Bills legalizing “missing-middle” construction are passing nationwide, but other regulations stand in the way. Scott Beyer of Market Urbanist suggests that customized high-density proposals can effect real change, in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThe College Fix summarizes an ongoing lawsuit that challenges Cal student orgs' ability to prohibit guest speakers simply because they affirm Israel's right to exist. Since it was filed in November, law experts have disagreed whether the First Amendment allows university groups to screen out most Jewish speakers for, essentially, being Jewish. College Fix's synopsis (ft. comments from Berkeley & plaintiff's counsel) below.
Read MoreNoted author and attorney Greg Lukianoff on Substack explores the ways that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statements at California colleges function as political litmus tests on campus, creating a very difficult barrier to entry for anyone not in lockstep with the prevailing ideological orthodoxy. He calls it the Conformity Gauntlet.
Read MoreSince voters overwhelmingly approved it by a 2:1 margin, Prop 13's endured constant attacks by Big Gov't advocates who'd rather mount taxes than cut expenditures. Even SJ's City Council is open to ballot measures that undermine Prop 13. In the Power Line blog, Independent Institute's K. Lloyd Billingsley analyzes what about Prop 13 resonated with 1978 voters—and why blaming it for CA's budgetary woes is plain ridiculous.
Read MoreThere's increasing disagreement among area pols re: the controversial (and costly) BART extension to SJ and Santa Clara. Palo Alto CM (and congressional candidate) Greg Tanaka, however, suggests that effective public transit needn't be a financial mess—and that strong oversight and businesslike procurement reform can deliver 21st Century transit solutions at reasonable costs. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSince Oakland's airport-adjacent In-N-Out closed its doors over increased crime (cue Hunger Games' death cannon for another lost tribute local retail establishment), Bay Areans have branded the area America's “most dangerous square mile.” But who, or what, is the real culprit? Daily Mail reports that City officers are curbed from adequately protecting residents, thanks to nonsensically “restrictive” policies.
Read MoreLocal housing provider Roberta Moore concurs with SJ Councilmembers Batra and Doan, who criticized our countywide Plan to End Homelessness as wildly unsustainable at $1.2–1.4 million/unit, adding up to a brutal $15 bn price tag. Rather than perpetuate reckless and ineffective gov't spending, Moore argues SJ's Housing Dept and its regional partners must prioritize "meaningful results." An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreWebsite Instapundit reports that SF City Atty is subpoenaing a national media site because he doesn't like their ranking of hospitals, and is accusing them of misinformation when it comes to healthcare. Somewhere, Orwell smiles.
Read MoreTaxpayer advocate Susan Shelley shines a light on California's Proposition 19, which nullifies existing protections for parent–child property transfer, thereby treating a gift of property like a sale. Shelley wonders if many Californians—who voted against one-time estate taxes in 1982—truly want their yearly property tax payments hiked up. From the OC Register.
Read MoreLast week, San Francisco taxpayers were horrified to clue in that local org SF Safe—which receives millions annually from the Police Dept—has been forging invoices, stiffing vendors, and reimbursing lavish staff expenses (Tahoe vacations and limo rides, anyone?). SF Standard rounds up the fiasco, and asks why cities aren't doing the work to, you know, properly oversee affiliated nonprofits.
Read More2023 was inundated with headline after headline about the latest overdose death on the BART system; countless more riders regularly abuse illicit substances on the trains, creating unhygienic and dangerous situations for others. In this Opp Now exclusive, Debora Allen—BART director since 2016—analyzes the alarming overdose spike, and what it'll take to eliminate drug use on BART (hint: actually enforce laws for fare payment/code of conduct, and recruit officers like crazy).
Read MoreAs the age-old political adage goes: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em cancel the fight entirely. Household Stories magazine unpacks Newsom & Co.'s ongoing lawsuit against the Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA). The suit aims to disqualify TPA from our ballot as an “illegal” constitutional revision—though, as Household Stories discusses, it'd actually protect taxpayers' preexisting Prop 13 rights from sneaky workarounds.
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