This week, Stanford junior and Free Press intern Julia Steinberg testified before Congress about rising antisemitism on college campuses. Her verdict? The hate didn't magically materialize on October 7th. Steinberg traces rampant anti-Israeli discrimination to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ideologies that “pit groups of students against each other.” The speech—hard-hitting and informative—excerpted below.
Read MoreA recent Merc article observes that some developers are invoking the “builder's remedy” to downsize or downzone SJ projects, while the provision was intended to encourage and expand affordable housing options in NIMBY jurisdictions. Yet, YIMBY Law's executive director Sonja Trauss is all in favor of (what she frames as) developers bypassing minimum density restrictions to pursue fiscally feasible projects. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThe San Jose Blog team asked leading generative AI tools to wax poetic on the “vibrant, beating heart” of Silicon Valley—and visualize, through surreal images of glowing aerial pods and skyscrapers, the tech epicenter's look come 2050. The Blog reminds that AI programs create from aggregated internet data, so their positive outputs highlight the culture, innovation, and hope San Jose has to offer. As the Bard (that is, Google's Bard) says: “Here, anything is possible, / The future is unwritten.”
Read MoreUniversity leadership that celebrates free speech selectively—i.e., for students chanting for Hamas to “smash” Israel, but not for scientists disproving school lockdowns or judges speaking at club meetings—is either part of the Woke mob or afraid of it, says the Wall Street Journal's Ruth Marcus. Marcus recalls Stanford's ousting of president Tessier-Lavigne, based on journalism now considered questionable, and wonders if his unpopular views on free speech had anything to do with it.
Read MoreIn a Reform California webinar, chairman Carl DeMaio breaks down the five key tenets of proposed Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act (starting with requiring voter approval of all State tax increases). San Jose CM Doan is the City's lone supporter for the Act, while others fear—contra the Wall Street Journal board's analysis—that it would roll the dice with essential government services.
Read MoreIt's hard to bubble in “no” on pleasant platitudes like “The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act” (which downplayed property theft penalties and—according to Mayor Mahan—wreaked havoc on SJ's downtown). And that, political watchdogs say, is exactly the point. In this exclusive, three Opp Now contributors (Pat Waite, Johnny Khamis, and Marc Ang) review some of the most egregiously titled ballot measures of recent years—and how taxpayers were “supposed” to read between the lines.
Read MoreWhile SJ is the least dangerous big Bay Area city, it isn't the safest big city in California (that's Sandy Eggo) and in fact ranks 46th out of 100 cities in California (over 50,000 pop.) when it comes to violent crimes. From a report by law firm Spolin and Dokes P.C.
Read MoreIn a Reason Foundation study, economist Pierre Lemieux envisions a “formal voluntary cooperation” model for healthcare. Considering individuals' willingness to cooperate with others to forward their interests, and entrepreneurs' ubiquitous profit motive, the health field could be propelled by innovative new institutions if gov't stepped back—and let local consumers shape the market. Meanwhile, Newsom and local Assemblyman Ash Kalra push for pricey “universal” coverage.
Read MoreFormer SJ D10 Charter Review commissioner Tobin Gilman scrutinizes the City and County's plan to make housing more cost-effective: by raising property owners' taxes (median of $1,250/month in SJ), via a $10–20 million regional bond. Bond funding would then go to counties for “building affordable housing.” But does it really make sense, asks Gilman on Medium, to make housing less affordable for one group in order to subsidize affordable housing for another?
Read MoreIn this Opp Now exclusive, three experts (SJSU's regional planning professor Kelly Snider, Bay Area Council's senior VP Matt Regan, and California YIMBY's research director Nolan Gray) parse the builder's remedy provision of CA's Housing Affordability Act—which lets developers bypass local zoning laws for affordable housing projects if that city's Housing Element is noncompliant. The provision has yet to be tested in court, as many jurisdictions are negotiating with—or, like SJ, throwing their hands up at—developers to prevent lawsuits.
Read MoreIt's a time-honored business nostrum that "you are what you measure." Housing expert Scott Beyer of the Market Urbanist takes a look at the beleaguered SJ Housing Dept's audit, and finds the organization's metrics confused, avoidant, and not very useful. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreHoward Jarvis Taxpayers Association's president Jon Coupal explains how California's unfunded pension liabilities, at nearly $250 billion (for SJ specifically: $3.6 billion), strain taxpayers, who must shoulder the price of overgenerous commitments. By switching from defined benefit to defined contribution plans, the State could reduce taxpayers' risks while maximizing retirees' returns. From the OC Register.
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