Perhaps the funniest--and most revealing--headline in local media during the year was in a Labor-funded website that bemoaned how conservatives were trying to "Infiltrate" local schoolboards by--get this--actually running for election. Shocking: The California Policy Center’s Jackson Reese got inside how liberal-leaning school boards fund teachers unions, which fund the Democrat party—together keeping state gov’t overinflated and progressive. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreMost of the analysis of Sam Liccardo's eight years as mayor have focused on the failures of the SJ Housing Dept to address homelessness and housing supply. Local political watcher Tobin Gilman used the mayor's September State of the City address to ask an even better question: how does the next mayor refocus council spending where it's supposed to be: onto core city services? An Opp Now exclusive.
Read More2022 was a bad year for Housing First advocates, as national and state media—along with an increasing number of politicians (see Newsom)—came to the belated conclusion that Shelter and Services needed to be the priority for addressing homelessness, not $1m/unit apartments a decade from now. SJ's Dean Hotop wondered where all of SJ's Housing money went. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn February, SJ's Dept.of Racial Equity raised some eyebrows at a Council meeting, in which any questions of its sweeping goals and contortions of language were met with howls of--you guessed it--"racist" by councilmembers and city staffers alike. Our editorial team reviewed the theater. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreLarry Sand, renowned educational analyst, argues that the National Education Association should fight for local school choice initiatives rather than racially-based admission criteria. Without the freedom to choose, lower-income students are frequently “imprison[ed]” in subpar schools that reside in their zip code — a far cry from NEA’s (and CA Teachers Association’s) purportedly equitable ideals.
Read MoreMaybe it was the explosive device found on a CM's lawn. Or the mayor's house being vandalized. Or CMs falsely calling their colleagues and whole neighborhoods racist. Or city staffers publicly—and inaccurately—accusing citizens of bigoted motives. Or maybe it was all the yelling and name calling and overall nastiness that overwhelmed the Dec. 5 public meeting on special elections. But CM Chappie Jones has had enough, and offered, on Dec. 5, a call for a return to civility in the City Council Chambers. His comments excerpted below, edited for clarity.
Read MoreEconomists have always known that hyper-regulation and an unrealistic reliance on taxpayer-subsidized affordable housing to solve CA's housing woes was a non-starter. And now, even high-end liberal opinionmakers are realizing the folly of the progressive housing playbook. Dan Walters at CalMatters parses how the influential liberal publication The Atlantic's recent takedown of progressive housing strategies is making waves.
Read MoreAfter nearly a half-century and a billion dollars in taxpayer-funded redevelopment, downtown San Jose remains California's most moribund big-city downtown. And then: the pandemic. Is it time to finally give up on aspirations for a vibrant city center and try something else? Even S.F. has been hollowed out by COVID and progressive mismanagement. NY Times reports on what's next for America's downtowns.
Read MoreEx-pat contributor Philip Davenport writes: "I was researching a lecture for my high school seniors on political dissent, and as I leafed through my battered copy of Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, I realized that your lefty colleagues in Silicon Valley are still following the Saul's playbook pretty closely. I offer up an updated version for your holiday reading pleasure, inspired by your Trump Tactics piece from October as well as comments at the special elections kerfuffle. Happy Holidays..—PD" An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MorePoliticians are finally starting to wonder: Where does all the money spent on homelessness go? And are demanding an audit of the city and county's spending. But don’t expect that audit to unearth certain core truths about incentives and behavior. Market Urbanist's Scott Beyer explores the waste and misguided strategies from the Housing Dept's flawed Housing First strategy, and offers some useful direction as to how to conduct a meaningful audit in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreFremont Union board member-elect Stanley Kou discusses his takeaways as a first-time campaigner and immigrant. Kou then lays out his priorities for the upcoming term — such as tackling enrollment rates, transportation, and mental health education in this highly competitive district. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSilicon Valley Taxpayers Association president Mark Hinkle examines zoning laws, construction codes, and permit fees as three key hindrances to a thriving San Jose housing market. An Opp Now exclusive.
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