Here's a quick glimpse into the issues and dangers our police force experience every day--and night. From the Twitter account of Paul Joseph of the SJPD describing the evening of Septermber 11, 2021.
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Increasingly, local progressive politicians are making wild, public race- and gender-based accusations that are demonstrably and transparently false. But local media doesn't hold them to account, and influential institutions cave under fear of being accused of Thought Crimes. Forensic attorney and linguistic scholar Dr. Alan Perlman explores the long-term impact on local political culture, and how it can be reversed. An Opportunity Now exclusive interview.
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CM Sylvia Arenas raised eyebrows earlier this year when she harshly questioned historical designations for homes in SJ's Garden Alameda neighborhood because, over half a century ago, the neighborhood had race-based covenants applied to it. Arenas inaccurately accused the current neighborhood and neighbors of racism and ongoing segregation (here, here, here, and here). Mayoral hopeful CM Dev Davis represents the Garden Alameda district as its councilmember. However, when a home in the Naglee Park neighborhood was recently considered for historical preservation, Arenas supported it. According to the City of San Jose's Housing Dept., Naglee Park properties--including the home being granted historical preservation--had precisely the same type racial covenants applied to them as did the homes in Garden Alameda. Keen-eyed observers could not help but notice that Naglee Park is represented by mayoral hopeful CM Raul Peralez, whom Arenas has endorsed in the mayoral race. The Merc covered the story.
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There was a time when Silicon Valley politics was characterized by an alliance between labor and business. Sure, it was often a creaky alliance but it was a workable one focused on the goal of building out our Valley in a way that benefited everyone. Those days of ascendant free market capitalism sometimes appear lost in the divisiveness of Woke politics and Shakedown regulations from local government. Samuel Gregg at The Spectator opines that enthusiasm for free markets comes and goes and could be ready for a resurgence.
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Remember when workers of the world needed to unite? That they had nothing to lose but their chains? With the broad real-world failure of Marxism and Communism, radical thinkers needed a new set of victims to spark their longed-for revolutionary fires. Welcome to Critical Theory and Wokism, staples in local progressive's arsenal of divisive politics and inaccurate rhetoric. Mike Gonzales at the Heritage Foundation, via the Claremont Review of Books, explores.
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Modernity has created its own health crises--and cities have been at the center of those crises. Diseases such as COVID-19 and environmental disasters have caused tremendous damage and loss of life. Joel Kotkin puts 2020 and 2021 into perspective in City Journal.
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Wages are up, especially for local low-income workers but they're not bringing any relief as the cost for basic subsistence items soars: food prices are up 5.7%--led by meat, poultry, and egg prices up more than 10%. George Avalos at the Merc and Sarah Cambon at the Wall Street Journal outline how undisciplined federal spending takes away whatever gains the market is providing workers.
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As defenders of single-family home neighborhoods in San Jose keep winning the debate over Opportunity Housing, progressive advocates of mass upzoning increasingly reveal a deeper agenda: a diminishment of home ownership itself. Joel Kotkin explains in City Journal.
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If you’re a landlord in Santa Clara County, the last few years have been difficult: pandemic-related lockdowns that forced tenants out of work, a federal eviction moratorium, and increasing regulations and rent control at the local level. Many landlords—especially those providing smaller single family home rentals or duplexes and quadplexes—are being forced to call it quits and sell off their affordable units to new owners who convert the property to single family homes. The result? Local real estate gets even more unaffordable, especially for lower costs renters. Ryan Mills analyzes how government intervention goes awry in National Review.
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Maybe it’s the unnecessary school shutdowns. Or maybe it’s the extremist, race-based curriculum. Nonetheless, parents around the country—including Santa Clara County—are opting out of public schools and increasingly choosing private and charter schools. Matt Welch explores the exodus in Reason magazine.
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In California and Santa Clara County, billions and billions get spent, and the homelessness crisis just gets worse. Edward Ring at the California Policy Center argues that the “housing first” strategy (build more new housing for our homeless neighbors) is dismally and demonstrably flawed, and clear-eyed compassion leads to wholly different set of solutions and strategies.
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Homicide rose in many U.S. cities in the first half of 2021, even as demands from progressive advocates to actually reduce police budgets continued. The Wall Street Journal reports on data from Major City Chiefs Association.
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