Anticipating Mayor Mahan's State of the City speech, SF Briones Society's Jay Donde and the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association advise him to address excessive spending in programs, positions, and pecuniary shortsights. And, more importantly—how's he working to trim it all. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreDavid J. Johnson, chairman of the Santa Clara County Republican Party, calls on Mayor Mahan to strengthen his Reform agenda in his 5.17 State of the City address. Specifically, by pushing forward on permit deregulations, congregate shelters, sustainable fire/police depts—and (finally) corralling costs on the nonsensical BART-to-DTSJ extension. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThe City of SJ’s recently turned from a strict Housing First orthodoxy to consider more affordable short-term options—a methodology Salvation Army’s been leading in locally for 60+ years. So we asked Major Daniel Freeman what SJ leaders can glean from their (77% effective) homeless program, focused on “people-changing.” An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreWe continue our series with perspectives (from policy experts and SJ residents) on Mayor Mahan’s upcoming State of the City address. In this exclusive, Opp Now contributors Gus Mattammal and Ted Stroll probe Mahan for much-needed updates on his councilmember compensation proposal and Bay Area transit.
Read MoreWhy does SJ City Council stray so far from its charter, and is constantly asking for more money to fund more non-core projects? Jon Coupal of HJTA explains.
Read MoreBefore SJ’s State of the City speech, SCC Libertarian Party officer Elizabeth Brierly has some rec’s for Mayor Mahan: Discuss deregulating. Trimming SJ’s budget (without harming core services). And, yes, protecting the free market. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MorePolitical commentator Denise Kalm believes the Bay Area over-prioritizes high-cost transit projects (like the disastrous BART extension), and should consider how some poor or elderly residents don’t have an affordable way to get to transit points. Could private (or public/private) self-driving vehicles be the answer? An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreMayor Mahan’s State of the City address is almost a week away. Below, some Opp Now contributors suggest he emphasizes how SJ solicits, utilizes, and values community feedback (and could that extend to VTA?). An Opp Now exclusive with Pierluigi Oliverio, John Low, and Families & Homes SJ.
Read MoreCulture writer Addison Del Mastro worries that living in Silicon Valley's tech bubble is over-inflating our egos, supercharging our paranoia, and bombarding our attention with (pretty frivolous) minutia. From Substack.
Read MoreNew mayor says denser fit per block is more important than apartment towers if the city is to hit ambitious goals. The exceptional Frisc analyzes.
Read MoreAhead of SJ Mayor Mahan's State of the City address, Opp Now contributors Jon Coupal and Irene Smith share their exclusive suggestions on what he discusses. And, spoiler alert: they're hoping Mahan focuses on how we're fixing gov't inefficiencies, limiting core services, and (you guessed it) spending within our means.
Read MoreUnlike San Jose and its flawed reliance on metrics-free orthodoxies like Housing First, some cities have let clear-eyed review of metrics inform their homelessness strategies and programs. And to good effect; Bakersfield uses multi-layered data analysis & technologies to become the only big CA city to solve its homelessness crisis. Community Solutions explains.
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