Campaigns Committee chair of the SCC Libertarian Party Brian Holtz argues that AB23—which would reduce CA’s petty theft threshold amount by $550—complements a libertarian emphasis on individual liberty. While local gov’t overreach needs to be fought, residents’ property must be protected, valued, championed (recalling John Inks’s maxim “don’t take or mess with [people’s] stuff”).
Read MoreIn 1972, Californian author Stewart Brand (subscriber paywall) predicted that the advent of computers would herald an era of enhanced “spontaneous creation and of human interaction,” empowering all of society “as individuals and as co-operators.” It didn't turn out that way—far from it, as Joel Kotkin explains in First Things.
Read MoreIn the California Policy Center, Edward Ring breaks down the latest data on Latino families’ attrition from public K-12 school districts. More and more Latino parents are opting to homeschool or place their children in local charters, which reflects existing findings that school choice is supported by a variety of diverse voters.
Read MoreIn the OC Register, political science writer Steven Greenhut breaks down how California’s water issues are due to insufficient public policies—related to available storage, desalination opportunities, etc.—but are treated as unpreventable, unsolvable tragedies. Local CA’ns bear the brunt when asked to ration water or stop watering their own lawns; yet, there exist ample local remedies, says Greenhut.
Read MoreIn the last of exclusive Opp Now coverage on a statewide measure, Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association board member Pierluigi Oliverio unpacks local media’s fundamental misinterpretations about existing vs. proposed tax increases. Billions of SJ funds will remain available for public safety services whether or not the Act passes, and no laws currently in place will be repealed.
Read MoreThe Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is one of three orgs championing the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act, which meets CA ballots next year. Susan Shelley (HJTA VP of Comm’s) recenters the conversation around Constitutional rights, as opposed to pointing fingers at the rich or theorizing public safety is in jeopardy. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThe SJCC votes tomorrow whether to oppose statewide Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act. The law would require both two-thirds legislature approval and majority voter approval for new/higher taxes. Local news dubiously claims the Act “threatens billions” in basic public safety funding, citing Mayor Mahan’s concerns. In this Opp Now exclusive, SJ experts Tobin Gilman and Pat Waite respond.
Read MoreThe Mayor's direction couldn't have been clearer: Let's come up with bold, new creative metrics to determine the effectiveness of solutions to SJ's systemic homelessness crisis, with a focus on cheaper/faster/more fruitful solutions for the unsheltered community. Committee members and the public provided many innovative recommendations. But the nonprofit-heavy committee roster just shut their eyes to those proposals and replayed the same old expensive, slow, Permanent Supportive Housing status quo—effectively leaving the cruel policy of sanctioned encampments intact. The Opp Now team parses what the committee left unaddressed.
Read MoreA balanced housing policy would set ideology aside and address the simultaneous benefits of re-development and preservation, while addressing the needs of the Missing Middle, growing local economic activity, expanding the tax/revenue base, and positioning San Jose to exit this nonstop housing shortage crisis. Local housing provider and concerned citizen Dean Hotop offers a thoughtful proposal re: how to get there in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn the City Journal’s podcast 10 Blocks, journalists Malanga and Lehman address the challenges associated with marijuana’s local “tolerated black market”—and why two-thirds of some states’ sales remain under-the-table. Rules, regulations, and added costs are a deterrent to many sellers; and law enforcement in/beyond CA rarely shuts down illegal businesses.
Read MoreNeil Mammen of the SJ organization Values Advocacy Council addresses mounting concerns that ex-residents are California-fying other, currently right-leaning, states. Rather than encouraging migration to left-leaning territories, Mammen suggests that enforcing two-rep state limits would prevent more populous areas from controlling elections. This originally appeared in The Stream.
Read MoreAs Newsom ambitiously envisions Life Without Petroleum for California, America Out Loud’s Tom Harris offers a reminder: Crude oil derivatives, to be banned as non-renewable energy sources, are needed to create thousands of products CA’ns utilize in everyday living. Ban petroleum? Watch for shortages, inflated prices, and disastrously altered—much less modern—lifestyles.
Read More
