Coalition for a Better Oakland’s Steve Heimoff dives into local progressive pols’ vision to eliminate eviction, thus—supposedly—mitigating residents’ housing challenges. Instead, Heimoff believes this platform is more dangerous than it appears. It hinges on an aversion to private property ownership, and will lead to reduced rights for others if unchecked. “First they came for the landlords, and I did not speak out—because I was not a landowner…”
Read MoreAnalyzing several well-subsidized SF nonprofits, Josh Koehn explains in the SF Standard that many residents are urging for transparency in how NP partners address objectives and use taxpayer funds. Even SF Mayor Breed acknowledges difficulties in working with NPs, but local nonprofit lobbyists strongly request no additional stipulations be enforced—lest the paperwork adds up.
Read MoreOn March 27, SJ's Community and Economic Development Committee voted 3-2 to reject the Housing Dept's report on their COPA proposal. The most compelling argument that surfaced during the meeting was simple: What SJ residents need—especially lower income residents—is an abundance of new (hence more affordable) housing. And that hyper-complex, Rubik's cube proposals like COPA are misguided, as they do nothing to create new housing, and in fact constrain it. Roger Valdez, director at the Center for Housing Economics, explains in Forbes.
Read MoreThe recent Stanford Law controversy, in which a mob of students relentlessly belittled and shouted down invited speaker Judge Kyle Duncan, prompts TXEER Politics and Religion Board user pvbmtnr to consider the common binary thinking separating free speech and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—as especially located in Dean Steinbach’s WSJ defense piece.
Read MoreSilicon Valley used to be a place of innovation, dynamism, and ambition. A place where hard-working people could make the products of the future—and make something of themselves, too. But no more. The forward-thinking engineers of old have been replaced by a new elite, made up mainly of financiers, media types, and NGO bureaucrats, explains Joel Kotkin in spiked.
Read MoreHistorically, simply garnering more taxpayer money is not an effective path to solving local homelessness crises; instead, accountability for existing expenses is needed—ensuring we are investing resources in worthwhile places. Adam Mayer from Built in the Cloud surveys Housing First’s failure to address root factors of homelessness, and why “more funding” is a hollow call to action.
Read MoreOne of the pressing challenges facing the city these days is a severe staffing shortage across all major departments. But, as long-time San Jose resident, community leader, and local history author Tobin Gilman notes, onerous paperwork to meet arcane DEI demands is making morale—and productivity—even worse. From Medium.
Read MoreHotAir’s John Sexton discusses pandemic-exacerbated declines in Bay Area Rapid Transit ridership. Since BART’s consistent funding requires residents commuting to the bygone physical office, Sexton wonders if the rail system will resort to mass layoffs and regular closures, which could spell “demise” for BART.
Read MoreIn this latest exclusive, Opp Now editor Lauren Oliver dives into and analyzes Stanford Law’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—about which many are asking questions, post-The Judge Duncan Incident. Spoiler alert: They, and heckler-sympathizer Dean Steinbach, may not be doing all that much.
Read MoreThe executive director of the San Jose Police Officers Association has been charged with trying to illegally import synthetic opioid drugs and distribute them for more than seven years, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. SF Chronicle and CBS News Bay Area reports below.
Read MoreIn the New York Times, Emily Badger and Larry Buchanan examine fiscal challenges of converting office buildings into housing, as considered in places like SJ. Due to high conversion costs, the produced rentals are generally unaffordable for the avg resident. Badger and Buchanan suggest tax abatements, subsidy programs, and relaxed zoning regulations could make conversions more financially attainable—for local developers and residents alike.
Read MoreSen. Cortese has coauthored the proposed AB 1, which would allow legislature members to participate in collective bargaining. But just how beneficial are public sector unions, to employees and taxpayers? In a Hoover Institution analysis, John O. McGinnis and Max Schanzenbach explain why public employee unions create unneeded, costly privileges to a sector already heavily protected and compensated. What’s more, the unions’ expand-taxes-to-expand-benefits cycle could contribute to CA’s outmigration crisis.
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