What to learn from the SVO's collapse under charges of racist campaign advertising? Opp Now co-founder and ex-SVO PAC member Christopher Escher took a look at how bad business practices may have contributed to the debacle.
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Pete Constant, former San Jose Police Officer, former San Jose City Councilmember, and professional visual artist, discussed why he was deeply troubled by the city-funded art show ("Holding the Moment") that arguably promoted violence against the police. He provides thoughtful insight into the problematic nature of government-funded art.
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Thought experiment: if you found out that there were up to a million unused apartments in California, wouldn't you think we should use them to solve the housing crisis instead of spending upwards of $400k/unit for new ones? Tom Elias looks at the role office building vacancies might have in the Napa Valley Register.
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The most recent CalChamber poll speaks clearly: many Californians think it's too expensive, too dangerous, and too polluted to live in the state. Loren Kate, President of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, explains in Fox & Hounds.
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For decades, local voters seemed eager to approve almost any tax or bond measure put in front of them. But 2020 showed that perhaps the limit has been reached: voters are shouting down new, onerous taxes, as Dan Walters explains in CalMatters.
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SJ's Department of Cultural Affairs recently drew flak about its "Holding The Moment" art show at Mineta Airport, which the department funded and curated. Some residents were outraged that one painting in particular, Americana, may have promoted violence against police officers. Even though the show was ostensibly about artists' reactions to COVID 19, a quick scan of the "Artist Narravtives," in which the artists explain their work, suggests that politics, not pandemics, may have been at the core of many of their creative expressions. Here's a sampling.
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Pete Constant is a former San Jose Police Officer, former San Jose City Councilmember, and a professional visual artist. He provides analysis of the contentious SJ Dept of Cultural Affairs art show at Mineta Airport from a variety of perspectives.
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Months have passed since Mayor Liccardo's home was vandalized,and no one has been charged. In fact, county and city district attorneys are refusing to charge the overwhelming majority of people arrested or cited during this year's violent protests. This is true in San Jose and other cities around the country, as outlined by Mark Lisheron in his report last month for Opportunity Now. Tony Francois of the Pacific Legal Foundation responds to the issues unearthed by Lisheron's article in this exclusive commentary for Opportunity Now.
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The trashing of Mayor Liccardo's home in August by protestors was caught on video. And guess what? It's three months later, and nobody has been charged. But don't be surprised: Brazen intimidation of politicians isn't unique to Santa Clara County, as the Washington Free Beacon reports (week of November 11).
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The government’s power to take private property for purportedly "public" good is vast, and leads to gross inefficiencies. Mix that in with govt's penchant for overpriced affordable housing boondoggles, and you get a perfect witches' brew. Nextcity.org reports from the Southland.
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As the City of San Jose kicks off its racial sensitivity training programs, we look to Robby Soave at Reason magazine to provide a quick lesson on understanding the vocabulary of the movement.
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