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George Passantino is a senior fellow at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets.
In 2004, Passantino served as a full-time director on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California Performance Review. Passantino helped lead a thorough, top-to-bottom review of state government that the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office concluded could save California $15 billion over five years.
Passantino has authored frequent studies, white papers, and commentaries on California's need for fundamental economic, legislative, and regulatory reform. His views have appeared in numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Orange County Register, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, and Investor's Business Daily.
Prior to joining Reason in 1997, Passantino served as a legislative consultant to the California State Legislature. His wide range of high-profile legislative accomplishments include the 1996 passage of California's version of Megan's Law, which has helped thousands of parents protect their children from dangerous sex offenders.
Passantino graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Applied Economics from California State University, Bakersfield.
Policy Brief 52 Undermining the Future: Problems with November's Bond Initiatives, and Alternatives September 2006 By Adrian T. Moore, Ph.D., George Passantino, and Adam B. Summers
» Full Brief (.pdf)
Policy Brief 51 A Pocket Guide to Propositions on California's November 2006 Ballot September 2006 By George Passantino
» Full Brief (.pdf)
Policy Study 341 Addressing California's Transportation Needs: Problems with Proposition 1B and Alternative Approaches September 2006 By Ted Balaker, Adrian T. Moore, Ph.D., George Passantino, Robert W. Poole, Jr., Adam Summers, and Lanlan Wang
» Full Study (.pdf)
Policy Brief 50 Enabling Public-Private Partnerships for Transportation in California September 2006 By George Passantino
» Full Brief (.pdf)
Policy Study 335 The Gathering Pension Storm: How Government Pension Plans are Breaking the Bank and Strategies for Reform June 2005 By George Passantino and Adam B. Summers
» Full Study (.pdf)
» Policy Summary (.pdf)
» Press Release
Report Priority Colorado: Balancing the Budget While Preserving TABOR and Colorado’s Quality of Lifes February 2005 By Geoffrey F. Segal, George Passantino, et al.
» Full Report (.pdf)
Report Roadmap to Reform for California August 2003 By George Passantino, Reason, Carl DeMaio, Reason, Kathleen Connell, Matt Fong, Bill Jones, Bill Baker, and Lucy Killea
» Full Report (.pdf)
Policy Study 308 A Risk Based Airport Security Policy May 2003 By Robert Poole, with George Passantino
» Full Study (.pdf)
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Put a Lid On State Budget, Already California's budget woes underscore need for a spending limit December 12, 2007 | Orange County Register By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
The Chilling Effect of the Schwarzenegger-Bush Freeze Mortgage assistance plans don't fix the problem December 6, 2007 | Flash Report By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Spiderman and Schwarzenegger Will impulse to spend or reform win out in California? May 29, 2007 | Reason.org By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Schwarzenegger Goes From Milton Friedman to Big Government Arnold's nanny-state plan misdiagnoses what's wrong with health care February 9, 2007 | Flash Report By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Governor's Rose-Colored Glasses Tint the Budget Schwarzenegger is outspending Gray Davis, ignoring state's major fiscal woes February 7, 2007 | California Political News By Adrian Moore and George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Infrastructure, Yes! Mega-debt, No! Massive bond isn't answer to California's troubles November 30, 2005 | FlashPoint.org By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Schwarzenegger Needs to Refocus Quality of life issues left on sidelines November 11, 2005 | San Diego Union Tribune By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Plan Districts to Safeguard Democracy CA needs nonpartisan redistricting November 3, 2005 | Los Angeles Daily News By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
California Needs Better Laws, Not More Government Needless boards only add red tape, bureaucracy October 23, 2005 | Antelope Valley Press By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Reviving the Reform California Performance Review still packs a punch August 3, 2005 | Orange County Register By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
How to Keep Pension Promises on the Road to Solvency CA government pension systems encourage irresponsible behavior June 21, 2005 | San Francisco Chronicle By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in California's Transportation Future Projects funded by tolls could add highway capacity that would not otherwise be built May 17, 2005 | Testimony By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Billions of Reasons to Reform Pensions Shifting to a 401(k) plan would stabilize skyrocketing CA pension costs April 7, 2005 | Orange County Register By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Ending CA Gridlock Requires Compromise Pols should quit raiding road funds; allow toll lanes April 1, 2005 | Los Angeles Daily News By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
The Bodybuilder's Guide to Government Reform Getting rid of California’s flab November 19, 2004 | California Political Review By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
What Schwarzenegger Didn't Do Evaluating the governor’s first year October 8, 2004 | Los Angeles Times By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Our Unfocused Legislature Why pay full-time money for part-time results? August 10, 2004 | San Jose Mercury News By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Lighting a Fuse to Blow Up Boxes Report offers more than 1,000 ways to improve state government August 8, 2004 | Orange County Register By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
A Lean and Fit State Government Pushing the state toward reform January 13, 2004 | San Diego Union-Tribune By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
CA State Deficits: The Day of Reckoning Is Here Spending must be controlled December 22, 2003 | San Francisco Chronicle By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
After the Recall Immediate action needed to revive state October 6, 2003 | Orange County Business Journal By George Passantino, Reason, and Carl DeMaio, Reason » Full Text
Reforming California Text of speech to California Commission on Taxation and the New Economy September 9, 2003 By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
Companies Can't Leave CA Fast Enough State lost 21,500 jobs last month alone June 19, 2003 | Los Angeles Daily News By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
State Meddling, Not Deregulation, Behind Energy Crunch California did not deregulate October 1, 2001 | Reason.org By George Passantino, Reason » Full Text
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