It’s easy to get swept up in a chorus of tax and spend councilmembers, singing from the same hymnal. But during Tuesday’s 9-2 vote in favor of an anti-Prop 13 memo, Councilmembers George Casey and Bien Doan stayed consistent with their past defenses of fiscal restraint and concerns about government and tax overreach.
Read MoreAssembly candidate Carol Pefley calls out the cynicism of many SJ City Council Democrats (like Mayor Mahan) who campaigned on platforms of fiscal responsibility, only to turn into tax-and-spend liberals, as evidenced by their June 16 vote to oppose the Save Prop 13 initiative.
Read MoreSan Jose is Prop 13 Country, but the city council remains oblivious to this fact. CM Cohen leads the council in opposing the restoration of taxpayer protections contained in this November’s Save Prop 13 act – and tells some whoppers while he’s at it. Susan Shelley at HJTA corrects Cohen’s misrepresentation of the important initiative in this week's Tax-free Tuesday. An Opp Now Exclusive.
Read MoreWe caught up with Susan Shelley of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Ass'n to explain why it's just basic logic to close the inequitable and economically misguided mistakes (like the Upland Loophole) in the CA tax code.
Read MoreThis Tuesday, SJ Council looks ready to oppose a November statewide ballot initiative that would bring reason and sanity to CA's tax code. Specifically, the initiative would close loopholes to Prop 13 that allow cities to sneak in certain tax increases with deceptive messaging and just a 50%+1 approval, even though the state Constitution and voter results have said there should be a 2/3ds threshold for new taxes. SJ Council has a long and sorry history of voting contrary to citizen will on new taxes: it opposed Prop 13 back in 1978 and endorsed a Prop 13-killer, Prop 5, in 2025, even though local voters (along with the rest of the state) decisively rejected it. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSJ City Council is considering yet another assault on Prop 13, which remains wildly popular with local residents. Peter Verbica unpacks the disconnect. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn the recent primary election across our fair state, county and city ballot measures raising levies are trailing or have been defeated. WSJ reports.
Read MoreSJ says it has solved its budget shortfall for the coming year. But can anyone explain how raising new taxes does anything other than make SJ even less affordable? And did we just hear the sound of the can being kicked down the road--yet again? An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn which Mahan's even modest pushback on labor's financial demands prompts bigtime counterpunch in gov. race.
Read MoreOur Cristabel Cruz takes a (not very fond) look back at media coverage of the CA 2026 primary, and finds more horses than candidates. She explains why. An Opp Now Exclusive.
Read MoreWe ask some psychoanalysts to provide tips to local politicians on how to be a good winner and a good loser.
Read MoreMaybe the way to make San Jose more affordable isn’t by demonizing gas appliances, single-family homes, and urban sprawl—say CFR’s Pat Waite and SVGOP’s David G. Johnson. Perhaps local elected officials should reconsider what’s proven effective and reasonable, not environmentally virtue-signal at the expense of (our) cost of living. An Opp Now exclusive.
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