Defunding police departments is on its face a lousy idea, especially when there are so many other government spheres that should be stripped of financial resources. A good start would be the $17.5 million that has been dedicated to enforcing Assembly Bill 5. Defund that expenditure.

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Tim Anaya, senior director of Communications at the Pacific Research Institute in Sacramento, also says that California’s tax system has gotten the state into fiscal trouble. “Budget experts and economists have argued that even a modest recession in California could cause a big hit to state revenue because of our volatile tax system that is over-reliant on capital gains taxes,” he stated. . .

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There’s a good reason for leaving out very small businesses from these requirements.  A business with five employees is already running on a tight ship.  Guaranteeing three months of leave means that at any given year, a business owner could see labor cost jump as much as 25 percent for an employee because the owner would need to hire a temporary replacement for that worker.  With California small businesses already struggling to pay rent, insurance, and other costs due to the coronavirus, this new mandate may force many small business owners to throw in the towel altogether.

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Listen to PRI fellow in Business and Economics Damon Dunn discuss his new book Punting Poverty with host Larry Marino on “Politics, Issues, and Candidates” on AM 870 The Answer, KRLA Radio in Los Angeles.  The interview begins at the 37:45 mark.

Listen here. . .

Pacific Research Institute senior fellow Wayne Winegarden criticized the study’s methodology, calling the survey’s results “meaningless.”

“The survey is not representative of the intended population with the original goal of 500 responses,” Winegarden told the Free Beacon. “The study did not reach this amount, having only 219 responses. So, in no uncertain terms do these results represent the view of gig workers.” . . .

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