Local Government
Can Wall Street survive a socialist mayor?
New York City is the undisputed financial capital of the world. The largest banks and the biggest hedge funds are all located in New York or the surrounding tristate area, not to mention the biggest exchanges, with the…
Oregon just passed one of America’s strongest laws against home equity theft
The governor of Oregon last week signed a bill gutting the government's ability to seize homeowners' surplus equity when it forecloses on a property to collect a tax debt. It's a positive development in a…
Brickbat: Gone Fishing
Washburn County officials shut down a 15-year-old's bait stand on his family's farm in Spooner, Wisconsin, deeming the shed a zoning violation, according to a cease-and-desist letter that threatened daily fines for…
D.C. finally moves to implement ranked choice voting after 3–1 voter approval
This week, the Council of the District of Columbia voted to fund ranked choice voting, officially backing a ballot measure that passed in November by a wide margin. This is a welcome change after some D.C. Democrats…
134 lifeguards cost Los Angeles County taxpayers $70.8 million in just 1 year
Summertime means hitting the beach and enjoying the open ocean. For taxpayers in Los Angeles County, these activities incur a substantial financial cost. Recent reporting from Open the Books, a watchdog group, found that…
Seaside, Florida, mixes master planning and decentralization
This is part of Reason's 2025 summer travel issue. Click here to read the rest of the issue. You might not expect there to be much for libertarians to like about a town that boasts a master plan, where design conformity…
New Jersey court strikes down town’s use of eminent domain to skirt affordable housing mandate
A New Jersey town's attempt to bypass the state's affordable housing mandate has hit a roadblock. On June 27, the New Jersey Superior Court upheld a trial court ruling preventing Middletown Township from using…
DMV officials issued driver’s licenses for cash. Why will REAL ID be any different?
In New York, several employees of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) were recently caught doing the one thing at which government drones seem efficient: corruptly profiting from their positions. They weren't alone in…
Cities and states should not build or subsidize sports stadiums
Hello and welcome to another edition of Free Agent! Don't forget to eat those July 4 leftovers, it's probably the last good day for them. I'm away on vacation, but I've got a great interview for you to…
NYC tried to seize Lucy the pig. Eric Adams says the family can keep her—if she leaves town.
A Staten Island family has been fighting the city tooth and nail for the right to keep "Lucy," a beloved pet pygmy pig. Now the government has relented. For almost 15 years, Lucy has resided with the Gannones, her…
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