Federal regulatory burdens can operate as a hidden tax. Unlike on-budget spending, regulatory costs are largely hidden from public view. This can make regulation overly attractive to lawmakers. For example, a new government job-training initiative could involve either increased government spending or new regulations that require businesses to provide such training. Just as firms generally […]
Liberals are claiming that the Trump Administration’s plans to roll back the Obama fuel-mileage rules will increase pollution. Perhaps they should read up on the latest scientific evidence about the sources of air pollution. A recent study in the journal Science traced and measured volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Los Angeles. In the presence of […]
California is an expensive place to live so many activists inside and outside government want the government to do something about it. Enter the price fixers. The newest price control effort is on health care in California but that occurs at the same time of an on-going attempt to establish rules for broader rent control. […]
A recent survey shows that while buying a home in the San Francisco Bay Area these days is an uphill climb for almost everybody, it’s a nearly impossible dream for the region’s Hispanic and African-America residents. The Zillow study showed that black home buyers could afford only one in ten homes in the San Jose […]
Labor now accounts for more than 30 percent of the average restaurateur’s business, and some operators have increased prices by about 8 percent to help combat the additional expenses.
Americans are spending more at the pump than they have in years. Prices could rise even higher just as drivers hit the road for family vacations. “This summer, in terms of average gas prices, will likely be the highest since 2014,” said Patrick DeHaan, petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, a fuel-tracking app. “There’s been very little […]
U.S. consumer prices fell for the first time in 10 months in March, weighed down by a decline in the cost of gasoline, but underlying inflation continued to firm amid rising prices for healthcare and rental accommodation. The drop in the headline monthly inflation reading reported by the Labor Department on Wednesday is likely temporary […]
When governments seek permission to borrow money through bonds, telling voters how much and for how long taxes will be increased to repay those loans is just common sense. In fact, the Legislature last year passed such a law, requiring bond measures or taxes proposed by local governments or school districts to state “the amount […]
The Environmental Protection Agency moved to ease Obama-era vehicle emissions standards, siding with car makers who say the rules don’t work in an era of cheap gasoline, and setting up a fight with environmentalists and the state of California. The rules, finalized in the waning weeks of the Obama administration, would require auto makers to […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday it will reconsider the federal government’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for passenger cars for model years 2022-25. The Obama administration set very stringent standards, peaking at 54.5 miles per gallon in 2025. After the EPA’s midterm review, it found these standards to be inappropriate. Automakers also warn […]
Raising Chula Vista’s sales tax is the only way the city can afford to hire more cops and firefighters, Mayor Mary Salas said during a public forum Thursday evening. Voters will have a chance to approve or reject a half-cent sales tax increase in June’s election. The money will go toward the general fund, but […]
Gasoline is more expensive in the Golden State due to higher taxes and the state’s special blending requirements for fuel in order to reduce air pollution. But another factor came from a 12 cents per gallon increase in state gasoline taxes that went into effect last November. Money from the Road Repair and Accountability Act […]
California lawmakers introduced 33 bills and constitutional amendments that, if enacted, would increase taxes and fees by more than $269 billion annually — more than doubling the amount of state taxes and fees already paid. 2018 is the second year of a two-year legislative session, and already the Legislature is on track to introduce more […]
“This is the future,” one of my neighbors recently told me, proudly showing off his rooftop solar panels, “Forget the old, inefficient utility.” The panels do look great, and, for a moment, I got caught up in my neighbor’s “green glow” of eco-righteousness. Should I be doing “my part” for climate? But wait a second. […]
California wants 5 million emission-free cars on the road by 2030. China, with a far larger population, wants 7 million electric vehicles by 2025. California has a cap-and-trade program to limit emissions from power plants, factories and fuel suppliers. China is launching a cap-and-trade system to lower fuel consumption and cut reliance on oil imports. […]