File this under “Things we saw coming from a mile away”: The Santa Barbara News-Press breaks down how progressives' soft-on-crime laws enable dangerous criminals to become repeat offenders. Who knew releasing lawbreakers early, and redefining “nonviolent” offenses, harms our communities (though SCC Supe Ellenberg certainly appears aloof to the consequences)?

Investments connected to America's downtowns are nose-diving, explains Heather Gillers in the WSJ, due to post-pandemic remote work influxes keeping people away from offices. Is it time to ditch turgid inclusionary zoning regulations and start converting unused office space to homes?

For those on the Left, political conversations often involve one of two things: raging and shouting down their opponents, or passively accepting other viewpoints without asserting their own. The Intercollegiate Civil Disagreement Fellowship—active at five colleges, including Stanford University—has diverse student groups discuss “important topics across political difference.” The Stanford Report analyzes one thing the university's doing right when it comes to diplomatically, but passionately, engaging with others' ideas.

While many celebrate the recent SCOTUS ruling against race-based school admissions, Cornell Law prof William A. Jacobson cautions advocates to cool their jets—for now. In Legal Insurrection, Jacobson explains six ways local universities (like in the UC/Cal State system) will continue covertly screening applicants for racial diversity.

UC Berkeley College Republicans (BCR) club representative Utkarsh Jain shines a light on a weak spot of the local Right: engaging young people. Really, says Jain, it all comes down to creating communities where unique individuals belong, and getting them impassioned, bold, and actionable about their politics. An Opp Now exclusive.

Who would've thought that councilmembers' brassy lopsided advocacy for unionized labor workers might be a major city liability? The LA Times analyzes a recent memo from the City of Los Angeles' attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, which implores CMs to stay out of union strikes. Perhaps concern over these legal entanglements explain SJ CMs Ortiz' and Torres' bizarre July 25 presser, in which they squawked at the idea that conflating their personal politics with the City's was false, misleading, and unethical.

This month, soon-incoming sophomore Theo Baker made history when Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced his resignation, largely thanks to Baker himself. Though Internet rumors had long circulated about the prez's research integrity (hello, Photoshop), it was Baker's persistent journalism that paved the way to a damning third-party investigation. An LA Times interview with Baker, below.