The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association invites locals to hear from Debora Allen—business leader and accomplished BART Director who terms out this December—during an upcoming luncheon. Mark your calendars, CoCoTax says, for October 25. More details on the event below.

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Min Chang, a CEO who's turned around three companies and SF Board of Education hopeful, analyzes SJUSD's $1.15 bn Measure R. Instead of begging voters to approve more bonds (as SF's also doing), Chang advises our school districts use smarter budgeting, fundraising, and accountability processes—already proven successful in Silicon Valley's private sector. An Opp Now exclusive.

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Talk about an inconvenient truth: as California swims in $1.5 trillion debt, voters are much more skeptical about “free money” from expensive loans. The Prop 1 homeless bond barely squeaked by in March. This November, Prop 4 wants to make an end run around the general fund, to pay for already existing environmental programs. The Orange County Register’s Jon Coupal wonders if voters are ready to charge another $10 billion to the State’s credit card.

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San Francisco spends over $1 bn/yr on contracted nonprofits. Recent investigations raise concern as to where all this dough’s really going (see: $700k “misused” by now-felon charged SF SAFE director). SF Standard reports, below, that Mayor Breed’s now mandating nonprofits do additional spending documentation and screening for conflicts of interest.

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Local anti-squatting activist (also known as “The Squatting Hunter”) Flash Shelton sat down with California Insider to discuss frequently exploited loopholes that hurt homeowners—along with his proposed solution of tighter, smarter tenancy legislation. Excerpts from their conversation, originally on YouTube, are highlighted below.

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In this Opp Now exclusive op-ed, citizen David Eisbach warns that, if Prop 5 passes, any other proposition that achieves 55% voter approval this November will become law—even if it was written to require two-thirds to pass.

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Many San Joseans were concerned when SJUSD added $1.15 bn Measure R to the ballot despite rapid enrollment declines, the recent Civil Grand Jury report citing “leadership issues,” and—you know—the fact it'd double the taxes we already pay to SJ Unified. Below, Opp Now asked SJUSD board members/candidates to weigh in. An Opp Now exclusive.

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Independent Leadership Group's Irene Smith and Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility's Pat Waite examine SJ Unified's $1.15 bn bond measure for “facility repairs” and housing. Considering SJUSD's lack of accountability with past bond funds (punctuated by a scathing Civil Grand Jury report this June), as well as how much Measure R raises property taxes, should voters really sign away another billion?

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Literary references. Obscure mythological art. Thought pieces from complex, varied viewpoints. We're often asked by new Opp Now readers why we bother, in an age of fast, bite-sized, self-affirming journalism. In the NY Times, David Brooks discusses the dangers of media posing as entertainment (instead of art), and how we can return to our “higher desires.”

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Many CA'n parents (8.6%, compared to U.S. avg 5.4%) are opting to educate their kids at home or through small-group cooperatives. Below, a study recapped in the NY Times highlights a key benefit: having the same teacher for 2+ years—called “looping,” where teachers advance a grade alongside their classes—is correlated with higher math/reading performance.

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As Bay Areans scrutinize Prop 5—which lets gov't spike taxes with lower public approval—we turn to a beloved Opp Now figurehead in Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek. Researchers Bejaković and Luburić summarize Hayek's illuminating idea that the market's spontaneous, dynamic consolidation of billions of hopes, dreams, and aspirations produces far better decisions than could the political "elite."

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