For the final stop of their insightful analysis on SJ transit (parts I and II here), the Caltrain HSR Compatibility Blog remarks that a BART extension beyond SJ to Santa Clara is highly redundant, considering how connected they already are via Caltrain/VTA. By applying the brakes at SJ's Diridon Station and going no further north, BART would save $1.5 bn and open up opportunities for more efficient and effectual projects.
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While in office, then-mayor Sam Liccardo used personal email and text messages to conduct City business. The San Jose Spotlight recently sued Liccardo and the City of SJ for violating the CA Public Records Act, and SJ forked over an ungainly $500,000 for insufficiently searching Liccado's personal communications for public records. California Policy Center's Mari Barke comments on Liccardo's “inexcusable” transgression in this Opp Now exclusive.
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California finance expert Tom Rubin analyzes MTC's proposed $10–20 bn bond measure, which would chuck some greenbacks at jurisdictions in the name of developing/preserving affordable housing. Not only does the measure lack clear performance metrics (um, are we talking 100 or 10,000 units produced?), but it neglects key market problems—suggesting instead we hand gov't (more) cash to figure everything out. An Opp Now exclusive.
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In sprung verse as elastic and effortless as resupine lines of code stretching over black screens, past Board of Equalization candidate Peter Coe Verbica ponders the implications of widespread AI developments—for our daily strivings, our grasp of beauty and wonder, and our uniquely human search for truth. An Opp Now exclusive.
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This year, Bay Area college campuses have been overrun with cancel culture circuses, leaving residents bewildered by events like: anti-free speech protests of guest speakers at Stanford/SFSU, the firing of De Anza's "not woke enough" DEI dean, and—most recently—hateful anti-Israel demonstrations sponsored by local faculty/student groups. Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott's new book The Canceling of the American Mind codifies how the Left systematically extinguishes forbidden ideas—and steps, for institutions and individuals, to restore our culture's viewpoint diversity. Below, reviews from Substack, WSJ, and Reddit.
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Despite housing advocates' cries that big bad private landlords are behind tenant evictions, a Princeton University study shows that—on the contrary—public housing's responsible for the lion's share of eviction filings. The Greater LA's Apartment Association breaks it down below.
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Big surprise: the State's sluggish money-sucker of a High-Speed Rail project asks to be accommodated by new (either elevated/tunneled) infrastructure at its SJ station. Meanwhile, the Caltrain HSR Compatibility Blog asserts that this costly renovation is a superfluous idea, and that sharing Diridon's platforms with Caltrain makes the most fiscal and logistical sense. Read Part I here.
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Johnny Khamis wonders if we start using the word “The” and the number of the highway (like our fellow CA citizens do) when describing our transportation infrastructure, will our daily “trafficgedon” garner the political respect and attention we deserve? An Opp Now exclusive.
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UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) analyzes recent data showing that 53% of State voters would still give Prop 13 the stamp of approval today—and this majority preference is seen across all party, political, sex, age, and racial subgroups (with the sole exception of “very liberal” Californians). Meanwhile, SJ's elected representatives enthusiastically campaign for anti-Prop 13 measures ACA 1 & 13, and near-unanimously oppose the Taxpayer Protection and Gov't Accountability Act.
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The Caltrain HSR Compatibility Blog team explains that parking out-of-service trains in busy transportation hubs such as Diridon Station—though a common practice for SJ—is counter-intuitive, incurring extra costs while sacrificing speed and efficiency. Below, dig into the first part of an informative series about fixing public transportation, in and beyond the Bay Area.
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Dave Rand, local land use attorney specializing in CEQA regulations, exclusively chats with Opp Now about all things California Environmental Quality Act. He analyzes why it first came into being, what loophole encourages cities/interest groups to logjam projects—as well as new reforms to mitigate this—and his suggested solution (warning, it's pretty “surgical”). Plus: how do carpenters' unions fit into the puzzle of ridiculous CEQA overrregulations, even for exemption options?
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SJ's Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility and Silicon Valley Leadership Group chime in on Senator Cortese's controversial bill to jack up our sales tax from its existing cap of 2%. Rather than worsen residents' fiscal burden, they point out, shouldn't San Jose look into balancing its budget better and cutting the fluff? Or is that too radical a concept? An Opp Now exclusive.
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