A recent Spotlight article frames San Jose’s $65 million shortfall as a short-term balancing act, but nobody’s asking how to solve the structural deficit. So says municipal finance guru Mark Moses, author of The Municipal Financial Crisis. An Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A response.
According to Forbes, MoneyGeek's fifth annual report on the safest cities in America (2025 report) places SJ 159th out of 315 municipalities, behind San Diego, Anaheim, Irvine, and Riverside in CA alone.
While one Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local waxes eloquent about the evils of wealth inequality, its sister locals are pushing regressive sales tax measures in multiple counties. The unifying principle is not egalitarianism but more dues revenue for the union. Marc Joffe of Contra Costa Taxpayers' explores.
Through widespread collective bargaining, market failures can be corrected, decades of income inequality may be reversed, and economic growth can be supported. The Workrisenetwork explains.
Harvard Business Review says cooperative management/worker strategies make for a better business and a better society.
Lower tariffs combined with an improved regulatory environment could be good for business this year, says Shane Patrick Connolly. Locally, however, he wonders if voters will finally push back against Santa Clara County’s “moribund” yet tax-ravenous government. An Opportunity Now exclusive forecast for 2026.
Chinese authors X. Zhu and M. Zhang explore how China aimed to reimagine labor relations as the county quickly transformed to a more market-oriented system.
Realtor Mark Burns worries Santa Clara County will keep hiking taxes instead of containing expenses, while realtor Gina Tse-Louie argues that voters’ rights have been systematically dismantled by the state government. She hopes an initiative to address the “death tax” will make it on the ballot this year. An Opportunity Now exclusive look ahead to 2026.
Unelected transit and housing bodies are scheming for more control, but the Plan Bay Area 2050+ has serious problems. So says Former Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou, who argues that along with its 37 negative environmental impacts, the PBA 2050+ can’t be paid for without more borrowing and higher taxes. An Opportunity Now exclusive 2026 forecast.
