Study finds school choice saves local taxpayers $

A recent EdChoice analysis asserts that school choice policies aren't just financially feasible—but, in states where they're implemented, they're actually saving taxpayers $3,300 to $7,800 per program participant. Could this be an answer to the Bay's failing, going-broke school districts?

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Jax Oliver
VTA's ho-hum strike undermines need for upcoming transit sales tax

When Bay Area voters face a transit sales tax measure next year, agencies and transit supporters will warn that failure to pass the tax measure will lead to catastrophic results. Um, no. SHIFT-Bay Area reports.

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Jax Oliver
☆ Gus Mattammal on Mayor Mahan’s incentive plan for city leaders: “worth doing the experiment”

SJ Mayor Mahan wants to tie city leadership’s pay to outcomes in homelessness, public safety, clean neighborhoods, and business development. But will it work? In an Opp Now exclusive Q&A, entrepreneur and MCC Councilmember Gus Mattammal says it’s worth a try, but progress is much more feasible in two of the targeted areas.

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Jax Oliver
☆ Should VTA be allowed to unionize?

Bay Area political commentator Denise Kalm dives into the recent (somewhat anticlimactic) transit strikes, wondering if public unionization actually does more harm than good for the Valley’s taxpayers, hardworking public employees, and gov’t services. An Opp Now exclusive op-ed.

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Jax Oliver
Voting your conscience makes a lot more sense than voting "strategically"

San Joseans play Twister with logic on social media defending why it's somehow not a good idea to vote for the best candidate. The Link publication disagrees and says: the best vote is the honest vote.

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Jax Oliver
☆ Homelessness expert: Expect other cities to “follow suit” with SJ's Housing First reforms (4/4)

SF homeless advocate Tom Wolf unpacks the factors (from local to state to national) influencing San Jose's proposal to funnel PSH funds to interim housing. And why he expects Housing First doctrine to loosen across the nation—perhaps in other Bay Area cities. An Opp Now exclusive.

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Jax Oliver
Marc Joffe: What if we stopped rewarding California for overspending on Medi-Cal?

Why are taxpayers subsidizing healthcare for millionaires? The SJ Merc frames a prudent spending reform to Medi-Cal as a massive and disastrous cut. But maybe that’s just Chicken Little for the underinformed. An interview between policy analyst Marc Joffe and CPC head Will Swaim on the excellent National Review podcast, Radio Free California.

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Jax Oliver
☆ Perspectives: Studying ancient Greek/Roman culture is a challenging endeavor—and here's why we should all try it

Earlier this week, transit expert Randal O' Toole rewound the clock for us on VTA's surprising history of rideshare innovation. And, as three Bay Area classics professors argue in this Opp Now exclusive, that's not the only point in the past Silicon Valleyans should look into. Their analyses (and wide-ranging reading recommendations) below.

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Jax Oliver
☆ New SJ budget marks the end of Housing First? Unlikely, say local commentators (3/4)

Those fed up with San Jose's barrier-free housing approach to homelessness may have noticed: Council may shift all funds from PSH to temporary housing and prevention. But, as contributors Johnny Khamis and Tobin Gilman explain, Housing First is probably stickin' around (particularly via tiny homes). An Opp Now exclusive.

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Jax Oliver
Call any outré idea “out-of-touch” (until it reaches mainstream local culture)

Silicon Valley conservatives have long critiqued Housing First ideology and pointed to more immediate, affordable options. Only recently, SJ's started to catch on. Reason mag shines light on the historical precedent for outcasting revolutionary political thoughts—until they become vogue.

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Jax Oliver
Many people won't read past this headline—they're already bored.

Science tells us that new information, whether slowly or quickly gained, triggers happy chemicals in our brain. That's why these days, we're increasingly forgoing longer, difficult pursuits like reading—to instead refresh our social media feed one more time. In Medium, Hugh McGuire explains what's lost (besides our attention spans) by prioritizing quick, easy pleasures.

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Jax Oliver
SF’s deep state undermines calls to economize

What $840 million deficit? Tasked with “painful decisions,” some SF department heads are simply ignoring the mayor’s directive to cut costs. SF Standard explores.

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Jax Oliver