☆ Waite: will pols keep relying on rhetoric to keep California poor?
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Silicon Valley is already taxed to the brink, says Pat Waite: absent accountability, the push won’t stop. He asks why CA has the highest rate of poverty in the nation (Supplemental Poverty Level metric), and yet politicians seek to raise taxes while failing to make housing cheaper. Will this be the year voters demand substantive answers? An Opportunity Now exclusive look forward to 2026.
My hope for 2026 is that Bay Area and California voters start asking questions about why Californians suffer from incredibly high taxes and living costs, and who is responsible.
Start with Bay Area public transportation, which is considering a ½-cent sales tax for the 2026 ballot, primarily for operating expenses. BART ridership is down about 50% since 2013, while expenses are up over 50% on a real basis. VTA is slightly better, ridership down 25% and expenses up over 40%. Why do we need to throw more taxpayer money at such irresponsible financial management? Who is overseeing the spending of our taxpayer dollars?
Move on to homeless programs. Why are we pouring billions of dollars into “solutions” without seeing reductions in homelessness? Who is analyzing the program metrics to determine how to fix the problem?
Next take housing. Why is it so expensive to build housing of any kind? Who is figuring out how to make it easier and less expensive to build housing at all price levels?
Such questions are also relevant on a state-wide basis. Why is California’s median family income 5th highest in the nation, but our poverty level is the highest (using the Supplemental Poverty Level metric). Who is responsible for rectifying the situation?
My fear for 2026 is that “because Trump” rhetoric and inane campaign sound bites continue swaying voters, who ought to focus on the substantive questions of why we are where we are and who can fix the Bay Area and our state.
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