In Reason, Eugene Volokh breaks down that universities can’t reasonably police student orgs’ ideological exclusions (even including nine Berkeley Law groups’ blatantly anti-Zionist bylaws). However, this latest UC Berkeley controversy uncovers an anti-Israel tilt among extreme progressives, says Volokh, one that should inform how local Californians view cogent conversations on race.
Read MoreFormer Mountain View mayor and two-term councilmember John Inks sat down with Opp Now to discuss his view on local zoning and housing issues — including the dangers of historic home designation and authoritative approval processes. Inks also offers his “capsule version of Libertarianism,” and how it informs his policy approach. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThe National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2022 Out of Reach report highlights how burdensome rising rent costs are for the young Bay Area workforce. For instance, San Joseans must earn over $55/hr to afford a two-bedroom rental home. In a Yahoo! News article, Rose Horowitch unpacks further data on the nationwide housing market, of which cost continues to creep up post-COVID — disproportionately hurting recent college grads and beginning professionals.
Read MoreAs part of Opp Now’s latest election series, San Jose City Council candidates for District 7 — Bien Doan and Maya Esparza — parse the local gov’t decisions they’d undo if given the opportunity. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreWhen even starter homes are financially out of reach, what’s incentivizing Santa Clara County residents to build a life here? (And is it surprising, then, that SC was CA’s #2 most vacated county in 2021?) Realtor.com serves the numbers on home renting and buying in metro areas. At #5, San Jose boasts a $2,175 discrepancy between renting and buying costs per month — making settling down in the capital of Silicon Valley near-impossible.
Read MoreAs it is, Latino and African American families face disproportionately steep electricity prices. Can every minority or low-income family afford “green” energy if mandated by Newsom? Energy consultant Ronald Stein argues in Fox & Hounds Daily that California’s renewable energy policies unduly plague poor and minority residents, and demands just reform.
Read MoreIn a chat with Opp Now, Santa Clara Sheriff hopeful Bob Jonsen discusses how he would rectify, if elected, the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring’s (OCLEM) lack of collaborative oversight with independent reviewers. Candidate Kevin Jensen has not yet replied. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreCalifornia Globe editor Katy Grimes discusses progressive environmentalism’s hypocrisy and failure to properly govern the Golden State’s resources. If Californian leaders genuinely valued the environment and aimed to overcome ever-present droughts, wouldn’t they end policies that hurt fish, farmers, and residents alike?
Read MoreD3 candidate Irene Smith has come under fire from a group led by nonprofit activists who claim—rather bizarrely—that a campaign mailer of hers has racist undertones. Smith says "they are treating these mailers as though they are a Hidden Puzzle game, and it's just unserious and cynical." Her defense is excerpted below.
Read More"If one is inclined to find racism everywhere, one will find it everywhere," says Dr. Alan Perlman, national commenter on the politicization of race in the U.S. We asked Dr. Perlman to take a look at the overheated race charges against Irene Smith in D3. Perlman thinks they don't add up and asks everyone to “chill out.”
Read MoreSchool–police cooperation prevents local mass shootings. Contrastingly, anti-police rhetoric impacts far more than budgetary concerns, truly endangering children’s safety — as evidenced by the recent Oakland high school shooting. Rudsdale High School’s practices of handling emergencies independently, waiting to notify police of evidence, and dictating students do not cooperate with police created a “perfect storm” for students to be further victimized, suggests Dan Noyes in ABC7.
Read MoreBrian Holtz — the Santa Clara County Libertarian Party Campaigns Committee chair — contends that citywide constraints on land use spike up housing prices, manufacture unnecessary scarcity, and invite discriminatory practices. Unpacking his Libertarian mindset towards governance, Holtz advocates for an end to onerous ordinances in areas like parking and lot minimums. An Opp Now exclusive.
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