California
January 5, 2024 — Lloyd Billingsley
Despite the “worse than usual malevolent morons” in state government, Steve Hayward remains in “Krazifornia” because of natural “attractions” and something called Proposition 13. For many Californians and people across the country, that may require explanation. Back in the 1970s some Californians, primarily seniors, were literally being taxed out of their homes. Hereditary Gov. Jerry Brown and the legislature did nothing to address this problem, but a response came in
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January 4, 2024 — Lloyd Billingsley
Yesterday, pro-Hamas protesters showed up in force in the California Assembly, the California Globe reports, forcing members to call a recess, but “then upgraded to adjournment.” Isaac Bryan, a Los Angeles Democrat, called the protest a “powerful showing of civil disobedience,” but Yuba City Republican James Gallagher said in a statement: We cannot allow pro-Hamas radicals to continue shouting down government proceedings and bullying people into silence. We must stand
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January 3, 2024 — Scott Johnson
Speaking of identity politics, as I do in the adjacent post on Claudine Gay, we should note that the left never gives up. That is what occurs to me and it is the place where William McGurn begins his Wall Street Journal column “Making discrimination okay again.” In the column McGurn recounts the efforts of California Democrats to make discrimination by race legal after its apparently decisive legal defeats: Do
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December 26, 2023 — John Hinderaker
California has so much going for it that it should have been indestructible. But it turns out there is nothing that liberalism can’t destroy. People–that is, taxpayers–are fleeing California in droves, and the state is experiencing a budget crisis. Conversely, illegal aliens who cross the southern border undetected generally head for California, where they know they can expect a warm welcome. And it is about to get warmer. California is
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December 23, 2023 — Lloyd Billingsley
Following Colorado’s lead, California Lt. Gov Eleni Kounalakis is exploring “every legal option” to remove former President Trump from California’s 2024 presidential primary ballot.” According to Kounalakis, the move is “not a matter of political gamesmanship. This is a dire matter that puts at stake the sanctity of our constitution and our democracy.” As Sir Bedivere (Terry Jones) might say, who is this who is so wise in the ways
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December 13, 2023 — Lloyd Billingsley
In his debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed, “We’ve already established that more people are moving from Florida to California.” That caught the attention of Lee Ohanian, research fellow at the Independent Institute, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and professor of economics at UCLA. “The rate of California’s population outflow to Florida has in fact accelerated,” professor Ohanian explains. “In 2022, California had a
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November 26, 2023 — Lloyd Billingsley
“Reporters want to fan the flames of conflict leading to war because they’re so damn stupid. That is my belief of your profession.” As Sir Bedivere (Terry Jones) might say, who is this who is so wise in the ways of the media and world peace? Why, it’s Jerry Brown, billed by the allegedly damn stupid reporter as a former governor of California. That is true, but there’s so much
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October 3, 2023 — Scott Johnson
You can see why California Governor Gavin Newsom had to go beyond California to find a fitting replacement for the late Dianne Feinstein in the United States Senate. He put a lot of thought into it. He conducted an extensive search. Before Feinstein’s body was cold, Newsom was ready with his announcement. He had found the compleat Democrat: Laphonza Butler of Silver Spring, Maryland. It’s almost funny. But consider, to
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October 2, 2023 — Scott Johnson
California Governor Gavin Newsom promised to appoint a black woman to replace the late Dianne Feinstein in the Senate, so you know this is a man who has his priorities in order. Politico reveals that Newsom will appoint Laphonza Butler to fill Feinstein’s seat. Butler apparently does not reside in California — Politico reports that she is registered to vote in Maryland. However, Butler owns a home in California. When
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August 16, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Why does anyone still live in San Francisco? Why would any group hold a convention or similar event there? Why would a tourist set foot there? That city has been so badly governed for so long that the question is no longer whether it will thrive, but rather, whether it will survive. Many San Francisco businesses have closed their doors, while others are barely hanging on. Gump’s is an upscale
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July 31, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Local authorities in Reedley, California uncovered a warehouse lab that “they suspect was home to an illegal, unlicensed laboratory full of lab mice, medical waste and hazardous materials.” NBC News covers the story here. The CDC tested substances on hand and detected at least 20 potentially infectious agents, including coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis and herpes. The NBC News story buries this nugget and leaves it hanging: Officials were unable to get
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July 14, 2023 — Steven Hayward
We’re finally having a summer heat wave out in California, after, it should be noted, an extremely cold summer so far, but that won’t slow down the climatistas. The chart below of California electricity sources as of 7:30 pm this evening is a little hard to de-cypher, but if you study it a bit you can see how crazy California’s fetish for wind and solar power is. First, the inverted
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June 16, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Victor Davis Hanson is probably my favorite living historian and observer of the current scene. Peter Robinson caught up with him at his family farm in central California for his most recent installment of Uncommon Knowledge. This installment is the first of two parts: “In part one of this two-part interview, we cover Hanson’s rich and fascinating family history and the sweeping changes he’s lived through in terms of both
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June 12, 2023 — Steven Hayward
Last week we passed along the stunning news that two of the largest hotels in San Francisco have decided to walk away from their investment entirely, defaulting on $725 million in debt on the properties. Today the Wall Street Journal follows up with some comparisons with other cities. Short version: hotel traffic in other major cities has recovered, while hotel traffic in San Francisco has not: Hotel owners in New
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June 6, 2023 — Steven Hayward
Last week the Hoover Institution’s Lee Ohanian noted that residential homeowners in San Francisco lost $260 billion in value on their homes as home sales prices in “Detroit by the Sea” have fallen 17 percent, while nationwide home prices have fallen by only about 3 percent: San Francisco’s housing price decline reflects the fact that the city has lost more than 65,000 residents, roughly 7.5% of its population. San Francisco’s
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June 5, 2023 — Elizabeth Stauffer
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta were not too happy on Saturday to hear that 16 illegal immigrants from Texas had been dropped off, “without warning,” at a Sacramento church. Newsom has ordered the state’s Department of Justice to investigate. Specifically, he wants to determine “who paid for the travel of the migrants and whether they were misled, given false promises or kidnapped,” according to KCRA News.
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May 30, 2023 — Steven Hayward
Jon Reisman, Professor of Economics & Public Policy Emeritus at the University of Maine, devoted Power Line reader, and self-described “Statler and Waldorf Intern,” passes along this update of the Beach Boys classic tune everyone will recognize from the opening line: California’s Grid With apologies to Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Greta Thunberg Well, East Coast grids are hip I really dig wind mills they wear And the Southern grid,
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