Realtor Mark Burns and FlashReport editor John Fleischman analyze Mahan for Governor's plan to increase supply. They find that the limited impact of Mahan's reforms in San Jose, as well as his reluctance to break with status quo Democrat party housing assumptions, means his ideas come up short addressing the scope of our housing needs. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSo much for "safest big city." Two more people were shot to death in Central SJ last Thursday. The murder rate in the city is already up 50% compared to last year at this time. Various outlets report.
Read MoreSan Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has released a multi-point housing plan as part of his campaign for governor. Local taxpayer advocate Tobin Gilman and FlashReport newsletter editor Jon Fleischman wonder if the plan illustrates the limits of California’s self-described “moderate” Democrat wing, or if it offers some interesting new ideas. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read More“I can’t think of anything less strategic,” says Mark Moses, in response to San Jose’s promise to eliminate vacant positions. In an Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A, the author of The Municipal Financial Crisis argues that this org-chart-by attrition approach, along with short term service cuts and “disingenuous” calls for efficiency gains, do nothing to fix the city’s long-term budget problem.
Read More“Avoiding layoffs is not in the interest of the taxpayers,” says Mark Moses, and it’s “too late to find savings from efficiency gains this year.” Instead, he argues, San Jose should begin a long-term approach to financial health: management should slowly regain control of the workforce, and sunset wasteful programs. An Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreA 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.
Read MoreLower 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.
Read MoreRealtor 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.
Read MoreUnelected 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.
Read MoreAs the Bay Area’s most vulnerable are pushed further to the brink by a fraying safety net this year, regional planners will flail about for unworkable fixes. So says Susan Kirsch of Catalysts for Local Control, who argues that, instead of supporting Plan Bay Area 2050+, which uses fantastical population predictions, local leaders should restore local control. An Opportunity Now exclusive 2026 prediction.
Read MoreSacramento and local governments have long relied on the glories of the Golden State to get away with “unpredictable” tax policy: HJTA’s Susan Shelley asks if Silicon Valley tech founders have finally had enough. In this Opportunity Now exclusive prediction, she warns of a “bumpy ride” in 2026 that could “shake up the status quo.”
Read MoreWhile New York’s dubious political pivot threatens compounding deterioration of basic civic services, Manhattan Institute fellow Tim Rosenberger argues that SF is enjoying a “quiet return of talent and capital.” But is The City’s “renewed seriousness about law and order” real? An Opportunity Now exclusive 2026 prediction.
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