California – Olivia Gonzalez

The use of locally-imposed selective taxes to fund public pension liabilities

This is republished content originally hosted on the Mercatus’ Center former blog, Neighborhood Effects. Many eyes are on Kentucky policymakers as they grapple with finding a solution to their $40 billion state-reported unfunded public pension liability. As talks of a potential pension bill surface, various proposals have been made by legislators, but very few have gained traction. OneContinue reading “The use of locally-imposed selective taxes to fund public pension liabilities”

Decreasing congestion with driverless cars

This is republished content originally hosted on the Mercatus’ Center former blog, Neighborhood Effects. Traffic is aggravating. Especially for San Francisco residents. According to Texas A&M Transportation Institute, traffic congestion in the San Francisco-Oakland CA area costs the average auto commuter 78 hours per year in extra travel time, $1,675 for their travel time delays, and anContinue reading “Decreasing congestion with driverless cars”

Eight years after the financial crisis: lessons from the most fiscally distressed cities

This is republished content originally hosted on the Mercatus’ Center former blog, Neighborhood Effects. You’d think that eight years after the financial crisis, cities would have recovered. Instead, declining tax revenues following the economic downturn paired with growing liabilities have slowed recovery. Some cities exacerbated their situations with poor policy choices. Much could be learnedContinue reading “Eight years after the financial crisis: lessons from the most fiscally distressed cities”