With an estimated 75,500 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles mayor is calling upon “the most fortunate” to donate to a new housing program called LA4LA. The mayor stated that the program’s success will depend on the “humanity and generosity of the private sector.” The mayor is counting on altruism—self-sacrifice for others—to…
After a fifty-year career in construction, George Sheetz wanted to retire near Lake Tahoe. He planned to build his retirement home on a lot he had bought. However, when Sheetz went to the county to obtain a building permit, he was told that he first had to pay a $23,000 “traffic impact mitigation” fee. When…
It is no secret that people are fleeing California’s outrageous taxes and onerous business regulations. U-Haul reports that for the fourth consecutive year, California led the nation in the number of outbound truck rentals. The advocates of school choice should learn a lesson from U-Haul. When individuals have freedom of choice, they make choices that…
As of January 1, 2024, California stores with more than five hundred employees will be required to have a “gender neutral” section for children’s toys. In essence, the law is declaring that California parents are stupid and don’t realize that boys can play with Barbie dolls and girls can play with GI Joe. According to…
The Rent Control Board (RCB) in Santa Monica, California has come up with a unique “solution” to the city’s shortage of affordable housing—force landlords to remove their properties from the rental market. The board wants to enforce a state law—the Ellis Act—that requires landlords who evict a tenant to leave the rental market for at…
California is poised to impose new regulations for fast-food restaurants. The regulations would raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour and create a council to govern fast-food chains and set guidelines for working conditions. Demonstrating his ignorance of the source of prosperity, when he signed an earlier version of the legislation, Gov. Gavin Newsome…
In 2024, California voters will decide whether to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which prohibits municipalities from imposing rent control on properties built after 1995. Regardless of the outcome of the election, this is just another in a long string of examples that California is dominated by mob rule. In California, nearly every activity…
In “Hotel California,” Don Henley tells us that, “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” It turns out that these words might be more than clever lyrics for a song. Hundreds of thousands of Californians are checking out and fleeing to states with lower taxes and fewer regulations. But…
California legislators are considering a bill that would make the “right” to housing a part of the state’s constitution. Not surprisingly, supporters of the bill are unable to define how this alleged right would actually be implemented. Equally unsurprising, non-supporters of the bill are not challenging the fundamental premises underlying it. The author of the…
While proponents of property rights were celebrating two unanimous victories at the United States Supreme Court in May, another ruling that month garnered little attention. Yet, it could have an impact as far reaching as Tyler v. Hennepin County and Sackett v. EPA. The Court upheld a California law that prohibits the sale of pork…
In 2020. California established the California Reparations Task Force. A few weeks ago, the task force approved recommendations to be considered by the state’s legislature. Several of the recommendations are meant to address housing segregation and past housing decisions based on skin color. At the end of the day, the task force recommends fighting injustice…
Early in the pandemic, Los Angeles (along with many other cities around the country) enacted an eviction moratorium. That moratorium is set to expire at the end of this month, nearly three years after it was first imposed on landlords. The Los Angeles Times opines that the city should continue existing “tenant protections” and add…