A Victory for Capitalism and Common Sense In California (From RealClearMarkets)

Amid regular reports in conservative media about the exodus of jobs and people from California, the state’s affordability challenges, and its widespread homelessness, it might be tempting to write off California or regard its future as bleak.

Prosperity through free-market competition and innovation is in the state’s DNA, however much these principles are now under attack through California’s abundant and often heavy-handed regulations.

On April 20, a public policy green shoot was evident when the California State Senate put the brakes on a notable proposal that would have changed the Internet as we know it, and benefited few except some special interests in the tech sector.

At issue was Senate Bill 1074, the Blocking Anticompetitive Self-preference by Entrenched Dominant platforms, or BASED Act. Introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the measure would have led to wholesale changes in how large-scale e-commerce websites list products.

Paul Steidler discusses this in RealClearMarkets here.