In the NY Post, Susan Shelley—Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association's VP of Comm's—untangles LA's latest homelessness hotfix, by the name of recently-passed Measure ULA. No surprise here: Residents making high-value real estate transactions are being asked to fork over some big coin, but none of it will go to emergency shelters or transitional housing. Rather, the takings go to the same people who wrote the ordinance: nonprofits peddling the discredited Housing First mantra.
Read MoreNational media has had a field day with allegations that a SJ Police Officers' union leader has been regularly importing illegal drugs. Little commented upon, in this coverage, is the movement to unionize drug users—and the touchpoints between union organizing, drug distribution, safer drug usage, and decriminalization. Commentary from Workers World explains.
Read MoreWhile some local news sites are making outrageously false claims about Senate Bill 31's anti-street squatting stance, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones sets the record straight in this Opp Now exclusive. He explains how SB 31, along with CARE Court, can provide much-needed services to the unhoused while mitigating the negative neighborhood impacts of runaway encampments.
Read MoreHenry Grabar's Slate interview with YIMBY advocate Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz highlights the need for bipartisan support for deregulating local housing construction. Abolishing onerous zoning codes, says Schatz, can address nationwide housing shortages, allow for a variety of new units created (not just high end), and preserve a vibrant free market—without the hassles of top-down gov't interference (looking at you, SB 9).
Read MoreA recent article in local news labels proposed Senate Bill 31 as “criminalizing homelessness” by making it a misdemeanor to take up residence on sidewalks and streets 1,000 ft. from “sensitive areas.” Past SJ councilmember Johnny Khamis clarifies why effective law enforcement, substance abuse/mental health, and housing solutions must be blended to keep our community's families safe. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIf Stanford won't punish its students' anti-free speech harassment, says litigator John Banzhaf, the real world should. Banzhaf is brandishing the potentially career-killing threat of bar complaints against Stanford Law students who heckled federal judge Kyle Duncan, citing “very clear” policies against disruption and the need for law practitioners to—hold your breath, Silicon Valley—listen to the other side.
Read MoreStanford Law's Federalist Society student president Tim Rosenberger, Jr. speaks to why a few prominent judges have announced they will stop hiring Stanford Law grads. Some are worried this effect will snowball, as with recent years' Yale Law blacklisting. Stanford's solution, according to TRJ, must involve thoughtful hiring and student discipline decisions. An exclusive from Opp Now, the only local publication covering the Stanford Law circus fully.
Read MoreGov't misconduct expert Josh Koehn reports on a new lawsuit against SF nonprofit org the United Council of Human Services, which alleges that CEO Gwendolyn Westbrook has inappropriately used funds for personal benefit (“living a lifestyle inconsistent with her reported salary”). From the SF Standard, the latest chapter exposing local nonprofits' alarming lack of accountability.
Read MoreSF Standard’s Maryann Jones Thompson reports on the latest data about 2020–2022 population losses in Bay Area counties. Second only to SF County (which boasts a -7.5% change), Santa Clara County has seen 3.4% of its residents make a quick getaway post-2020—as Texas areas continue gaining, some counties even by 10–18%.
Read MoreThe rejection of the SJ Housing Dept's overly complex COPA proposal at the Community and Economic Development Committee on March 27 marked a turning point. And it makes local housing provider Dean Hotop wonder if the city is finally putting an end to punitive, heavy-handed regulations that have only made the housing crisis worse. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn the Cato Institute, Marc Joffe updates readers on California’s high-speed rail project—and nobody paying any attention is surprised. The HSR faces ballooning costs, declining ridership projections, and delayed launch dates, which has prompted calls for an independent review before legislators recommit.
Read MoreGinny Burton of ChangeWA previously worked for a nonprofit that carried out Housing First policies, but she was horrified to observe homeless individuals rampantly endangering themselves and others--and being, in the most practical sense, rewarded for it. Instead, homelessness and housing approaches must manage underlying causes, says Burton.
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