In the California Globe, Ken Kurson dispels the ubiquitous post-Reagan myth that progressives care about protecting the environment while conservatives—just don’t. Rather than only criticizing political environmental follies (case in point: CA’s HSR money pit), local free market advocates should endorse beneficial initiatives that maintain the community’s energy sources while upholding global human rights.

Some experienced cannabis cultivators like Mendocino County’s Brandon Wheeler are barely making ends meet since Prop 64 legalized recreational weed sales, along with a slew of burdensome licensing requirements. CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff discusses why certification was “nearly impossible” for Wheeler, and what this widespread experience means for CA’s cannabis economy.

On the heels of SJ Spotlight's insightful piece regarding the cozy, mostly hidden relationship between local nonprofits and the City that helps fund them, the excellent SFStandard.com reports on how nonprofits in San Francisco can leverage huge sums of taxpayer dollars for political activity while neglecting their core mission.

Do local progressive nonprofits step outside ethical and legal boundaries when they lobby the same City that funds them? As SJ Spotlight wonders, should they be treated like lobbyists? Opp Now co-founder Christopher Escher talked to nonprofit attorney Scott Hartley of Hartley Law (full disclosure: he’s also Opp Now’s lawyer) to get some clarity about the parameters that apply to nonprofits when it comes to political activity.

Luke Burgis at the Free Press appraises the recent shuttering of the Silicon Valley Bank and how “mimetic contagion” (rapidly spreading copycat behaviors) in the local tech industry played its part. Soon after several widely circulated Tweets blasted the SV Bank’s mismanagement of assets, $42 billion were hastily removed—in a single day. Below, Burgis’s examination on “the power of suggestion” at work.

To anyone who’s been paying attention, the Golden State’s population has been markedly decreasing for a while—the most recent census data revealing that 343,000 people left last year (contributing to an overall CA’n net loss). San Jose was not left untouched: Almost 117,600 abandoned the city in 2021. The American Spectator’s Steven Greenhut attributes this trend to failed Leftist policies that inhibit individuals’ choices on where to live and how to travel, while ignoring key issues like water storage.

California’s high-speed rail ambitions are again delayed; what else is new? The initial length of CA’s “doomed” bullet train project will likely not be completed until 2030 or later. What’s more, the total cost has surged up to $128 billion ($95 bil added since voters gave the green light in 2008). The Daily Breeze editorial team urges legislators to publicly oppose the “complete disaster of a project,” against which rail experts and the private sector alike are united already.

Police response times are increasing (and even doubling) in regions around the U.S., as discussed by NPR’s A Martínez and guests. Why? Many city police depts struggle to retain enough officers, whether due to budgetary cuts or retirement trends. SJ, too, has seen alarming upticks in average Priority 2 response times (now at 23.9 minutes, compared to the benchmark of 11 mins.), local police emphasizing that “we need more staff.”

Public teacher compensation remains a hotly contested topic in California, several loud voices refraining that educators deserve a higher income. Under the proposed “Pay Teachers Act,” teachers would be guaranteed $60,000+/year, funded by local taxpayers. However, the average American teacher earns $68.85/hour (and in the SJUSD, $47/hr.), compared to the private sector’s $36/hr. Larry Sand proposes in Front Page Magazine that competitive, market-driven salaries are more logical than the current non-merit-based, across-the-board system.

It’s nothing new: San Joseans repeatedly cite housing costs as an impediment to staying in the Bay, which boasts the United States’ priciest homes. According to San Jose Inside, SJ’s housing market appears to be flattening out, with total Bay home sales having decreased from last year. However, the area still struggles to provide affordable housing offerings. Barry Holtzclaw reports.