Faith in trad. public schools sinking, charter schools’ popularity climbing
Larry Sand of the California Teachers Empowerment Network deconstructs the state’s illiteracy epidemic, which has observed decreased enrollment numbers for local public education (and resulting fallout of school closures and budgetary struggles). Charter school enrollment has boomed (15,000+ Californian students added in 2020–21 school yr.), as parents like its nonunionized, flexible, and high-achieving model. What if charter schools were championed and protected as much as public schools, especially considering their role in solving California’s educational and financial gaps?
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Excessive fees and policies throw a wrench into housing construction
California’s near-unaffordable housing market is no secret, but COVID isn’t all to blame. Housing consultant Timothy L. Coyle breaks down California’s high fees, mandated union-friendly project-labor agreements, and other requirements that exacerbate prices for residents. Why isn’t Gov. Newsom fighting against red tape costs to encourage housing construction?
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SF School Board reinstating grades-based admissions a win for ideological “normalcy”
In last week’s historic school board meeting, San Francisco voted 4-3 to discard their controversial, so-called equitable lottery admission process. Beginning in 2023, the district’s schools (including the prestigious Lowell High School) will resume admitting students based on grades. SFUSD’s decision—along with a green light to display a previously-condemned George Washington mural—shows that even ideologically extreme cities can voluntarily return to common sense, writes Evan Symon of the California Globe.
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“Ready, fire, aim”: CA’n HSR full steam ahead despite financial unviability
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) has campaigned against California’s HSR fiasco since 2008, when their co-authored nonpartisan report found the project “highly risky for state taxpayers.” HJTA president Jon Coupal spoke with Opp Now to rebut pro-HSR’s elusive affordability arguments.
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Do PAGA and ADA empower serial suers to drain business revenue?
California’s “anti-employer agenda” threatened fiscal stability long before COVID-19 emerged, says entrepreneur–consultant Mike Vallante. Vallante avers that the laws Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and Californian Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) employ nebulous language, which encourages costly, ridiculous-reasoned lawsuits against businesses. Since 75% of plaintiffs’ victory funds go straight to the state, PAGA and ADA lawsuits aren’t helping real victims and are crippling employers over trifles like “website accessibility.”
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Memo to CA legislators: Germany’s shift to green energy didn’t work either
Billions deep in renewable energy “solutions,” Germany has little to show besides increased carbon emissions, unimaginably costly electricity bills, and progressive environmental ruin. Public policy consultant Todd Royal warns that California must not continue to follow Germany’s lead—lest we engender further “energy poverty.”
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Calif. Assembly still blaming “price-gouging” profiteers for sky-high gas prices
Increased gas costs, more empty promises; suggestions from Republicans and Pres. Biden to take a gas tax holiday, radio silence. Journalist Katy Grimes examines how the California State Assembly refuses to confront the gas affordability issue. This week, they formed a price-gouging investigation committee but didn’t discuss actual, practical solutions such as tax relief could provide.
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HSR Authority CEO “drinking the Kool-Aid” with latest comment
Yet another appalling budgetary upsurge (currently, the SJ–SF section alone will cost $5.3 million), and Brian Kelly still calls California’s failed high-speed rail project affordable? The Opp Now team spoke with Kelly Decker and Cindy Bloom of the SAFE Coalition about this fallacious claim and why HSR is a “Train to Nowhere” except taxpayers’ pockets. The San Fernando Valley-based SAFE (Save the Angeles Forest for Everyone) Coalition originally fought the HSR project on environmental grounds and now also its overall devastation to California.
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Newsom’s pseudo surplus meant to distract from billions in debt
Gov. Newsom’s declaration about California’s record-breaking $100 billion surplus appears too good to be true because it is, writes local senator John Moorlach in a California Policy Center editorial. Underneath flashy “progress” blather, California’s $208 billion deficit is as clear as daylight. Newsom’s unrestrictive spending on public sector pensions and still-uncompleted projects will only continue accruing state debt.
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Despite revenue losses, newspapers shouldn’t be gov’t subsidized
During the COVID-19 pandemic, print newspaper readership drastically declined. Now, newspapers earn significantly less digital advertising revenue and are ever-vulnerable to shuttering. Nonetheless, says Joel Fox of Fox & Hounds Daily, these businesses should not be given government funding to maintain services, lest we jeopardize journalistic integrity.
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The streets are for everyone: How SJ is becoming one of America's most bike-friendly cities
In the last 10 years, San Jose has made substantial changes to its streetscape to make it more bike-friendly. In an Opp Now exclusive, we talked to John Brazil, Transportation Options Program Manager, and Colin Heyne, Public Information Manager in the City's Dept. of Transportation. They described the unique opportunities and challenges of creating a bike-friendly environment while respecting vehicular traffic.
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School districts with Chief Diversity Officers see larger racial achievement gaps
Seasoned educational commentator Larry Sand discusses Jay Greene and James Paul’s recent studies on elementary school Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. School districts employing a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) have noticeably greater racial and economic achievement gaps than those without CDOs. What’s more, these gaps only worsen over time and cannot be controlled for by other relevant variables. Is it surprising that political proselytization hurts students and sidelines real academic solutions, asks Sand?
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