Even without federal money raining down, cities often find a way to ratchet up spending. When fiscal pressures come to bear, reforms are hard to stick with. So says Reason Foundation’s Len Gilroy in Part 3 of an Opp Now exclusive Q&A. But while San Jose faces down a $46 million deficit and costly pension liabilities, governments across the country that implemented sustainable retirement systems were able to keep their pensions funded, even during the Great Recession.
Read MoreWait a sec—didn't SJUSD ask for (and receive) a whopping $1.15 bn just six months ago? They did, but the school district is at it again, with a parcel tax request that Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility thinks is not warranted. CFR's statement, from their website, below.
Read MoreLen Gilroy says Reason Foundation’s choice plan helped about 200 public safety employers in Arizona nearly top off their pension funding. Pension reform happens “slowly, through attrition” as staff turns over and, thanks to spending habits, bigger cities make even slower progress. But encouraged by a prudent plan, Arizona employers threw in billions to help get out of debt. Part 2 of an Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreSan Jose native and local real estate agent Mark Burns argues that even after inflation adjustment in June, Measure E likely will still tax three times the number of residential transactions it was supposed to. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThanks to pension liabilities, San Jose police and fire get one employee for almost the price of two. But while governments struggle to pay, many employees don’t even want the traditional "defined benefit" retirement plan. So says Reason Foundation’s Len Gilroy in Part 1 of an Opp Now exclusive Q&A. Reform doesn’t have to mean total privatization; but, he asks, why not offer employees a choice?
Read MoreSJ Mayor Matt Mahan sits on the VTA Board of Directors. After supporting misguided VTA expansions like Eastridge and downtown SJ BART, perhaps Mahan is awakening to VTA's systemic woes. From an SJ Inside op-ed.
Read MoreTomorrow, SCC Supes will consider adopting ranked-choice voting for future elections. In this Opp Now exclusive, local resident Alice Kao critiques RCV's tabulating methods as non-intuitive and confusing, adding that (by design) they end up discarding many voters' preferences.
Read MoreStrong Towns believes local community engagement isn't as effective when we ask granular policy questions, like “What percentage of the city budget should we spend on parks?” Instead, why not take a cue from tech mogul Steve Jobs, focusing instead on residents' actions: “Do you use the park?”
Read MoreNext Tuesday, the County Board of Supes will discuss a potential shift to ranked-choice voting (previously rejected by SJ City Council) in county elections. But The Hill wonders, below, if the history of havoc, obfuscations, and voter frustration in counties that have attempted RCV compels us to leave it in the past.
Read MoreIn one of the most poignant scenes from Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, retired professor Faber makes the case for literature to Montag using a few key criteria (that apply also to film; podcasts; and, hey, news commentary!): it's all about “pores,” leisure, and the freedom to act.
Read MoreOn the first evening of Passover, historian April Halberstadt invites us to pull up a chair as she recounts the fascinating and inspiring stories of three Jewish San Joseans: doctor/musician Ephraim Engleman, and market owners/activists Sarah and Louis Richards. An Opp Now exclusive.
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