The No on Measure A campaign, chaired by County Assessor candidate Rishi Kumar, announced plans to file legal action against Santa Clara County following reports that the County used taxpayer dollars to distribute a mailer resembling campaign material promoting Measure A. Text of press release below.
Read MoreThe County of Santa Clara bought two hospitals and has created a budget issue by overspending, says Saratoga Vice Mayor Chuck Page. To make up for their indiscretions, the county is again turning to the taxpayer for a bailout: problem is, he says, the regressive Measure A sales tax will only hurt the people it’s supposed to help. And Opportunity Now exclusive commentary.
Read MoreYuri Perelman from the Eagle showcases journalists Tara Palmeri and Teddy Schleifer at American University tracing back Silicon Valley’s conservative pivot. Driven by figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, this right-leaning tech tide is the newest challenge for local leaders to navigate. Tech wealth fuels local political clout, so this shift is poised to cause clashes.
Read MoreIt “seems odd,” says SVTA Board Member Elizabeth Brierly, that the DA would predict cuts to law enforcement if Measure A doesn’t pass. The feds already increased public safety spending, but now Santa Clara County supes want residents to pay even more? In this Opportunity Now exclusive rebuttal to comments in the Merc, Brierly says the massive county tax precludes cities from raising their own sales tax rates. Is San Jose’s leadership confident there won’t be a deficit in the next five years?
Read MoreEven if there were oversight for Measure A, it should be set up before election day, not after, says SVTA’s Elizabeth Brierly. But such a committee would likely be packed with insiders, she says, and provide no real accountability. In Part 2 of this Opportunity Now exclusive rebuttal to Silicon Vallely Leadership Group's (SVLG) endorsement, Brierly calls out the false choice about trauma care: there’s no reason a private hospital wouldn’t do just as good a job.
Read MoreOn Monday, Mayor Liangfang Chao, Vice Mayor Kitty Moore, and Councilmember Ray Wang voted to oppose Measure A, calling the proposed 5/8-cent sales tax regressive, hasty, and too broad to ensure the funds would support county hospitals. Even if it did, they said, the amount wouldn’t be enough. With another half-cent VTA tax on the ballot next year, Cupertino leaders fear losing flexibility to raise local revenue. AI Summary of the 10/13/25 meeting via Citizen Portal.
Read MoreAn active Sunday: The Merc comes out No on Measure A. And a lively, bipartisan No on A rally convenes a big crowd and growing list of local pols rejecting the county sales tax hike.
Read MoreThe research of Professor Michael Bamberg of Clark University takes a look at how dominant narratives emerge and how counter narratives get created and believed. Through the analysis of narrative practices, Professor Bamberg proposes that we can intentionally begin to present stories that enable social change, by looking beyond the story, to uncover and challenge the assumptions behind dominant narratives. From Research Outreach.
Read MoreMatt Sheehan on Medium explores how the days of overarching, "Master Narratives" may be waning. Modern communication technology allows for the propagation of new, popular narratives that challenge the blinkered worldviews that marginalize alternative perspectives. Sheehan warns that counter narratives run the risk of becoming master narratives themselves.
Read MoreThe Danish Institute for International Studies explores the use of "counter-narratives" to dissuade potential terrorists from committing violent acts. Turns out, counter-narratives don’t do much, and the propaganda that the Danes were attempting to counter wasn't very effective, either.
Read More“Cities should stay in their lane,” says Santa Clara CM Karen Hardy, who is “horribly uncomfortable” with the city’s 4-1 decision to put a resolution on the agenda to endorse Measure A. Voters should make up their own minds, she says, while pointing out the threat of federal spending cuts is speculative. She adds that SC County made a dubious decision to buy up more hospitals: now the regressive sales tax could hurt those it claims to help. An Opportunity Now exclusive commentary.
Read MoreThe tech companies who have endorsed Measure A wouldn’t treat their own money this way. So says SVTA’s Elizabeth Brierly: while Santa Clara County sinks billions into a misguided public hospital project, it fails to show the math to justify charging taxpayers another $1.65 billion, or more. In this Opportunity Now exclusive rebuttal, Brierly slams Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s (SVLG) support for the regressive, 500 percent increase to the county’s general sales tax rates, being imposed on working families, seniors, and small businesses.
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