“It was prejudicial and misleading,” says long time Santa Clara County resident Dawn Davis of the Measure A ballot label. She and three other plaintiffs victoriously sued to remove some of the partisan terms from the ballot summary. Although the hasty tax hike election will proceed, Davis believes the more honestly worded ballot might improve trust in local government. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreCognitive distortion. Dichotomous thinking. Erasing the gray area. These are the terms shrinks use to describe the psychological maladies that derive from All-or-nothing mindsets common among politicians and those addicted to politics. Big takeaway: the syndrome can lead to pessimism, social alienation, and depression. Manhattan Center for Cognitive Therapy explores.
Read MoreLiving in the Bay Area, in California, it's often hard to grok that there are states and areas that are as reliably red as we are blue. Governing website explores how the All-or-Nothing syndrome has translated into partisan electoral politics.
Read MoreJust build more houses. Just pass yours down to your children. Just run a profitable business. Easy, right? Not exactly, argue former Palo Alto councilmember Greg Tanaka and real estate broker Gina Tse-Louie—saying we need radical rewrites in building/business regulations and tax policy. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThe Santa Clara County BOS says this latest sales tax increase is for an “emergency,” but County Assessor candidate Rishi Kumar argues it smacks of opportunism. Even though the changes don’t fully take effect till 2027, he says the Supes rushed it onto November’s special ballot before voters get a chance to see the bigger picture: a tsunami of tax proposals in 2026. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreCounty residents are promised that Measure A sales tax is only “temporary” and will have plenty of oversight. But County Assessor candidate Rishi Kumar argues neither is the case. He says Measure A is a regressive sales tax that won’t go away, can be spent on anything, and could even preclude the county from state healthcare funding. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreSanta Clara County’s public health system is poised to lose $3 billion yearly by 2030. So says County Assessor candidate Rishi Kumar, who argues the $330 million that Measure A is meant to raise each year will only pay a fraction of the shortfall. “Where’s the plan for the rest?” he asks, “more tax increases?” An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreFor the Valley to stop pricing residents out of housing, former Gilroy mayor Marie Blankley and SV Biz PAC’s Tracey Enfantino point to needed property tax exemptions; impact fee code revisions; and a straightforward, efficient Community Development Department to process building applications. An Opp Now exclusive in our affordability series.
Read MoreChecks and balances. Separation of powers. Citizen empowerment. This is how to design a go-slow decisionmaking system—from Santa Clara to D.C. Liberty Belle website explores.
Read MoreMaybe we actually want gov't to be careful and deliberative because--let's be honest--we kind of don't trust it. Katie Smith and Nathaneal DeSantis of Simple Civics podcast explain.
Read MoreFormer SJ Councilmember Pete Constant, currently a Professor and Chair of Public Policy Department at Jessup University does a deep dive on Gov. Newsom's redistricting proposal, and suggests it solves no real problem while creating new ones--from legal risks to eroded trust. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreAlthough San Jose and state governments have dragged their heels on dumping failed Housing First policies, it can't be blamed on systemic bureaucratic slowness. A quick history of U.S. Housing policy shows that governments can move with much alacrity on housing programs, especially if they end up creating public housing or a lucrative revenue stream for non profits. York College (PA) reports.
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