California Policy Center

The California Policy Center, found at www.calpolicycenter.org, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing democracy and the economy in California. This organization produces a range of studies that deliver detailed financial data and insights into the finances of California's state and local governments. Their reports cover aspects such as total revenues and expenditures of these governments, as well as the overall debt they carry. They also examine the stability of public sector pension plans and the total compensation of public employees. Additionally, the California Policy Center works to compile trustworthy information regarding the performance and challenges—both financial and operational—facing key areas like public education, safety, government services, and infrastructure projects. They also explore topics related to campaign finance and the influence of various stakeholders, including corporate entities and public sector unions. The ultimate aim of the California Policy Center is to provide insightful information that enriches public discussions on these important topics, with the hope of promoting meaningful advancements toward fair and sustainable management of California's public institutions.

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Articles

Earth Day Reclaimed: Challenging the Top 10 Myths that Hijacked Environmentalism

4 weeks ago | californiapolicycenter.org | Edward Ring

The first Earth Day in 1970 was organized in response to growing public concern for the environment. Many of the calls to action were justified: polluted rivers were catching fire and smog was so dense that in downtown Los Angeles you couldn’t even see the hills a few miles away. We’ve come a long way over the last half-century.
Urbanists and unions can slow but not stop California’s transportation progress

1 month ago | californiapolicycenter.org | Marc Joffe

California is the prime battleground between transportation innovation and legacy mass transit. While Silicon Valley is rolling out driverless taxis and testing flying cars, urbanists and transit unions are seeking more taxpayer funding to buttress money-losing train and bus systems around the state. If history is any guide, the new transportation technologies will ultimately replace the older ones, but billions of taxpayer dollars will be lit up in the process.
Quantifying the Variables that Determine Our Prosperity

1 month ago | californiapolicycenter.org | Edward Ring

It is nearly impossible to read a policy document on the topic of energy or water that won’t make frequent references to carbon. In California, the race to achieve a “carbon neutral” economy by 2045 has spawned a carbon accounting industry that calculates the carbon impact of absolutely everything we do. Certain numbers have become familiar: Atmospheric CO2 is currently estimated to be 426 parts per million (PPM). Global CO2 emissions in 2024 were estimated 37.4 gigatons.
Revive Nuclear Energy in America

1 month ago | californiapolicycenter.org | Edward Ring

The United States used to be the undisputed leader in nuclear power and still has more operating reactors than any other nation, with 94 currently in service. But in the last 35 years, only one new nuclear power plant has been built in the U.S.—Plant Vogtle in Georgia, which only recently began commercial operations.
Ignoring Role of Bass in Salmon Decline is Negligence

1 month ago | californiapolicycenter.org | Edward Ring

A March 5 “Perspective” in the Manteca Bulletin highlights a chronically underemphasized problem impacting every Californian. Bass, as editor Dennis Wyatt succinctly explains, are a “destructive, invasive species, that are a serious threat to the sustainability of the ecosystem.”Wyatt proposes a solution that has been implemented in Oregon, a bounty system. As he puts it, “The state would need to allow bass fishing year round with no limits.
Can Republicans Undo the Damage of Julie Su?

2 months ago | californiapolicycenter.org | Will Swaim

There’s much harrumphing in the media about President Donald Trump’s penchant for norm-busting, but he’s hardly the first to engage in it. Under President Joe Biden, the media generally cheered student loan forgiveness, talk of packing or ignoring the Supreme Court, departmentalist interpretations of the Constitution, and a nearly four-year game of Hide the President. And then there was Biden’s stubborn refusal to accept the Senate’s constitutional role in confirming cabinet secretaries.
California Fires Don’t Justify an Energy Industry Shakedown

Feb 7, 2025 | californiapolicycenter.org | Will Swaim

A bill that would allow state residents to sue private companies for restitution is only the latest front in California’s ongoing war on oil producers. L.A.’s wildfires are still burning, but that hasn’t stopped anyone with eyeballs from identifying the likely causes: America’s costliest natural disaster isn’t “natural,” really, or not entirely.
When Will Gavin Newsom Stop Deflecting Blame for the Wildfires?

Jan 31, 2025 | californiapolicycenter.org | Edward Ring

His responses to criticism don’t withstand scrutiny. The people of Los Angeles are experiencing one of the most horrific disasters in the city’s history. Wind-driven fires have raced through the canyons and into neighborhoods, destroying thousands of homes and costing dozens of lives. The ordeal has only begun; rebuilding is certain to take years. For too many Angelenos, life will never be the same. Allegations of incompetent leadership have abounded.
California Government Breaks its Social Contract with Rich Liberals

Jan 29, 2025 | californiapolicycenter.org | Marc Joffe

Conservatives often wonder why California’s 13.3 percent top marginal income tax rate has not driven out more of its affluent residents. Indeed, a family earning $10 million annually stands to save over $1 million each year by moving to Texas, Florida, or another state that does not levy an income tax.
The Politicization of Wind and Fire

Jan 22, 2025 | californiapolicycenter.org | Edward Ring

The first time I’d ever heard of the Santa Ana wind was while reading an essay famed author Joan Didion wrote, “Los Angeles Notebook,” which is included in her book Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Writing in 1968, Didion describes what had happened just a decade earlier. “The longest single Santa Ana period in recent years was in 1957,” Didion writes, “and it lasted not the usual three or four days but fourteen days, from November 21 until December 4.