Will SB 63 disenfranchise San Mateo County and Santa Clara County residents, and heap more of their hard-earned tax dollars onto unaccountable transit agencies like the MTC? After another BART meltdown, SHIFT-Bay Area's sustainability director Gregg Dieguez argues against continued wasteful spending. He says the agencies need outside oversight, and the region needs a competitive transit marketplace. An Opp Now exclusive op-ed.
Read More“It was prejudicial and misleading,” says long time Santa Clara County resident Dawn Davis of the Measure A ballot label. She and three other plaintiffs victoriously sued to remove some of the partisan terms from the ballot summary. Although the hasty tax hike election will proceed, Davis believes the more honestly worded ballot might improve trust in local government. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreJust build more houses. Just pass yours down to your children. Just run a profitable business. Easy, right? Not exactly, argue former Palo Alto councilmember Greg Tanaka and real estate broker Gina Tse-Louie—saying we need radical rewrites in building/business regulations and tax policy. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreCounty residents are promised that Measure A sales tax is only “temporary” and will have plenty of oversight. But County Assessor candidate Rishi Kumar argues neither is the case. He says Measure A is a regressive sales tax that won’t go away, can be spent on anything, and could even preclude the county from state healthcare funding. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreSanta Clara County’s public health system is poised to lose $3 billion yearly by 2030. So says County Assessor candidate Rishi Kumar, who argues the $330 million that Measure A is meant to raise each year will only pay a fraction of the shortfall. “Where’s the plan for the rest?” he asks, “more tax increases?” An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreFor the Valley to stop pricing residents out of housing, former Gilroy mayor Marie Blankley and SV Biz PAC’s Tracey Enfantino point to needed property tax exemptions; impact fee code revisions; and a straightforward, efficient Community Development Department to process building applications. An Opp Now exclusive in our affordability series.
Read MoreFormer SJ Councilmember Pete Constant, currently a Professor and Chair of Public Policy Department at Jessup University does a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's redistricting proposal, and suggests it solves no real problem while creating new ones--from legal risks to eroded trust. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreFrom Social Democrat Alex Lee in Fremont to GOP candidates for congress and assembly, Bay Areans are rejecting efforts to dismantle CA's Independent Citizens' Redistricting Commission.
Read MoreEdward Ring of California Policy Center certainly thinks so, in the third installment of our Silicon Valley affordability perspectives series. He believes local gov’t could trim hundreds of thousands of dollars (!) off each housing unit this way—encouraging homebuilding and cost-effective living. Ring elaborates, below, in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreTest scores are falling, but teachers unions still want more money to shore up job security and pay all members equitably, regardless of results. So says former Santa Clara County Board of Education candidate Shane Lewis in an Opp Now exclusive Q&A. He argues the county should protect the schools from disruptive state policies, while teachers and schools could benefit from incentive pay and a focus on outcomes.
Read MoreWhen local gov’t makes huge energy mandates—looking at you, Bay Area Air Quality Mgmt District—it’s renters and homeowners who get stuck with the bill. What’s more, “renewable” goods aren’t always ethical—or, um, good for the environment. Opp Now contributors Denise Kalm and Sandra Delvin analyze boosting affordability in the Valley in this exclusive.
Read MoreAt the end of the day, whether you’re a free marketeer or socialist, or somewhere else on the spectrum—cost of living matters. Like putting food on the table. Being able to pay rent, a mortgage. Running a business without gov’t running it into the ground. So we asked Opp Now contributors how the city/county can improve affordability—and Marc Joffe and Lance Christensen say it’s all about core services. An exclusive.
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