The California Legislature has a bad habit of writing new law in the moment and paying little or no attention to its potential consequences.
While legislative history contains many examples, the most spectacular occurred three decades ago when legislators and then-Gov. Pete Wilson massively overhauled how electricity is generated, distributed and priced, telling consumers it would make power more affordable and reliable.
The real world impact was just the opposite. Power became less reliable, prices skyrocketed and the state’s investor-owned utilities were pushed into insolvency.
Other examples of unintended consequences in California include launching a bullet train project without comprehensive construction or financial plans, sharply increasing public employee pensions without considering costs and doing the same with unemployment insurance benefits.
One could also add the current practice of draining emergency reserves to cover budget deficits that result from overestimating revenues and underestimating spending, leaving the state’s finances vulnerable to an inevitable economic downturn.
Then there is Assembly Bill 288, one of many measures the Legislature dominated by Democrats and Gov. Gavin Newsom have passed in recent years to thwart — or so they hope — President Donald Trump.
AB 288, sponsored by California labor unions and carried by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, an Inglewood Democrat, expands the authority of California’s Public Employment Relations Board —...
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