Don't be fooled by happiness studies in California, says California Focus's Thomas Elias. Those not high-tailing it to other states due to housing unaffordability (cough: SJ) are enjoying the Golden State's benefits and may register on multiple “happy” criteria, but many longtime residents feel forced to move elsewhere.
Read MoreCityWatch LA's Tim Campbell describes how barrier-free housing programs, such as what SJ and LA provide, are not successful if used independently of other support measures—especially substance abuse and behavioral interventions. Many SJ locals like past councilmember Johnny Khamis are calling for more comprehensive strategies to address homelessness.
Read MoreAs mass conservative exoduses to red states like Florida persist, Edward Ring reminds us in American Greatness that realigning California to common-sense values is possible. That CA, even considering the prevalence of tribal hostility and wild “-ism” accusations, can't be dismissed as a “lost cause.”
Read MoreLocal affordable housing advocates have always had an arm's length relationship with the truth (remember when their brutally expensive Housing First strategy would solve homelessness by 2020?). But when their hand-outs from local governments get threatened (as in Mahan's proposed Measure E reallocation), the distance between fact and fiction more closely resembles a Grand Canyon. The Opp Now team exclusively fact checks four of their most questionable claims, based on public documents.
Read MorePanicked nonprofits and housing advocates are spinning all sorts of nonsense in their efforts to hold onto their poorly-spent Measure E proceeds. Local Real Estate Agent Mark Burns cuts through the yak to provide a clear-eyed understanding of what Measure E was supposed to do, and how to ethically and intelligently spend those monies. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSF's Homeward Bound program subsidized homeless individuals' transportation back to their hometowns (at $280/trip), which helped many reunite with family members and caregivers. The city has since sunsetted the program as a stand-alone approach. The SF Examiner's Eric Jaye contrasts HB's efficacy/low cost with lingering “solutions” like Housing First (which is both unhelpful and incredibly expensive).
Read MoreIn KRON4, Alex Baker and Charles Clifford analyze the completely foreseeable findings of the Bay Area Council's recent BART survey: If our local transit system had tighter security and was cleaned more often, residents would take more frequent trips. Bay Area leaders claim they're taking steps to effect safer, more vibrant transportation; but it'll take more than lip service to reverse near-universal concerns.
Read MoreIs everything “far-right” now? SF's Dem Central Commitee lambasted a newly-founded Dem family club for a litany of absurd complaints—including the unfounded suspicion that the co-founders are racist or, worse, conservative. Bari Weiss discusses the leftist phenomenon of nervously name-calling anyone signaling individualism, and how this undermines language's impact over time.
Read MoreMinimum wage in SJ is, as per usual, on the rise, and is now sitting pretty at $17/hr. David John Marotta explains in Forbes that increasing the local minimum wage disproportionately hurts less privileged, lower-income residents—who find they've been replaced by more qualified (or even automated) counterparts.
Read MoreRecently disciplined Dr. Luis Reynoso, of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College board, compares his censureship to ongoing free speech colloquies around Stanford Law and the Los Gatos Town Council. Reynoso's takeaway? While liberal folks get the “free speech” defense, conservatives' talk is too-often penalized as offensive. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreCutting BART's budget per Newsom's Jan announcement may have been an unwelcome surprise to some legislators, but the CA Focus's Thomas Elias points out that it's high time we focus public funds on more efficacious services. With BART's ridership 45% below pre-Covid numbers, expansion into DTSJ is neither logical nor fair to taxpayers.
Read MoreChabot-Las Positas Community College board member Dr. Luis Reynoso recently came under fire for reposting an allegedly offensive meme on LinkedIn. After being investigated and censured in what he calls an unprofessional “witch hunt,” Reynoso speaks exclusively with Opp Now about the precarious state of protected free speech—and his vision for reforming college education.
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