Driverless vehicles are now transforming mobility in the Bay Area. While this technology promises to make getting around both cheaper and more convenient, local political and transit leaders are not adequately incorporating autonomous vehicles into their thinking and instead perpetuating the high-cost model of transportation through the 2030s. Marc Joffe explains in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreWhile “unelected regional bodies” promise their Plan Bay Area 2050+ will improve affordability, SHIFT-Bay Area says it doesn’t add up: the transit-heavy, forced urbanization scheme has no off-ramp, and it estimates population growth amidst an exodus. In a newsletter summarizing SHIFT's findings, CoCo Taxpayer Ass'n warns the $1.5 trillion dream isn't yet covered by existing revenues, so new taxes would cost $3,938 per person, per year.
Read MoreEvery parent knows: if your child wastes their allowance, it’s time for better money skills—not a bigger allowance. Yet CA SB 63 proposes we add a half-cent sales tax for bailing out transit agencies like VTA. Perhaps it’s time for fiscal accountability across local gov’t projects. An Opp Now exclusive with Pacific Research Institute’s Tim Anaya and Evergreen Elementary SD’s Jim Zito.
Read MoreLocal political commenter Denise Kalm says that local gov’ts mis-label the real issues with our homeless community, ignoring the upstream problems of mental health and addiction. She says this “infantilizes” our unhoused neighbors, and leads to bad policy. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreWhether we’re talking CEQA, licensing req’ts, gas mandates, or sales taxes, CA congressional candidate Peter Coe Verbica and SF Libertarian chair Starchild argue that less is more—and would empower folks to stay in the Bay. Not flee to other, more cost-effective states. An Opp Now exclusive roundup.
Read MorePer our annual Opp Now tradition, we hit replay on a beloved short essay by Peter Coe Verbica. He reflects, below, on those inexplicable moments of renewal and recovery we might experience during the holidays—prompted by the loveliness found in ordinary activities, objects, and surroundings. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreCounty officials are still snapping at each other regarding the proceeds from the “bait-and-switch” Measure A. At the same time, underdog Assessor finalist Rishi Kumar gains the support of local political leaders with his aggressive tax reform platform. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreHow can local gov’t fix affordability for residents? Retired attorney Ted Stroll and Purissima Hills Water District director Brian Holtz recommend a simple—but sweeping—prescription: no more rent control, no more traditional property taxes, no more single-family zoning, or sales taxes. And—to look to Argentina. An Opp Now exclusive in our ongoing affordability roundup.
Read MoreA global run on the dollar could force SV cities into a state of “chaotic austerity” as inflation spikes and borrowing becomes nearly impossible. So says economist Mike ter Maat, in an Opp Now exclusive Q&A. He argues that financial officers should assume markets will only get worse from now on, and plan accordingly: frontload borrowing, fully fund the pensions, and insulate your town from swings in revenue.
Read MoreMandated solar panel installations. Regional building quotas that are neither restrained nor reasonable. Gov’t experts Mark Moses and Susan Kirsch assert that cities like SJ can improve affordability—it just might require applying some pressure at the state level. An Opp Now exclusive in an ongoing roundup.
Read More“We’ve crossed an important threshold,” says 2024 Libertarian VP nominee Mike ter Maat in an Opp Now exclusive Q&A. Even before the federal government misses its first interest payment, borrowing will become much costlier: he says cities in Silicon Valley that rely on credit should act now to avoid financial ruin in a crisis that’s as few as five years out.
Read MoreCybersecurity and voting expert Harry Haury worries that ballots are mishandled in California. He says regions like the Bay Area could be worse than Orange County, which itself has “tremendous problems” with provenance, chain of custody, oversight, and clean voter rolls. Even if it passes legitimately, Prop 50’s redistricting will suppress representation for certain voters: he calls it “political oppression.” An Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A.
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