Counter-narrative result: data center buildout between 2015 and 2024 *reduced* electricity prices in America
In an Opportunity Now exclusive series, we’re asking thought leaders about the bigger picture behind this fall’s election, and what direction California is heading in. Manhattan Institute fellow Tim Rosenberger opines:
Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg wrote an op-ed for the Merc complaining about Prop 43, a November ballot measure that would make “citizens initiative tax increases” harder to pass. Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Ass'n Susan Shelley daylights how Ellenberg's oppo to voter thresholds for new taxes reveals governance and historical illiteracy
In an Opportunity Now exclusive series, we’re asking local leaders what the November 2026 election tells us about where Silicon Valley and Bay Area are headed. Gregg Dieguez of Fixes Before Funding asks some uncomfortable questions:
What does this election cycle say about which way Silicon Valley is heading? As part of an Opportunity Now exclusive series, municipal finance expert Mark Moses situates the role of local governments at the heart of affordability:
In an Opportunity Now exclusive series, we’re asking local leaders what this election cycle reveals about the bigger issues shaping Silicon Valley’s direction. Irene Smith of United Housing Alliance wonders if SJ’s Land Use Planning debate is asking the right questions.
In an exclusive series before the November 2026 election, we’re asking local leaders what this cycle tells us about where we’re headed in both Silicon Valley and the state. California Policy Center’s Edward Ring weighs in on the fraught relationship between affordability and ever-increasing taxes.:
Transit expert Marc Joffe unpacks all the over-the-top doom-mongering being peddled by SPUR, SF Chronicle, and Transit Industrial Complex. His conclusion: their alarmism regarding RTM doesn't withstand serious examination
San Jose could become the first city in the Bay Area to place new limits on self-checkout at grocery stores and pharmacies, including a requirement to keep at least one staffed checkout lane open, under a proposal promoted by councilmembers David Cohen and Domingo Candelas.
