Infrastructure
Back to homepage
VIDEO: Gov. Brown’s High-Speed Boondoggle Chugs On
Why would Gov. Brown make high-speed rail a budget priority? The Heritage Foundation’s Stephen Moore joins CalWatchdog’s James Poulos to discuss better transportation options that would actually serve the needs of Californians.
Read More
Tiered pricing ends up subsidizing solar panels for the rich
In a new development for energy conservation, it turns out charging more for electricity, the more juice is used, could be bad for the environment. This “tiered pricing” is also called Increasing Block Pricing. IBP is pushing some homeowners into
Read More
Do tiered water rates save water?
It must sound crazy in the middle of an epic California drought to say empirical studies show raising water rates to spur water conservation is not likely to result in water conservation. But a study by CalWatchdog.com of comparable
Read More
Obama order upgrades Angeles National Forest
On Friday, President Obama carries his “executive orders” controversy to Southern California. In town since Thursday, he will redesignate half of the Angeles National Forest a national monument at the behest of Rep. Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park. According to the Los
Read More
Japan’s 50th bullet train anniversary: What it says about CA
Oct. 1 marked the 50th anniversary of the beginning of commercial operations for Japan’s bullet train system. The Shinkansen is by far the most successful bullet train network in the world. The British press and just about no one else
Read More
Water subsidies are ‘ancient history’
This is Part 4 of a series. Prior articles in this series showed there are no real water subsidies. But if there are no real water subsidies to farmers from taxpayers, what about all those crop subsidies? According to Mark Borba, owner of
Read More
Fact-checking water price subsidies
This is Part 3 of a series. Part 1 was on how drought-water pricing violates Proposition 218’s ban on tax increases without a vote of the people. Part 2 was on fact-checking water pricing. Water subsidies are the focus of much
Read More
Gov. Brown rebuilds redevelopment
Reversing his 2011 abolition of redevelopment, on Monday Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law two bills that will revive it, Senate Bill 628 and Assembly Bill 229. He also vetoed a third redevelopment measure, AB2280, he believed went too far by codifying
Read More
Drought brings centralized groundwater control
Was it necessary to pass three new bills that increase the California government’s control over groundwater? The numbers tell the story. By now most Californians have heard the shockingly huge number: The state has lost 63 trillion gallons of water due
Read More
SoCal water reserves could dry up in 2016
The nearby photo shows the recent demolition of a 160-foot water tank tower at Edwards Air Force Base northeast of Lancaster. Could it be a prophetic image for Southern California’s future? The Associated Press reported the area’s regional water supplier, the Metropolitan Water District
Read More