Counterintuitive fire management tactics. Homelessness approaches that narrow-mindedly neglect substance abuse. Tax hikes rather than better budgeting. NBC News explains, below, why we (and our pols) are so eager to leap to false conclusions, even with insufficient evidence.

The Bay Area isn't the only region in the U.S. to suffer from chaos and dereliction of fiscal duty at the city, county, and state level. We just have a lot more of it. Allysia Finley opines in the WSJ.

Downtown San Jose foot traffic levels remain encouraging post-Covid, but Bloomberg wonders (via recent research) if there’s something else to consider re: doom loops. Namely, that our high-speed, digital-obsessed culture is eroding those everyday opportunities to linger and chat with strangers—as theorized in a new study (analyzing cities’ ped traffic speed/casual conversations) from Nat Bureau of Econ Research.

As SJ faces yet another budget shortfall ($60m!), we take a look at what makes some cities deliver services without constant financial drama and high taxes. What Works Cities on Medium provides some great examples, with a focus on better public communication and protecting resident data.

Silicon Valley's conservative folks often censor their ideas for fear of others' negative reactions. But what if we could train ourselves—like athletes for a marathon—to develop skills for uncomfortable conversations? Well, Daniel Shiner's done exactly that, and explains his unique “bootcamp” experience in Medium's Human Parts blog.

Recent immigration enforcement activity in San Jose has led some to wonder precisely what role—if any—cities or counties are supposed to play in assisting—or not—federal authorities. Attorney Sara Ramey, in The Hill, says cities have no legal requirement to cooperate with ICE, excerpted below.

On the job only since Jan. 8, San Fran­cisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is pro­pos­ing sweep­ing legis­la­tion and mayoral powers to over­haul how the city addresses the fentanyl, home­less­ness, and beha­vi­oral health crises on its streets. The Chron editorial board, below, supports the move.

The Free Press editors suggest that the L.A. fires have revealed a broken governing model in CA: a fecklessness; a lack of professionalism; and a shocking inability to admit mistakes, pivot away from orthodoxies, and actually listen to alternative voices.

Back in 2024, SJ City Manager Jeniffer Maguire imperiously tried to wave away a scathing state audit that faulted the City for mismanaging up to $300M (!) of taxpayer largesse on homelessness programs. Last week, we discovered that City staff has also failed to even meet the deadlines set by the state auditor for getting SJ's financial house in order. The East Bay Times' Ethan Varian uncovers the historie sordide, excerpted below.

San Jose City Council recently voted 10–0 to endorse lower voter thresholds for new taxes (despite Prop 5’s rejection in Election ‘24), calling them a “tool” for infrastructure. But Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s tax expert Susan Shelley rebuts their big gov’t arguments, calling the lower thresholds a “mortgage on someone else’s home”—which should demand a broad consensus. An Opp Now exclusive.

Pricey housing. Mismanaged environmental issues. Crime à gogo. In a thoughtful essay, Deseret Magazine's Natalia Galicza explains why hundreds of thousands of Californians a year are jumpin' ship for other states—and what the Golden State must do to preserve its "California Dream" of opportunities to establish family, wealth, and innovation (incl. better water management, revised land use policies, 180k new housing units, and more).