As top-down state policy degrades student achievement in SJUSD, the argument against public schools could be gaining purchase. But Gus Mattammal (candidate for CA Supe of Public Instruction and author of A is for Average) makes the case for reforming, not discarding, public education. While distributed opportunity to children everywhere is key to our economic health, he asks if California’s $130 billion-per-year system is actually delivering results.
Read MoreAn end-of-year addition to the vaunted Opp Now team, local grad student Cristabel Cruz offers our first in a series on What To Expect in The Coming Year. Welcome, Cristabel, and welcome, 2026.
Read MoreHistorian April Halberstadt whisks us back to Christmas a century ago in her historic San Jose home—when local agriculture was booming, the city rapidly expanding via annexations, and the faith-centered Wright family (living in now-Halberstadt’s home) making their mark on CA politics. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSmall restaurants/food trucks are disproportionately impacted by hidden gov’t fees, fines, and taxes (maybe that’s why so many are closing up shop and heading elsewhere). So Opp Now contributors Gus Mattammal and Susan Shelley have two main suggestions for local gov’t: “aggressively” permit new vendors, and break up big food monopolies. An exclusive.
Read MoreIf you thought it was over with the bait-n-switch Measure A, think again. November, 2026 will see SB63 on the ballot--a deceptive measure which aims to hide the bailout of the region's bankrupt and unsustainable mass transit systems under the guise of "road repairs." An Opp Now exclusive collated by our editorial team.
Read MorePre-approving modular design libraries. Waiving impact fees for workforce housing. And–yes—keeping CEQA under control. SF Briones Society’s Jay Donde and former Hollister mayor Victor Gomez lay out how local gov’t might streamline the building process—and save residents thousands along the way. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreCounty Assessor finalist Rishi Kumar has elevated the cause of relief for tax-burdened Santa Clara County residents in his campaign. He advocates for property tax exemptions for seniors as a key part of his candidacy. The local county tax-and-spend cabal, however, is clutching their pearls over his reform ideas, arguing--hilariously--that the county assessor should just be a faceless spreadsheet jockey, and not work for county taxpayers. Jose Esteves, former Milpitas mayor, sets the record straight and highlights how Kumar's tax reform advocacy is on target and sorely needed.
Read MoreDriverless 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.
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