Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ability to dictate the conditions of reopening California’s economy is being challenged in a new lawsuit by small business owners who claim that the governor’s pandemic restrictions have endangered their livelihoods—as well as representative government in the state. “We’ve been shut down since mid-March and that’s been completely devastating,” says Daryn […]
Rent control is apparently having another tough year on the ballot in California. A new poll finds little support for a state initiative that would give local governments more power to limit rent increases. Only 37 percent of voters surveyed in a recent poll by the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Government Studies said […]
Lawsuits continue to mount against the Trump administration’s September-issued eviction moratorium, which bans landlords from removing tenants for non-payment of rent through the end of the year, and threatens hefty fines and even jail time for property owners who violate it. The statutes and regulations that the administration and the Centers for Disease Control and […]
Although it didn’t technically qualify for aid, carmaker Lamborghini has benefitted from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the federal government’s $670 billion effort to save distressed small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within days of receiving $1.6 million in PPP loans for his construction and logistics businesses, Lee Price III of Houston bought himself a […]
Former Vice President and Democratic nominee Joe Biden wants to help small businesses during the pandemic by raising their labor costs with a minimum wage hike. “I do,” said Biden in response to a question at tonight’s debate about whether now is the time to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, before […]
San Francisco is famous for the miles of red tape and regulation that make it difficult to launch a business. Come November, voters will get a chance to take an ax to those innovation-killing restrictions On the city ballot this year is Prop H, a 100-page update of San Francisco’s commercial zoning and permitting regime […]
The country’s priciest cities are seeing massive declines in rents as people who are now free to work remotely and unable to enjoy the typical amenities of urban living decamp for less expensive metros. Tucked away in this trend is a lesson for cities: Building more housing is the key to solving affordability problems. San […]
In the waning days of the 2020 election, President Donald Trump is making an explicit play for the votes of libertarians, promising that he’ll for sure finally end the war in Afghanistan. “Thank you LIBERTARIANS. We are getting it all done, and FAST! VOTE TRUMP!!!” tweeted the president in response to a tweet from Sen. […]
President Donald Trump’s pitch to the suburban voters he badly needs is that he saved their neighborhoods from destructive housing policies that a Joe Biden administration would reinstate and expand. “Suburban women, will you please like me?” said Trump at a rally in Jonestown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. “I saved your damn neighborhood.” It’s not a […]
San Francisco will become the latest city to experiment with a universal basic income (UBI). Sort of. In an effort to assist the city’s struggling arts community in bouncing back from the pandemic, Mayor London Breed announced last week that she’d be rolling out a cash transfer program for artists. Under the mayor’s plan, 130 […]
