Newsom's Software-as-a-Service products tax, part of his new budget and set to take effect January 1, 2027, is divorced from business reality. Marc Joffe explains in the Orange County Register.
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Opp Now's Cristabel Cruz takes a ramble among cities which have embraced a "Contract" model (greatly reducing local gov't size and cost). And likes what she finds. An Opp Now exclusive.
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“Citizens’ initiatives” like Measure D evade the CA state constitution’s requirement for a two-thirds vote, says Susan Shelley of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Through a loophole, these special purpose taxes get to sashay in with a simple majority. November’s “Save Prop 13” ballot measure could kneecap Measure D soon after it comes on the scene. An Opportunity Nowexclusive comment.
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Outsourcing cities may save money, but do they work against public transparency and taxpayer control? Are we entering the fiefdom of the bureaucrat? The Arias Journal explores.
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Rather than owning and operating departments like police, fire, or public works, the city of Lakewood acts as a corporate board of directors. The city council buys specific services (e.g., law enforcement, road maintenance, street sweeping) à la carte through intergovernmental or vendor contracts. Lakewood gov't website explains.
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One of L.A.’s biggest homeless service providers has been awarded over $100 million in taxpayer funds while failing to comply with federal audit mandates, according to an LAist review of federal government records.
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Peter Ohtaki, former Menlo Park mayor, outlines a simpler, more cost-effective route to increased affordable housing locally.
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A bad school district is like a jail sentence, sometimes literally, as many students either drop out or get caught up in the juvenile justice system. So says Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Gus Mattammal, who argues school choice is the way out, and in California that won’t mean “vouchers.” In this excerpt from A is for Average, Mattammal highlights the urgent need for more public charter schools.
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Proponents of the Measure A tax on tourists claim it’s crucial to fund everything from police and fire, to illegal dumping prevention and park bathrooms. But wait, asks Mark Hinkle of the Silicon Valley Taxpayer Association: why aren’t these services already in the budget? And where will the money really go? An Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A.
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Reading the Merc and the Spotlight, one might think a “No” vote on Measure A is downright irresponsible. But government finance expert Mark Moses questions why the city is targeting Sunday library hours and downtown police patrols. Why not instead address the real cost drivers? An Opportunity Now exclusive commentary.
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“Why are police and fire emergency response not in the current San Jose City Budget?” quips Mark Hinkle in Silicon Valley Taxpayer Association’s statement: Measure A’s dubious premise that it’s for “essential” services could end up hurting San Jose tourism.
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