Local taxpayer advocate Chris Robell writes in the San Mateo Daily Journal that amidst Redwood City Council's incessant pleas for more taxpayer money (yep, they're hoping to raise the sales tax again today), a comically simple yet overlooked solution remains: be smarter about City spending. Robell analyzes some recently approved Deadwood City expenditures, and—spoiler alert—they get a bit ridiculous.
Read MorePractically speaking, transforming empty offices into apartments is not a simple task; local developers are paying through the nose to complete projects in areas like Downtown SJ. On top of that, add tax and regulatory barriers like CEQA and stringent zoning codes. NPR's Erin Kenney says that to incentivize sustainable construction, jurisdictions should consider zoning/tax allowances.
Read MoreCPC's Edward Ring recently analyzed for Opp Now that San Jose's Housing First methodology doesn't alleviate homelessness, but creates “highly unsafe,” gov't-dependent communities. The LA Times chimes in, breaking down how LA's Mayfair hotel was trashed—and neighboring residents endangered—when converted to accountability-free homeless housing.
Read MoreA forest walk at twilight. Amber storefront lights. A rare find in a curio shop. Piano keys. Peter Coe Verbica muses on navigating what is lost, what is found, as we kick off our Holiday Season. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn his exclusive report for Opportunity Now, Randal O'Toole of the Thoreau Institute explores how New Urbanist thinking and misguided anti-market policies created one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the world—and how to fix it. First posted on 11.19.2020.
Read MoreRandal O'Toole of the Thoreau Institutes outlines how to start undoing the failed policies of the past that led to Santa Clara County's current affordability debacle, with an eye toward increasing tax revenues as well. Originally published in November of 2020, O'Toole's sharp analysis—and conclusions for urban-growth boundaries and CEQA—is more relevant than ever today. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThe State's HSR project—voter-approved in 2008 and today, billions of dollars later, still without a single actual track to its name—has proven a masterclass in suspense (whether you call it a slow burn or, along with transit experts, a wildly overbudgeted crash and burn). The Cato Institute points out that once built and operated, CA HSR will inefficiently and excessively waste energy (compared to airplanes and conventional trains) and raise GHG emissions significantly.
Read MoreNext Wednesday, a new ad hoc committee overseeing the BART Downtown San Jose extension will meet for the first time. In preparation, Bay Area Transportation Working Group (BATWG) members have compiled a list of key questions for the steering committee to address. BATWG's letter, in its entirety, follows.
Read MoreCarl DeMaio of Reform California unpacks his assertion that our State already fleeces taxpayers for every penny (highest income, sales, gas, and property taxes in America, anyone?) and accordingly shouldn't lower the required supermajority for tax hikes via ACA 1. Meanwhile, SJ's City Council voted this year to undermine Prop 13 protections via ACA 1—likely against constituents' wishes.
Read MoreAre guaranteed basic income programs really effective if recipients don't pursue financial independence through better job opportunities? But that's what a 2019 study found: Labor market effects were almost nonexistent, as sprinkling moolah didn't lead to more active workplace participation (and really, besides Ellenberg/Cortese, who's surprised?). From San Diego's Bull Oak Capital.
Read MoreElizabeth Brierly—Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association board member and lifelong SCC resident—criticizes Sen. Cortese's proposal to increase the sales tax rate by 33% from its current cap of 2%. SB 335 proponents say the extra cash would fund “vital” core services; but aren't those already covered in our regular budget? Brierly calls for gov't prudence and prioritization (a much-needed “financial diet”) in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreAs SF builds more subsidized housing, its sector of homeless residents only gets larger and harder to manage. In WSJ, Manhattan Institute research director Judge Glock elucidates the disconnect: Almost 1/3 of SF's homeless residents moved there after losing their housing, many allured by the easy access to (and hands-off prosecuting approach to) illicit substances.
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