It’s a trade aimed at getting more doctors to treat poorer patients: California this week said it will help repay the student loans of 247 selected doctors in exchange for their promise that at least 30 percent of their caseload will be people enrolled in Medi-Cal. The $60 million student...
Despite Sharp Growth in Electric Cars, Vehicle Emissions Keep Rising
It is tempting to employ any number of puns when considering California’s transportation future: The state is at a crossroads, its policies could run out of gas, dangerous curves lie ahead. But keeping in mind that the state’s climate policies demand the wholesale electrification of transportation, here’s another: California must...
In Blue California, Why Are so Many Leftist Plans Going Under?
An unprecedented haul of tax dollars generated by a roaring economy. A governor who campaigned on a big-ticket policy agenda of long-time lefty favorites, including universal childcare and state-funded healthcare for all. A Legislature so thoroughly packed with Democrats it gives rise to a new term — "giga-majority.” Californians could be forgiven...
California’s Housing Budget Is a Wrap. Here’s What's Inside.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders agreed to spend a fresh $2 billion to combat the state’s housing and homelessness woes. Democratic lawmakers and the new governor settled relatively quickly on the amount — which advocates say is the biggest in recent memory dedicated to housing. Ever since, they’ve been trying to resolve the...
Are California Utilities Doing Enough to Fireproof Equipment?
With much fanfare and no less hand-wringing, state regulators approved plans that for the first time set out how California’s electric utilities intend to prevent their equipment from sparking wildfires. But the plans provide scant details, and little evidence to support the companies’ claims that indiscriminately clear-cutting millions of trees and replacing...
Video: All You Need to Know About State Budget in 2 Minutes
A few things about summertime in California have become utterly predictable: cineplex superheroes, beach crowds, and a record-setting state budget. Two years ago, we told you the state’s budget hit $180 billion—and that with that money you could buy the Los Angeles Lakers 60 times over. Last summer, the state budget set...
Newsom Doubled Down on Tax Credit for Working Poor
When Berenice Solis of Bakersfield received a direct deposit of $6,775 from the government this past March, her mind raced. She could finally take her three daughters, ages 4, 6 and 9, on a trip to Disneyland. Then she thought about her goal of buying a house. Or upgrading her...
Bringing High-Speed Rail to California, One Building Block at a Time
California has long been the leader in innovation, bold action and tackling projects that others wouldn’t dream of. The state highway system, BART, and the Golden Gate Bridge stand out as prime examples of challenging projects that were seen through, and today benefit millions. The vision for high-speed rail is...
Governor and Legislature: Stop Raiding California’s Cap-and-Trade Funding
When I was California Assembly Speaker in 2006, I proudly negotiated with Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to lay down a marker in the fight against climate change by placing strict reductions on greenhouse gas emissions through Assembly Bill 32. We knew we had to do something, especially after the U.S....
This California Lawmaker Wants to Ban Cigarette Filters, Disposable Vapes
We’ve all seen it, the smoker who takes one last drag and flicks the cigarette butt onto the ground. It’s instant litter that California Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson wants to prevent by banning the filters in most cigarettes. The Democrat from Santa Barbara’s bill, SB 424, would ban filtered cigarettes, disposable plastic holders and...