There’s no guarantee Measure A will “save the hospitals” says South County Biz Alliance board member Matt Wendt. He says the general sales tax could be siphoned off to overspending in other areas, like Santa Clara County’s new fire department contract which is vastly more expensive than CalFire. The county should learn to budget, he says, or sell off the hospitals now and cut its losses. An Opportunity Now exclusive commentary.
Read MoreSteven Scharf, past mayor of Cupertino and a Democrat of 51 years, notes that Supe Ellenberg's arguments in favor of the county's sales tax hike are full of inaccuracies.
Read MoreMargie Warrell in Forbes, suggests that we can alway manage up--in families, in the workplace, and in business. She provides useful tips for how to confront the Bad Boss phenomenon.
Read MoreLay Pastor Scott Hubbard examines Christian scripture and finds many examples of leadership failure--but also examples of how leaders with the requisite modesty and self-criticism can turn mistakes into a staircase.
Read MoreBill Cole, Founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, examines the causes of squandered leadership opportunities in business, and offers solutions for salvaging the leadership imperative: strategic planning and mental toughness.
Read MoreFormer Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou says that even if Measure A passes, the county could still cut public health services: There’s talk of spending the sales tax money on police, DA, and unnamed services. Meanwhile, former Monte Sereno Councilmember Liz Lawler calls out the SC County supes for failing to trim the budgetary fat. Instead, they treat the taxpayer “like an ATM.” An exclusive commentary.
Read MoreThe "but" rule is a rhetorical device favored by hucksters, boosters, and local politicians who try to hornswaggle their audience by saying two opposing things at the same time via the conjunction "but." SJ Mayor Matt Mahan provides a classic example in his recent misguided endorsement of Prop 50. Talking to SJ Spotlight, Mahan makes a compelling argument against Prop 50, even as he endorses it. Prop 50 will do away with CA's independent, citizen-run redistricting process in favor of district maps drawn by the state's Democrat party.
Read MoreA sales tax is unfair to renters and working families, says Cupertino Mayor Liangfang Chao, and Measure A will “double the burden” for residents who already pay into the El Camino Hospital District. Meantime, it siphons fundraising power out of Milpitas, and other cities facing deficits. Before asking taxpayers to “throw more money into a broken system,” one that costs twice more per resident than LA County, she says Santa Clara County should provide a credible plan for health spending. An exclusive commentary.
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 MoreEverybody knows that SJUSD public schools will start to shutter soon, as alternative schooling and a crashing birth rate drag down enrollment. So says John Muir Middle School SSC member Shane Lewis in an Opp Now exclusive Q&A: rather than hike taxes for “self-preservation,” the district might learn a thing or two from charter schools about accountability and healthy competition.
Read MoreSJ's "pragmatic progressive" mayor lines up behind the county's fiscally irresponsible, strategically flawed, and economically illiterate Measure A. Opp Now unpacks the measure's three big business no-no's in this exclusive.
Read MoreIf residents think a 5/8-cent sales tax hike will save county hospitals, they’ve got another thing coming. So says HJTA VP Susan Shelley: the cynical Supes made it a general tax, needing just 50% approval. SCC GOP Chair Dave Johnson calls it a deceptive maneuver that fuels profligate, unaccountable spending. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
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