The pandemic lockdowns accelerated flight from states with onerous taxes and a high cost of living. The latest data from the Internal Revenue Service shows that the exodus has continued after life got back to quasi-normal. And CA's revenue drain--led by Silicon Valley--is the hardest hit. The WSJ reports.
Read MorePublic transit experts warn that investing in struggling transit systems’ expansion while ridership remains low could be a recipe for financial disaster, as these expansions may lack the future ridership to cover the cost of their growth in the future. Kenneth Schrupp explains in The Center Square.
Read MoreAs tent cities filled with homeless people proliferated in West Coast communities in recent years, elected politicians dealt with the problem by passing the buck, saying they were tied by a Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that prohibitions on homeless encampments amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment.” In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court has taken that excuse away. Stephane Eide of the Manhattan Institute explains.
Read MoreThe former SJ councilmember and advocate for responsible gov't spending sees trouble in the upcoming tax scheme. He notes how SJ Council blithely supported it without understanding key impacts--especially how the tax will make living here even less affordable. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreEven if high utility prices have turned down the heat on CA’s business prospects, Chef Andrew Gruel sees a flicker of hope in the one place it can be found—the Californian voter. Lackluster polling for anti-business politicians suggests the Golden State might be getting tired of a job-killing minimum wage, runaway gas taxes, and tachycardic healthcare costs. The founder of Slapfish, which closed in San Jose, writes for California Globe.
Read MoreDenver gave homeless people cash and now half of them live in their own place. While humanitarian middlemen like SNAP and Medicaid impose severe spending restrictions, basic income relies on trust. Denver’s pilot suggests that people who know what they need can spend it rather efficiently—and housing is a popular choice, as 45% of recipients successfully rehoused. Business Insider’s Allie Kelly writes.
Read MoreHorror ensues as elderly woman, 74, is killed after being pushed in front of a Powell Stn BART train. The U.K.'s. Daily Mail reports.
Read MoreAs reported here previously, ACA 7 was a proposed CA Constitutional Amendment that would've nullified the CA Constitution's anti-discrimination clause. While it gained traction with far-left legislators, the bill died in the CA Senate. Gail Heriot reports on Instapundit.
Read MoreLocal Real Estate agent Mark Burns, on X, worries that upcoming regional housing money-grab hasn't learned from costly past mistakes.
Read MoreAn Open Letter from San Jose residents to SJ City Council requesting that the city quit endorsing ballot initiatives is going viral, and gaining the support of notable community leaders. Pat Waite of Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility and Sandra Delvin of Families and Homes SJ urge the city to stay in its lane. An Opp Now Exclusive.
Read MoreThe California League of Cities was supposed to be a bulwark against taxation and top-down social engineering from Sacramento. Instead, the so-called advocacy group's pro-tax, anti-local control tilt has disappointed three OC municipalities, who say they've had enough. For the City of Orange, this means no more $34,000 annual dues payments without representation. Hannah Fry writes for the LA Times.
Read MoreSacramento loves plugging drivers into EV's--especially in Silicon Valley, which has a strong acceptance of EV's. But Sacto can’t stand losing gas tax revenue. Enter Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), an odometer bracelet for every car that watches where you drive, when, and…how much you make? California Globe’s Thomas Buckley writes.
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