HJTA’s Susan Shelley questions why Santa Clara County would raise sales taxes on struggling residents. If the issue is a 4–5% Medi-Cal shortfall, SCC GOP Chair Dave Johnson asks, is that really an “emergency”? He notes supervisors had no problem doubling hospital funding in recent years—now 50% of the county budget. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreDave Johnson, chair of the SVGOP and Tracey Enfantino, leader of the SV Biz PAC, call out the SJ Chamber of Commerce for its "neutral" stance on county's 5/8-cent sales tax increase. Previously, the Chamber actually endorsed the anti-business, tax-raising Proposition 5 (which was rejected by statewide and county voters).
Read MoreSC Supes say the sky is falling on the county hospital system, and the only way out is yet another tax hike. But SVTA Board Member Elizabeth Brierly wonders how catastrophic this so-called funding emergency really is. She warns that Measure A is a “regressive sales tax on the working poor who don’t rely on the county, who have insurance, and who follow the rules.” An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreAlan Henry, in Lifehacker, notes how it's common for people to feel like their local gov't isn't giving us time of day. But foot-stomping won't work, he says. Follow a respectful, data-driven approach that aligns with how your local government thinks.
Read MoreNational Federation of Independent Business Josh McLeod discusses how lack of compliance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) by gov't agencies leads to numerous rigid, overbroad regulations that don't take into account the unique needs of local merchants.
Read MoreStephanie Reich, Senior Vice President at Stateside, unpacks how city and county governments are increasingly moving into the space previously filled by state and federal agencies regarding business regulation. And it's making business ever harder for local merchants. Reich provides some useful countermeasures for small businesses at Stateside website.
Read MoreMeasure A money can be spent on anything. But even if it does get sunk into SC County’s health system, well, why? SVTA Board Member Elizabeth Brierly asks why the county overleveraged into failing facilities when 94% of CA hospitals are private. There’s a market if the Supes wanted to trim the fat. Instead, they recently rejected an offer on O’Connor. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreSo say Gregg Dieguez (SHIFT-Bay Area) and Jan Soule (Silicon Valley Association of Conservative Republicans)—especially when it comes to “virtually bankrupt” yet overcharging local water, sewer, and transit agencies. Perhaps deficits aren’t—and shouldn’t be—inherent to the public sector, after all? More below in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreTransit ridership is limping along--usually below pre-Covid levels--yet Bay Area lawmakers want another half-cent sales tax under SB 63. Decades of rising costs, union-driven wages, and pricey “green” megaprojects mean Silicon Valley residents are footing the bill while getting less service in return. Marc Joffee (Visiting Fellow at California Policy Center and President of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association) and Athan Joshi (CPC intern and Opp Now contributing editor) untangle the mess.
Read MoreA 5/8 cent sales tax might not seem like much, but it’s part of a “death by a thousand cuts” for small and medium-sized businesses in Santa Clara County. So says SVBA Board Member and Treasurer Pat Waite, who argues Measure A will push prices up and hurt local businesses, forcing retailers with thin margins out of business—if they haven’t been shuttered already. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreCommunications pro & writer Alex Greenwood posits that news media is failing--if not ruining--our democracy. The supposed watchdog of the government, and the defender of democracy, has largely become little more than an echo chamber of partisan politics, peddling an illusion of information. A top-to-bottom reform of media management is called for. From Medium.
Read MoreThe future is a rumor, a distant haze.
The now, a loud and brilliant blaze.
It’s the flash of fire, the immediate spark,
Igniting a hunger in the gathering dark.
No thought of the ashes, the cold, gray ruin.
Just the joy of the fire, the thrill of pursuing.
--Courtney Peppernell
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