Beginning in 2021, AB 1869 prohibits Golden State counties from attaching client fees to probation services like supervision. The Prison Policy Initiative affirms that probation fees inordinately hurt low-income individuals, and discarding burdensome charges prevents residents from being inaptly incarcerated when they can't scrounge up enough dough.

Amidst enrollment declines, the Los Angeles Unified School District has kicked charter schools out from sharing its facilities (as was first implemented after Prop 39's passage). Many are concerned students without access to transportation will be hurt by this decision, which seems aimed at weakening LAUSD's thriving charter sector so the district can inflate traditional public education's demand. From the Free Beacon.

Republican presidential hopefuls analyze if California's High-Speed Rail—costly and seemingly incongruous with local workforce needs, but potentially helpful to eliminate natural monopolies in the private sector—should or shouldn't receive a federal bailout. An Opp Now exclusive featuring: Steve Laffey, Walter Clapp, Rollan Roberts, and John Anthony Castro. View the first series article, from Libertarian prez candidates, here.

SF Standard's Josh Koehn explains Supervisor Catherine Stefani's proposed legislation, which would require nonprofits receiving SF city funding to regularly submit audited balance sheets, and align their actions to “measurable objectives” (rather than neglecting purported core purposes). In the wake of seemingly endless city–nonprofit scandals, many are agreeing: It's about time.

SF Mayor Breed's opponents regularly poke at her hardening stance on public substance use, labeling her proposals uncompassionate and quick to condemn risky lifestyles. But as SF's fentanyl overdose deaths spike, some folks are changing their minds—from pushing questionable “safe” consumption sites to begging law enforcement to intervene. From the SF Standard.

Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Wilson Freeman analyzes the ongoing lawsuit between PLF's client—aspiring psychopathology professor Dr. John Haltigan—and the University of California. Freeman asserts that UC's “DEI litmus tests” violate the Constitution twofold, and that Asian applicants are statistically hurt the most by this “aggressive” mandate. An Opp Now exclusive.

Fortune reports that amidst widespread post-Covid “urban doom loops,” cities like SF and SJ are scrambling to incentivize business and customer activity in their rapidly-decaying downtowns. In addition, says public policy prof John Rennie Short, it's about time we seriously pursue other solutions: like gutting or repurposing unused office space.

After pandemic-era student population drops that persisted in the Bay Area and beyond, the San Jose Evergreen Community College District has reported a roughly 15% enrollment increase for Fall 2023. As EdSource relays, SJECC's partnerships with local high school programs have helped attract the next generation of scholars—giving hope that community colleges can still prove relevant in today's market.