From Each According to His Means

City Journal | Kerry Jackson
April 18, 2023

Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, and San Diego Gas & Electric have asked the California Public Utilities Commission for approval to charge customers a flat rate based on household income. The flat fees would be in addition to charges based on consumption, which, for San Diego Gas & Electric, now amount to 47 cents per kilowatt hour, the highest rate in California. Under the flat-fee plan, those charges would fall to 27 cents per kilowatt hour, in addition to the income-based flat fee. If the change gets approved, California will become the first state to use household income to determine residential utility bills. Evidently, someone in these utility companies has been reading Karl Marx: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”


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California single-payer bill is incremental step to disaster
 

East Bay Times | Sally Pipes
April 19, 2023

Legislators have been trying to install single-payer health care for years. But this new effort has a better chance of advancing than its legislative forebears. That should concern Californians, who would face long waits for subpar care under a system of state-run health insurance.


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New court ruling brings hope for gig workers stymied by AB 5
 

Northern California Record | Kerry Jackson
April 11, 2023

California Assembly Bill 5, which should have been officially named state government’s War on Independent Contractors, recently took a well-deserved, though not full, thrashing in court. It’s a favorable ruling for workers who prefer independence over the structure of hired employment.


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Water, water everywhere ...
 

Right by the Bay | Pam Lewison
April 19, 2023

California seems to be coming to the end of its current drought but questions about deep soil moisture and aquifer recharge remain.


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