Columnist Doug McIntyre isn't alone in positing that DEI's oppressor/oppressed labels cultivate racial, ethnic, and religious division (recently sounded in threatening antisemitic rhetoric against District Attorney Jeff Rosen, a flyer that's been widely slated by Jewish leaders, a language expert, and Palo Alto CM). Since October 7, McIntyre discusses in L.A. Daily News, locals on the Left have been forced to address the—hitherto neglected—radicals in their party.
Read MoreHoward Jarvis Taxpayers Association says it's about time Prop 19's “Death Tax” (which spikes up taxes on inherited/transferred property by reassessing at market value) shuffles off its mortal coil, instead of swiping more of residents' hard-earned money. In the Globe, HJTA breaks down Prop 19 and how it wrote over valuable protections in Props 58 & 193.
Read MoreHSD employee Joshua Diemert tried suing the City of Seattle for promoting a discriminatory hostile-work environment through its Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI). Cities like SJ have similar internal programs. The Court ruled that equity-based programs are allowed to treat employees differently based on skin color, a problematic precedent unpacked by Reason magazine.
Read MoreEverybody knows that building new housing to solve local affordability crises is brutally expensive, and requires vast, ongoing, unsustainable subsidies. Former D10 Councilmember Johnny Khamis posits that taxpayer money would go a lot further—and our homeless and needy neighbors would get housing relief a lot faster—if the City simply purchased existing properties on the open market. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreCal and Stanford aren't the only prestigious colleges driving off folks who oppose Hamas and support Israel's right to exist. In December 2023, MIT lecturer Mauricio Karchmer stepped down from his dream job after observing his administration affirm antisemitic hate, while keeping mum on explicit terrorism. In a moving Free Press op-ed, Karchmer recounts MIT's history of opposing different viewpoints, and mourns his preventable exit from an institution that's pushing out ideological/ethnic/religious “others.”
Read MoreUntil recently, it appeared virtually certain that VTA staff would control the information flow and scope of the six-mile BART extension through SJ to Santa Clara. But recent stories in the Merc and the tone of a January 19 oversight committee meeting suggest that alternative outcomes are now possible: the project will certainly receive more external scrutiny, which could yield a much-needed downsizing of the $12.2 bn (!) extension. Cato Institute's Marc Joffe explains in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreHalf a year ago, Dr. Tabia Lee—who happens to be a Black woman—was fired from De Anza College because her approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was too “white” (read: she didn't reduce students to their check box identities). In an exclusive chat with Opp Now, Lee analyzes DEI's impact on local institutions, her preference for the classical (not critical) DEI approach, and why she sustains hope for colleges' DEI programs.
Read MoreOn Friday, SF Mayor Breed decided neither to approve nor veto Supervisors' Gaza resolution: rather, she let it become codified without intervening. Some vocal advocates are celebrating, but other residents question the efficacy of letting slide a resolution that effectively validates terrorist organizations. SF Standard surveys the impact of Breed's choice.
Read MoreIn a 1.21 statement, the Bay Area's Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) applauds Mayor London Breed for condemning SF's unbridled antisemitism since October 7 and denying Supervisors' ceasefire resolution her stamp of approval. Yet, JCRC disagrees with Breed's choice not to veto the resolution altogether, arguing it'll “embolden” hateful activists at local forums.
Read MoreOn Friday, Mayor London Breed officially spoke out against SF Supervisors' widely panned resolution that pled for ceasefire in Gaza. In a sharply written and cogently argued letter to Supes, Breed said she can't support “choosing a side” in foreign politics, especially when it jeopardizes San Franciscans' (particularly Jewish residents') unity, safety, and peace. Her statement, excerpted, reads below.
Read MoreAt the end of last year, City Council directed Staff to consider further regulating development in the City by requiring building officials to withhold a certificate of occupancy from private owners when any contractor, subcontractor, or supplier is subject to an unpaid final wage theft judgment. The following Open Letter from local business leaders to City leaders finds the proposed revisions to be redundant, extreme, and would further depress new development in SJ (edited for length).
Read MoreNinth circuit ruling Martin v. Boise only allows cities to remove illegal encampments (read: enforce existing laws) if every homeless resident has the “option” of sleeping indoors. The ruling's vague wording has inspired numerous debates and lawsuits, but the City of San Bernardino sweeps the controversy to the side, pointing out: their city cleverly utilized Martin v. Boise to clear dangerous camps and make public parks attractive again.
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