In a recent SJ Merc op-ed, councilmember and mayoral hopeful Matt Mahan harshly criticized Supervisors' recent vote to redirect federal COVID funds to provide $2500 bonuses to every county employee (Supervisor Cindy Chavez, another mayoral hopeful, voted for the bonus package). Councilmember Dev Davis (also running for mayor) and Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility chief Pat Waite provide additional perspective.
Read MoreFurious accusations of "gerrymandering" met the Redistricting Commission's recent plans to redraw council district areas in San Jose, as those plans would effectively destroy the decades-old ties of long-established neighborhoods and communities in San Jose. Naglee Park, Japantown and Vendome (three of the historic neighborhoods in line to be cut into pieces) residents showed up at the October 14 meeting to express their disbelief and opposition to the plans.
High-speed rail. VTA. Measure A. Regressive taxes that hit low-income residents the hardest. In the long local list of hopelessly overpriced and ineffective progressive government boondoggles, there's one consistent player. It's current Bloom Energy Gov't Affairs exec and former top lobbyist for the narcissistically-named Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Carl Guardino. Guardino recently injected his personal support into San Jose’s mayoral race. Palo Alto's Daily Post editor Dave Price provided perspective on Guardino's tenure as SVLG's head.
Read MoreSanta Clara County parents are organizing to question radical critical race theories being taught in their kids’ schools. Attorney General Merrick Garland, once touted as a moderate, has responded by asking the FBI to treat them as domestic terrorists. Lia Resnin of the Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies (ACES) comments, and the New York Post explains.
Read MoreGovernor Newsom recently signed a new, even more radical, ethnic studies requirement by saying “we expect our students to one day build a more just society.” Let that sink in: we’re not expecting students to seek truth, to get smarter, to think more critically. Rather, we view their education experience as a training ground for left-wing activism. Vive le Revolution! Is this what California taxpayers signed up for? The Daily Mail reports.
Read MoreJust a week ago, Palo Alto CM Greg Tananka bemoaned how the business-unfriendly policies of local governments are chasing away high-revenue companies.. As if right on cue, last week Tesla announced it was decamping its headquarters from the shady redwoods of Palo Alto for the yellow roses of Texas. Tananka's full comment and LA Times story below.
Read MoreClausewitz famously said war was “politics by other means.” In California and Santa Clara County, politics is water wars by other means. Although it isn’t always above the surface, below the surface everything in the state involves water one way or another. John Seller, editorial writer for the Orange County Register, examines the issues in foxes and hounds daily.
Read MoreA lawsuit representing over a dozen people who were injured in 2020 downtown demonstrations was minimized by Judge Phyllis Hamilton; some elements of suit remain. Robert Salonga at the SJ Merc reports.
Read MoreGov. Newsom signed into law SB9, the wide-ranging upzoning law that effectively abolished single family home zoning in California and stripped cities of control of their own residential areas. Now, SJ housing advocates are promoting an even more radical local effort, euphemistically named Opportunity Housing, which takes SB9's increased densification, and nearly doubles it. Get ready for seven housing units on what used to be a one-unit lot. Former SJ Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio (who served on a prior SJ City General Plan Task Force which protected neighborhoods) and Families and Homes leader Tobin Gilman survey the potential damage.
Read MoreExtremist ideas to reform (or defund) police continue to get an airing in local media. As a counterpoint, political analyst Joel Fox provides a case study from the Southland about how to engage constructively local police, community members, and activists in a reform process that actually brings results without defunding the police and increasing crime. Originally from Fox & Hounds Daily.
Read MoreLocal media quivered in fear at the end of the nation's eviction moratorium. The moratorium was launched during the height of the pandemic, and greatly constrained landlords' abilities to demand payment by renters. As it turns out, the moratorium ended, and....crickets. National Review explores.
Read MoreGovernment unions, sometimes referred to as public sector unions, have very little in common with unions that represent employees in the private sector. While there is debate over what sorts of regulations should govern private sector unions, there is general agreement that they have played a vital role in protecting the rights of workers. Government unions are completely different. The California Policy Center examines the differences.
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