Showing posts with label California. Show all posts
Showing posts with label California. Show all posts

California Climate Policies Chilling Housing Growth

by Steven Greenhut. The California Supreme Court's decision late last month to reject a nearly 6,000-page environmental report for a proposed development north of Los Angeles will not only delay or possibly kill a new suburban community. It will make it much more difficult for developers anywhere in California to build large-scale housing projects.     ... MORE

More Trouble For Jerry Brown's Rail Boondoggle

by Steven Greenhut.    Moonbeam's plan no longer resembles original proposal. One of the biggest problems with California Gov. Jerry Brown's efforts to battle climate change is the "do or die" nature of the situation. Based on his rhetoric, there's little room for debate over costs, benefits, details and oversight. When the future of the Earth is at stake,   ... MORE

Throwing Billions Down A Dark Tunnel For Bullet Train

Political nitwittery thrives in California.    For years, critics of the California high-speed rail project – from government oversight agencies to transportation and engineering experts to think tanks to local grass-roots organizations to these Opinion pages – have faulted the California High-Speed Rail Authority for its overly optimistic and ever-changing  ... MORE

Victor Davis Hanson: Can California Be Saved?

So naturally rich but so poorly run.  Crime is back up in California. Los Angeles reported a 20.6 percent increase in violent crimes over the first half of 2015 and nearly an 11 percent increase in property crimes. Last year, cash-strapped California taxpayers voted for Proposition 47, which so far has let thousands of convicted criminals go free  ... MORE

The Underbelly Of The California Drought

by Victor Davis Hanson.     People should be represented as well as salmon. Even the high mountain lakes and reservoirs are about empty – and equally void of vacationers who have few places to boat, fish, and ski, and are unsure where the next forest fire will break out and force evacuations on often one-lane winding mountain roads. Four years of       ... MORE

59 Million More Americans Could Access Marijuana In 2016

by Todd Campbell.     California and Florida could both be liberated by next year. Marijuana advocates have been gaining momentum in states that have yet to legalize marijuana, but supporters and those interested in the legalization efforts are undeniably watching most closely to see what happens in California and Florida. Those two states have different ... MORE

California Forfeits Common Sense; Picks Cops Over Citizens

More evidence the government is not us.     Last Thursday, the Sisyphean boulder of property rights and due process rolled downhill. SB 443, California’s attempt to summarily end civil-asset forfeiture and “equitable sharing” abuse, roundly failed passage in the State Assembly, 24 to 44. Oddly enough, this was after a 31-to-1 vote in the     ... MORE

Big Government Update:The California Gas Restriction Act Of 2015 Spells The End Of Privacy For California Drivers

Big Brother is watching.     The California Gas Restriction Act of 2015, Senate Bill 350, not only is a reckless political agenda but one that will raise costs drastically in California, burden the State with yet more regulations, and eliminate citizens’ privacy. Regulators now have a plan to monitor personal driving data that can be used to enforce gas   ... MORE

John Stossel: Market Magic

If people need it, the market does it.     People have long lists of things they think the market can't possibly do — from building subways to fighting wars. Sometimes, the market does them anyway. War, for example. Even conservatives, who often praise markets, assume that only government can fight terrorists. Tell that to Matthew VanDyke.  ... MORE

Jerry Brown, Climate Change Prophet Of Doom

by Steven Greenhut.    Moonbeam rising. On governance and budget matters, Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) has earned a reputation for being reasonable and moderate (by California standards). Even many Republicans describe him as the "last adult" in the Capitol, given his refusal to embrace far-reaching programs. Yet when it comes to global warming,   ... MORE

Mimi Walters: A Fix To California's Man-Made Drought

Politicians can start prioritizing the people.     This year marks California’s fourth consecutive year of drought. To break it down, nearly 99 percent of California is in “moderate drought,” 71 percent is in “extreme drought,” and approximately 47 percent is in “exceptional drought” – the most severe category. In California alone, over   ... MORE

Nick Sibilla: Asset Forfeiture Laws Treat People Like ATMs

Having lots of cash is not a crime, it's just treated like one.  Imagine a place where the government can seize property from people who have not broken the law. The police, sheriffs and prosecutors can auction their property off and use the proceeds to pay their own salaries. But this isn’t a Third World dictatorship. It’s California.      ... MORE

Cautious Effort To Legalize Marijuana In California In 2016

by Steven Greenhut.   By ballot initiative. Regardless of one's take on the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision on Friday forbidding states from banning same-sex marriage, it's clear the ruling didn't come in a vacuum. Analysts said the court "created" a new civil right, but public attitudes have shifted dramatically in recent years. The court simply gave its blessing  ... MORE

Cheerleaders To Get Minimum Wage Under California Law

by Justin Worland.     Now, maybe the pretty girls will try out. New legislation in California would protect cheerleaders for professional sports teams from receiving low pay that some in the industry say amounts to less than minimum wage. The bill, the first of its kind in the nation, passed the California State Senate Monday and awaits the signature of   ... MORE

'It's All About The Money:' Iraq War Veteran Ends Up Homeless After $25 Traffic Ticket Spirals To $4,000

by Charlene Adams.      California's money-making citation scheme. Critics are calling California's traffic citation system a money-making scam that targets the poor and places inappropriate fees on basic penalties from a citation. Four million California residents -- nearly 20 percent of the state's adult population -- currently have a suspended license   ... MORE

California Property Values Fall As Water Shut-offs Begin

by Mike Adams.  Water shut-offs have now begun in California, where government-ordered restrictions are starting to leave large communities high and dry. As CBS News is now reporting, the Mountain House community of 15,000 residents will run out of water in just a matter of days. "The community's sole source of water, the Byron-Bethany   ... MORE

Elise Cooper: How Not To Handle A Water Crisis

A crisis created by government regulations.  Californians have a love affair with water. It’s used for pools, irrigation, green grasses, and washing cars. Yet, because of the drought the grass is turning brown, cars are staying dirty, and pools might be a thing of the past. American Thinker interviewed people who have some knowledge about this crisis.   ... MORE

California Aims to Regulate Your Dirtiest Fantasies

by Josh Gucket. Big Brother is watching you; he says to stop before you go blind. Following five years of procedural hurdles, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has proposed a set of safety standards outlining how adult film performers and others on set can operate in their jobs more safely. Among 21 pages of proposals, it emphasizes    ... MORE

Jerry Brown Wants Amnesty On Traffic Debt For Poor

by Judy Lin.    Maybe food stamps will be accepted as payment. Calling California's traffic court system a "hellhole of desperation" for the poor, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing an amnesty program for residents who can't afford to pay off spiraling fines and penalties that have resulted in 4.8 million driver's license suspensions since 2006. The push by the   ... MORE