Reason’s J.D. Tuccille discusses California’s AB 257 (chaptered in early Sept.) and its promises to champion local workers through a statewide Fast Food Council. As extant minimum wage directives have exemplified, mandating restaurants’ working conditions may harm business, workers, and customers alike.
Read MoreThe Daily Signal’s Arjun Singh analyzes California’s unprecedented decrease in number/value of initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2022. Though Gov. Newsom has praised so-called surpluses, Singh points out that less corporate activity (due to domestic migration) actually constrains CA’s tax revenue — and, ergo, public services.
Read MoreRefuting Gov. Newsom’s assertion that Golden State students performed better than most of the nation from 2019–2022, the California Globe’s Katy Grimes breaks down why recent educational assessment data isn’t all that impressive: Test scores were already at a low ebb in 2019, so pandemic shutdowns didn’t tremendously worsen them. Covid may not be to blame for CA’s “F”-graded policies, suggests Grimes.
Read MoreLongtime Santa Clara County Libertarian Brian Holtz spoke with Opp Now about recentering local police efforts on actual crime prosecution, and why he believes vice laws allow corrupt individuals to perpetuate discrimination. Part of an exclusive series on Libertarian perspectives on local governance. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreBefore the votes start getting counted, longtime officeholder and candidate Pierluigi Oliverio joins Opp Now's Christopher Escher in a quick phone call about the bigger trends informing the election, and finds that money and political conformity are more important than ever. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreRecently ousted SCC Dem Party member Swanee Edwards breaks down how financial inequalities have shifted the focus of local election campaigns — from addressing the real issues to getting enough funds to stay afloat. Her suggestion for reform also follows. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreFirst Amendment expert/author and journalism professor Joseph Russomanno parses CA’n Assembly Bill 2799, which would enforce restrictions on how “creative expression” (art, song lyrics, etc.) can be used as evidence in criminal proceedings, in the name of halting racial discrimination. Russomanno examines critics’ claims that this bill is not First Amendment-upheld — emphasizing that no freedom offers absolute protection. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSwanee Edwards, longtime local Democratic Party activist, recently disaffiliated when asked to exit for supporting nonpartisan candidate Johnny Khamis. Edwards breaks down how Dems’ codependent relationship with unions breeds anti-Khamis apprehension. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSteven F. Hayward, UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies resident scholar, reviews the endemic failures of California’s fourteen-year-old high-speed rail project: Bulging construction/ticket price estimates. Environmental concerns. Scant support from HSR operators or the private sector. Is an L.A.–Bay Area HSR feasible at this point — or worth it? asks Hayward.
Read MoreIn EdSource, Carolyn Jones reports a recent walk-in at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, during which students cried out for more robust security and mental health services after an aggressive campus stabbing. When local police aren’t partnering effectively with school districts, violent and criminal acts prevail.
Read MoreThomas L. Rhodes Fellow Dominic Pino summarizes the failures of California’s ever-delayed high-speed rail rip-off. From the very beginning, Pino posits, the HSR project has prioritized political quid pro quo over taxpayers and residents’ best interests — and fourteen years later, it’s debatable whether it will ever reach completion.
Read MoreSwanee Edwards — County Central Committee member since 2008, longtime campaign runner/Endorsement Committee member, and as-of-late ex-Democrat — unpacks the local Dem Party’s recent hypocritical actions. While endorsing nonpartisan Johnny Khamis earned the boot for several like Edwards and Tovar, other favored councilmembers remain protected from criticism. An Opp Now exclusive.
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