This week's prized Cognitive Dissonance award goes to D6 CM Michael Mulcahy. He praised—even after five adults were sent to hospital after a wild shooting spree in SJ's boozy San Pedro Square post Super Bowl— “the power of the experience economy.” An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreA couple decades after Prop 209 protected non-discrimination rights for all Californians, Prop 16 tried to re-impose racial quotas. Local grassroots organizer Tony Guan worked tirelessly to defeat Prop 16 by showing how affirmative action actually hurts the Asian community and erodes the rights of all Californians. An Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreCristabel Cruz can't help but play therapist and try to help Dem candidates escape their denial, cognitive rigidity, and constrained worldview when it comes to CA's chronic problems. An OppNow exclusive.
Read MoreThis year’s June ballot will once again ask voters to take out a loan, says Mark Hinkle, President of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association & Vice Chair of the Santa Clara Libertarian Party. He says bonds can cost twice the borrowed amount over 30 years, for technology that becomes obsolete in just five years. An Opportunity Now exclusive warning for 2026.
Read MoreWhen new flight routes started to rattle the skies above Sunnyvale and Cupertino, one local activist led the charge to push back. A voice for residents who felt helpless, Tony Guan and his grassroots team spent years fighting federal bureaucracies, to restore some measure of peace and quiet. An Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreIn 2026, innovation spurred by Silicon Valley will bring sci-fi closer to reality, suggests Peter Verbica. But as airborne Joby cabs and Amazon drones deliver us from inconvenience, so too might technology help the taxman get creative. The GOP candidate for CA’s 19th congressional district also warns that class divides and ubiquitous surveillance could subordinate the rights of the citizen. An Opportunity Now exclusive look ahead.
Read MoreA scaled-down measure to Save Prop 13 could make it on the CA ballot this year, says Jon Coupal. It would repeal real estate transfer taxes above .11%, and raise the bar for local special taxes to a 2/3 majority vote. In this Opportunity Now exclusive 2026 forecast, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association President fears CA politicians will continue to manipulate the ballot process and drive cities toward bankruptcy.
Read MoreBay Area's premier tax-and-spend concert series –Taxapalooza –announces 2026 headliners. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreNobody’s arguing a city can’t survive year-to-year by deferring maintenance and raising taxes. But Mark Moses, author of The Municipal Financial Crisis, cautions that if Silicon Valley cities fixate on this year’s budget cycle, they risk ignoring the “compounding burden” of underlying, unaddressed liabilities. This could mean major service cuts by the end of the decade. An Opportunity Now exclusive warning for 2026.
Read More“There have been so many fees and taxes that have driven out all the developers,” says Silicon Valley Business Alliance’s Johnny Khamis. He’s hopeful that rolling back fees will increase building, not just downtown high-rises but throughout San Jose. Will voters keep trusting the tax hikers who still haven’t fixed housing, health care, transportation or mental health services? An Opportunity Now exclusive.
Read MoreCA Assembly 28 candidate Carol Pefley looks forward to a 2026 characterized by an end to gaslighting and systemic misgovernment, and a statewide rebirth of accountability, growth, and community spirit. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreOur region is synonymous with success. But Marc Joffe warns a raft of tax measures this year could prove “existential,” forcing voters to decide whether Silicon Valley rewards innovation, or punishes it. One major ticket to savings, he argues, is driverless buses and trains. Will voters agree? Or will they keep funding a legacy system? An Opportunity Now exclusive forecast for 2026.
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