawater desalination plant on the Southern California Coast.

But don’t count on this new water source just yet. Despite clearing major hurdles, self-described environmentalists and their allies in the media haven’t surrendered.  read more »

California and Urban Cores Dominate Overcrowded Housing

LosAngeles-aerial-crowded-housing.jpg

Concern about overcrowded housing has been heightened by its association with greater COVID-19 infection risk. As a disease transmitted by human proximity, exposure is increased by being in overcrowded and insufficiently ventilated spaces where sufficient social distancing is not possible. Exposure density for a person is intensified by the amount of time spent in such circumstances.  read more »

Peak Progressive?

tent-city-los-angeles.jpg

In the minds of most progressives, as well as some horrified conservatives, California is the harbinger of America’s future.  read more »

Governor Preen: Newsom's Woke Posturing Masks California's Dismal Economic Record

newsoms-ca-dismal-economics.jpg

If Hollywood were to cast a governor and future president, and if a straight white male were still politically acceptable, he would look like California’s Gavin Newsom. The 53-year-old governor, a former mayor of San Francisco, Newsom handsomely epitomizes the preening politics of the California elite class that has nurtured and financed his career from the beginning.  read more »

California and Its Contradictions: Rumblings of Realignment Beneath a Solid-Blue Surface

Gov_Gavin-Newsom.jpg

California remains deep blue, but the good news from this week’s elections is that it has not yet achieved complete ballot-box unanimity.  read more »

The Roots of California's Tattered Economy Were Planted Long Before the Coronavirus Arrived

los-angeles-skyline_dave-reichert.jpg

California is in far worse shape economically than the great majority of other states also struggling through the pandemic. COVID-19 may be the primary cause of our current distress, but the evolving structure of our economy has exacerbated this calamity. The worst part is our state leaders should have known this all along.  read more »