In 2022, Santa Clara County’s retail theft shot up by 14% from 2019, nothing compared to San Mateo’s whopping 53% increase. Now forced by public pressure to pay “intense attention” to the problem, Retail Theft Committee Chair Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) refuses to blame CA’s Prop 47, the state’s all-you-can-shoplift-up-to-$950 misdemeanor buffet. This fall, however, voters might take a bite out of the pro-crime policy. Clara Harter of The Press-Enterprise reports.
Read MoreSan Jose, CA will lose crucial funding for interim housing units as Los Angeles Council members push to freeze cops’ salaries. Having taken a break from handing out inflationary stimulus checks, the state now wants to explain the concept of lean government to cities and stakeholders. But teachers’ unions won’t learn the lesson—instead they’re asking for $23 billion in additional education spending. Wayne Avrashow of California Globe reports.
Read MoreBefore it can start saving the planet, CA’s high-speed environmental train still lacks environmental clearance. Only then can the rail authority expect to give an ETA for the SF and LA segments. Those should only cost $100 billion. But don’t worry, that amount doesn’t include $35 billion needed to wrap up the Bakersfield to Merced line—by around 2033. KCRA’s Ashley Zavala reports.
Read MoreYesterday, SJ City Council agreed to endorse a $20bn (!) regional housing bond tax, the lion's share of which will go towards subsidized, deed-restricted housing. Howard Husock at City Journal explains why this is throwing (lots of) good money after bad, as subsidized housing is just an economically illiterate approach.
Read MoreDavid Schonbrunn, president of transdef.org, takes a look at Bay Area transit management and sees a business model that doesn't work, services that are no longer in demand, and out-of-control misspending. From a Merc op-ed.
Read MoreWith the state’s cost of living skyrocketing and two tax-increasing initiatives looming on the statewide ballot, it’s no surprise that Californians are growing increasingly weary of their leaders’ relentless pursuit of more funds. Melissa Melendez in CA Globe says that efforts to boot the Taxpayer's Protection Act off the ballot are an affront to democracy.
Read MoreIrene Smith, head of the Independent Leadership Group and United Housing Alliance has done a deep dive into what works--and doesn't--when all type of affordable housing ** developments are built in or next to traditional neighborhoods. Her recommended ground rules--which she says can improve quality of life for tenants and neighbors alike--are excerpted below, originally from Medium.
Read MoreAn SF bill designed to help preempt scandals and inefficiencies among nonprofits is set to be signed by the mayor. It will impose audits and performance goals on 600 orgs taking over a billion dollars every year from taxpayers. And of all the scandals to highlight, SF Examiner’s Adam Shanks selects one associated with law enforcement. Still, here’s hoping?
Read MoreFollowing a California state audit which found that SJ's homeless programs were disorganized, untransparent, and wasteful, CM's Arjun Batra and Bien Doan propose that the City conduct its own audit. Market Urbanist's Scott Beyer unpacks what has to happen to ensure that this audit actually overhauls the city's current flawed system of expenditure and impact to create ongoing accountability on the metrics that really matter. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreTracey Enfantino, chair of the Silicon Valley Business PAC--the leading group advocating for local small and medium businesses--is thumbs up on the Doan/Batra city homelessness audit. The main reason? According to Enfantino, the City Housing Dept has ignored basic business logic and ethics for decades, and the bill is way past due.
Read MoreContinuing the bipartisan support for the proposed audit of SJ's homelessness expenditures, SCCAOR Gov't Affairs Director Gina Zari urges much greater transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in how the city addresses its homelessness crisis--which is clearly the #1 issue for residents. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreMayor Mahan underscores calls from CMs Doan and Batra for greatly improved transparency and efficacy re: city homelessness services, urges public dashboards to daylight program costs and impacts.
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