Media and politicians feast on voter confusion, playing the national polarization playbook to sneak through tax measures that defy voters’ self-interest: in an Opportunity Now exclusive comment for our series on the election, Silicon Valley Chinese Association VP Tony Guan predicts we’re headed toward bigger government with a billionaire’s tax very possible, and only cautious hope for voter ID reform.
Read MoreUnjustified assumptions. Unpublished data. Undisclosed financial ties. Zero analysis of alternatives. These are just a few of the concerns local transit experts have with SPUR's widely-panned (and widely quoted by local media!) puff research about the impact of the upcoming RTM tax.
Read MoreMerc Editorial board says it’s time to restore supermajority minimum for special taxes.
Read MoreSo SJ’s tentative agreement with the public sector unions may prevent a strike. But that’s “a very low bar,” says The Municipal Financial Crisis author Mark Moses in an Opportunity Now exclusive commentary: did the city surrender its authority in the deal? If so, why? CPC’s Lance Christensen points to a “conflict of interest” when councilmembers who are endorsed by the unions then ratify milestone agreements with the unions.
Read MoreThe state’s lavish handout regime comes at a cost -- ever increasing taxation that threatens the opportunity and prosperity that once made California attractive. So says former Monte Sereno Mayor Liz Lawler in an Opportunity Now exclusive comment for our ongoing election series: the tax-and-spend tyranny of Sacramento’s supermajority is matched only by voters’ willingness to endorse it.
Read MoreDave Johnson, SVGOP chair scans California and sees "an economic model of failure."
Read MoreWhen it comes to homelessness, cost of living, infrastructure, and expensive legacy transit systems, politicians have been strangely silent. So says former State Assembly candidate Ted Stroll in an Opportunity Now exclusive comment for our series leading up to this year’s election:
Read MoreRising data center regulations and overhead make "cost-to-compute" inflate. Are SJ and other cities going too far in their regulation (or moratoria) on data centers? X commenters explore.
Read MoreOur Susie Murillo takes a look at the debris from this year's campaign material and notes that everyone's infected by social media's Everpresent Now. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MorePalo Alto Daily Post echoes Merc's criticism of transit tax bailout, notes, "we've played this game before."
Read MoreJohnny Khamis, prez of leading local biz group, aligns with Merc, says transit tax bailout latest in long parade of unaccountable new levies.
Read MoreFamilies & Homes, San Jose's leading citywide neighborhood advocacy group, contends that City staff is misreading the plain language of San Jose's Housing Element (state-mandated housing planning for current and future housing) in an effort to deliver an irreversible increase in housing density citywide. F&H's letter to city leaders, below, along with commentary from Pat Waite, Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility.
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