The phrase “book banning” is becoming a greater concern for parents and educators (prompting some districts like the FMSD to make official—perhaps heavyhanded—resolutions against such prohibitions). Both the Left and Right have led bans on literature/curriculum of all kinds, with no signs of stopping. Reason's Ilya Somin suggests that school choice policies would allow parents to select an institution that aligns with their values, and this could reduce censorship efforts.
Read MoreWhen it comes to outlandish assertions, San Joseans have seen it all from left- and labor-backed news sites. California Globe commentator Thomas Buckley explores how many media outlets have abandoned the "Pentagon Papers Principle" and now prioritize bias-driven, advocacy-oriented narratives over, you know, verifiable facts.
Read MoreAtascadero Unified School District board member Rebekah Koznek campaigned on several key priorities, including trade school opportunities for students. This rings true for San Joseans, given that the City's primary tech ed school, Silicon Valley CTE, is seeing recently increased enrollment via added programs (whereas Covid-era stats were less encouraging). Koznek argues in this Opp Now exclusive that the Silicon Valley should better promote trade schools to HS students.
Read MoreIt's no secret that folks with dependents find it challenging to afford Bay Area living. Since the pandemic, California has welcomed many single people to its golden shores, but families are, in worrying numbers, shrinking away from CA's sky-high expenses. The OC Register's Jonathan Lansner analyzes this imbalance in light of CA's extensive population losses.
Read MoreSan Jose's nonprofit affordable housing complex took a body blow earlier this month, as its widely discredited Housing First strategy was—for the first time—examined fully in a frisky citywide public debate. And the end result was a compromise weakening nonprofits' unquestioned control over Measure E spending. Planning Commission Chair Pierluigi Oliverio and Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility chief Pat Waite parse the politics of it all and the way forward for our homeless neighbors and advocates of smart housing policies. First in an Opp Now exclusive series.
Read MoreIf State legislature is good at one thing, it's enshrining new liberties into our constitution that residents find puzzling, polarizing, and even downright paradoxical. Their latest proposed addition (ACA 10) establishes a "fundamental human right" to housing. Opp Now sat down with a local real estate expert, housing provider, researcher, and urban policy analyst to parse ACA 10 for the Bay Area's housing market. A variety of exclusive perspectives below.
Read MoreThere's a new thorn in California colleges' side: students cluttering class rosters who—and here's the catch—don't exist. Fraudulent or “ghost” students are popping up all around CA, and they're created to finagle financial aid funds. College admins are struggling to keep up with enrollment deluges, and often mistakenly, unnecessarily expand class offerings when sections are over capacity. From the SF Chronicle.
Read MoreSilicon Valley office vacancy rates hover around 17%, while pedestrian activity across the whole of SJ has recovered by 99% overall (acc to Placer.ai). What's more, some retail chain types like spas and gyms have seen increased traffic compared to 2019. The Wall Street Journal untangles the strange phenomenon of downtown city center collapse, but action in the 'burbs—observed in metropolitan neighborhoods across the nation post Covid.
Read MoreSan Jose mayor Matt Mahan drew backlash for establishing no encampment zones as a priority in March's city budget. Some needlessly worried the ordinance—borne out of “humanitarian” safety and dignity concerns—illegalizes homeless folks. On 6.13, the San Diego City Council voted 5–4 on a similar law, citing the need for safer areas around schools, shelters, and in parks. From the La Jolla Light.
Read MoreStanford and San Francisco State aren't the only Bay Area universities actively combating diverse ideas. We can't overlook one of 2022's top 10 least free speech-friendly U.S. colleges: Santa Clara University. A Reason recap reads below of SCU's efforts a few years ago to shut down a conservative student club, and cogent implications re: discrimination.
Read MoreSteve Heimoff of Coalition for a Better Oakland addresses the enduring myth of “Care not Cages” (to nod to Supe Ellenberg): the idea that quickly releasing criminals back into society, coupled with reform programs, is a more humane approach for the community. On the contrary, says Heimoff, making public spaces unsafe for local families (and devaluing and failing to prevent tragic losses) isn't kind to anybody.
Read MoreContinuing an exclusive Opp Now series, constitutional law expert Dr. Margaret Russell parses CA'n Education Code provisions to answer a hot question about opt-out programs: Can parents opt their kids out of content they're morally opposed to, such as controversial sexuality-based lessons? Unlike CRI's Karen England, Russell concludes (below) that students can legally withdraw from “instruction in human development and sexuality” but not community-specific teachings.
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