Many people of color in D8 and D10 are worried that Labor/Left maneuvers designed to cancel elections in those districts to replace outgoing councilmembers are recalling the shameful history of voter suppression inflicted on their communities. A quick timeline of U.S. and California voter suppression techniques follows.
Read MoreFormer Fremont Union High School District board candidate Andy Arness parses the financial barriers involved in running for school board. If putting a Candidate Statement in locals’ voting guides cost several thousand dollars (not to mention other campaign expenses), are competent candidates finding themselves unable to run? An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreBrian Holtz — SCC Libertarian Party Campaigns Committee chair and Purissima Hills Water District director in Los Altos Hills — speaks with Opportunity Now about how a completely community-run K-12 education system might operate. School privatization may be strengthening across other states, but local legislators still face accusations of advancing “right wing power” via free market education systems. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreLabor/left media and advocates continue to struggle to find reasons to explain Chavez' close loss to Mahan in the mayoral race. Only problem: their preferred narrative (low voter turnout in ESJ) isn't backed up by the district by district data. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreAfter viewing the district by district data from the mayoral election (see nearby), it's impossible to pass over (though, of course, Labor-leaning local newsrooms did) this simple fact: Labor wants to suppress special, replacement council elections in two Districts (8 and 10) that they lost to Mahan in the mayoral election. All their talk of cost and voter turnout sure looks like a smokescreen to cover the fact that Labor fears a second thumping in both districts. The Merc editorial page chimes in with the facts the newsrooms ignored.
Read MoreIn its November 21 email newsletter, the South Bay Progressive Alliance (SBPA) condemned the racist comments of Kevin de Leon and the LA4, which were reported widely upon in October. The SBPA called for resignations of those involved. SBPA newsletter comments, below.
Read MoreA disappointing election for the local progressives, as Chavez loses a close one and Bien Doan prevails in D7. Labor/left is spinning all sorts of excuses, but are there any real structural conclusions to be drawn, or is it all just the efficacy of ground games? Planning Commissioner Pierluigi Oliverio discusses with Opp Now co-founder Christopher Escher. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreAlexander Kent ran for San Carlos City Council (7.2% of votes) to “offer an independent / devil’s advocate voice” free of purchased loyalties and mindless one-sided dogma. Post-election, Kent shares what he’s learned about how individuals defend a culture of responsibility at the local level. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreHousing quotas (elements) set by the government, unsurprisingly, do not meet the housing needs of the consumer market. Scott Beyer of Market Urbanism Report takes a look at San Jose's Housing Element, and finds a case study in how incompetent gov't bureaucracy and over-regulation contribute mightily to our housing crisis. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreWith Matt Mahan (D10) and Sylvia Arenas (D8) moving on to new elected positions, the question of how to choose new councilmembers for those districts becomes urgent. Special election or appointment? Local leaders opt for special election. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreAlternative learning is on the rise in and beyond California: independent study programs, small group “pods,” and homeschooling. Vince Bielski reports on RealClearInvestigations that as states lift (or, in some cases, fail to establish) stringent regulations regarding homeschooling, parents flock to this method to know what their children are learning.
Read MoreSCC Libertarian Party Campaigns Committee chair Brian Holtz explains the unique legislative frameworks he admires in Houston, Las Vegas, and New Hampshire — and why excessive restrictions and taxation are antithetical to a free California. An Opp Now exclusive.
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