Peter Ohtaki, former Menlo Park mayor, outlines a simpler, more cost effective rote to more affordable housing locally.
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A bad school district is like a jail sentence, sometimes literally, as many students either drop out or get caught up in the juvenile justice system. So says Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Gus Mattammal, who argues school choice is the way out, and in California that won’t mean “vouchers.” In this excerpt from A is for Average, Mattammal highlights the urgent need for more public charter schools.
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Proponents of the Measure A tax on tourists claim it’s crucial to fund everything from police and fire, to illegal dumping prevention and park bathrooms. But wait, asks Mark Hinkle of the Silicon Valley Taxpayer Association: why aren’t these services already in the budget? And where will the money really go? An Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A.
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Reading the Merc and the Spotlight, one might think a “No” vote on Measure A is downright irresponsible. But government finance expert Mark Moses questions why the city is targeting Sunday library hours and downtown police patrols. Why not instead address the real cost drivers? An Opportunity Now exclusive commentary.
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“Why are police and fire emergency response not in the current San Jose City Budget?” quips Mark Hinkle in Silicon Valley Taxpayer Association’s statement: Measure A’s dubious premise that it’s for “essential” services could end up hurting San Jose tourism.
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On June 2nd, voters may choose to raise taxes on hotels in San Jose. But that could actually drive business, and jobs, out of town. So says Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association's spokesperson Susan Shelley: unintentionally, it might even bring down tax revenue. An Opportunity Now exclusive comment.
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CA AB30's Vehicle Travel Traveleted (VMT) fee will make housing in CA more expensive and hit low income residents the hardest. Reihan Salam reviews Jennifer Hernandez' City Journal article on the perverse effects of pro-infill strategies.
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Local historian April Halberstadt provides a gripping first-hand report of her home being burglarized in November of last year. First in a series from Halberstadt describing her experience. An Opp Now exclusive.
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If you want higher income, it’s more important to study math in high school than to graduate high school. That’s from two separate studies, and it’s reason enough to keep standards high, says Gus Mattammal. In his book A is for Average, the candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction argues against dumbing down math education in the name of “equity” because in doing so, Black students lose out on earnings potential.
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As another hopeless regional transit tax rumbles towards Bay Area residents this fall (SB63, advanced by Mayor Mahan and the San Jose City Council) the inestimable Randal O'Toole explains why throwing good money after bad mass transit ideas is always a mistake, and VTA is Exhibit A, in this Opp Now exclusive.
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Civil rights advocate Tony Guan joins a chorus of voices calling out the new ACA 7, an amendment to legalize discrimination in California. Currently snaking through the statehouse, the bill could end up on the ballot in November. Will voters let skin color decide who gets “student grants, specialized programs, and even classroom resources”? The College Fix reports.
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In 1996, California voters passed Prop 209 to ban racial preferences in public education and in 2020 they reaffirmed it, write Wenyuan Wu and Eli Steele in the OC Register. Through the machinations of committed ideologues in Sacramento, a new constitutional amendment, ACA 7, could dismantle this state’s hard-won civil liberties.
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