In 2016, county voters passed Measure A, a $950 million (no typo) property tax increase to generate 4800 new housing units, focused on the chronically homeless. Since then, the county has built at whopping 214 (no typo) units. Planning Commissioner Pierluigi Oliverio wonders why we’re raising taxes to not build anything when the county fairgrounds may be a solution staring us in the face.
Read MoreMany local political watchers in Santa Clara were scratching their heads (ooops, apologies if that verb "scratch" makes anyone feel unsafe) around the local Democratic Party's decision to call for the resignation of Assessor Larry Stone over his use of a rural metaphor ("sucking tit") in an interview with a local journalist. Dr. Alan Perlman, forensic linguist and long-time language activist and outspoken critic of political correctness and language control, surveys the intellectual and academic roots of the attempted cancelling.
Read MoreFriend of Opportunity Now Richard Friedland forwards the following comments from documentarian Leighton Woodhouse on Substack. Richard writes: "Thanks for the Doctor Jay critique of local public health officials last week. Much needed. The following piece from L. Woodhouse examines the forces that make modern scientific research go off the rails."
Read MoreAs the debate about the Fallon statue continues, many are left wondering why some controversial public art is cancelled and other (surprise! left-leaning) art continues to get city support and funding, even in the face of mass community protest. For example, the online petition to take down Americana, artwork from the Holding The Moment public art show which depicted violence against police officers, has surpassed 500 signees. And the petition has earned the support of the Silicon Valley Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 52. Cindy Calderon and Tim Jackson of the Lodge had these comments about the artwork in an exclusive Opportunity Now interview with Jonathan Fleming:
Read MoreNow that the coronavirus pandemic has eased, the effectiveness of local public health officials’ response to the crisis is coming under increasing scrutiny. In an exclusive interview with Opportunity Now, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, walks us through the Merc’s recent article about “lessons learned” from the outbreak, and contends that local health officials implemented a lockdown strategy that was overbroad and needlessly destructive.
Read MoreSanta Clara County teachers’ unions brazen power play in keeping schools closed despite scientific evidence that said it’s okay to reopen may have backfired. Parents around the country are checking out of public schools and private and charter schools are benefitting. Paul Peterson reports in the Wall Street Journal.
Read MoreFrederich Hayek, noted libertarian thinker and steadfast defender of personal liberty, discusses how it's important for modern people to keep the protocols of our family and intimate relationships free from the conventions of the public square.
Read MoreNational cancel culture came to Santa Clara County this month, when the local Democratic party, prompted by activist outrage, censured and called for the resignation of its long-time county assessor, Larry Stone. The Assessor had used a barnyard metaphor to describe his potential rival's relationship with unions. Veteran investigative journalist and media expert Mark Lisheron explores in this exclusive report for Opportunity Now.
Read MoreIn our ongoing series outlining misstatements in the discussion over the Schiele Ave., historic designation discussion, we clarify what historic preservation aims to do, and disprove inaccurate comments from councilmember Arenas that suggested the Schiele Ave. neighborhood has a long history of segregation.
Read MoreIn 2016, 77 percent of Los Angeles voters approved a $1.2 billion bond for the construction of 10,000 units that were supposed to help solve the city’s homelessness crisis. It was the vanguard of the “Housing First” approach policy that became popular with many California metro areas, including Santa Clara County. It has been a bust, explains Christopber Rufo in National Review.
Read MoreThe April 19 print edition of National Review, a venerable conservative weekly, featured a lead article by Will Swaim that skewers the SJ Housing Dept's much-maligned "Dwellings" podcast series. The article makes fun of the disinformation and biased nature of the series and department, especially when it comes to the podcast's blatant advocacy for citywide upzoning. The article quotes a posting from this humble website as well.
Read MoreIn our continuing series on dubious statements made during the March 24 Rules Committee debate on the Schiele Ave. historical designation, our web editor team examines councilmember Arenas' inaccurate comments about the relationships between racism, segregation and home design.
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