Just like in SJ and SCC, LA County BOS recently approved a half-cent sales tax for the June ballot to backfill federal, and state, healthcare funding cuts. But here’s the difference: 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger stood tall and argued forcefully against measure. She was the only Supe to vote No, because taxing Angelenos, she says, is the “tail wagging the dog.” Excerpted below are her comments at the 2/10/26 LA BOS meeting.
Wait, don't we elect representatives to, you know, represent us? Sac Bee explores why cities and counties feel the need to hire expensive lobbyists to get their way in statehouses--and how it runs counter to democratic assumptions.
Daniel Borenstein, in a Mercury News opinion column, says that the State's recent short-term bail-out of regional mass transit agencies may, in fact, jeopardize the realization of South Bay transportation goals.
Public transport ridership has tanked in the Bay Area, but spending has more than doubled, inflation-adjusted, since 1980. So says former transit executive Tom Rubin in an Opportunity Now exclusive op-ed. The RM4 dragon-slayer calls on voters to insist on improvements first, before considering new taxes.
By helping his neighbors improve their quality of life, local grassroots organizer Tony Guan learned that change comes at a cost. In this Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A, he highlights hard-fought campaigns: after successfully reducing airline noise, he continued to organize. His campaign to protect racial equality took him to the steps of the US Supreme Court.
Edward Ring says California may remain robust for now, but warns an ideological extremist could win the race for governor. Meanwhile, A is for Average author Gus Mattammal says voters are “blown away” when he tells them how badly CA’s school districts are performing. He also wants Bay Area media to break from one-sided coverage of the regional transit tax. An Opportunity Now exclusive look forward to 2026.
Silicon Valley is already taxed to the brink, says Pat Waite: absent accountability, the push won’t stop. He asks why CA has the highest rate of poverty in the nation (Supplemental Poverty Level metric), and yet politicians seek to raise taxes while failing to make housing cheaper. Will this be the year voters demand substantive answers? An Opportunity Now exclusive look forward to 2026.
Politicians should stand by their word like the solemn responsibility it is. So says Irene Smith of Path Seldom Traveled, who argues that politically expedient or otherwise tokenized, revocable endorsements do grave dishonor to the City of San Jose, and to the voters who look to leaders for guidance. Will politicians find integrity this year? An Opportunity Now exclusive 2026 prediction.
The “No on Prop 16” campaign which Tony Guan took part in got national attention, and he helped rally for the victorious plaintiffs in a US Supreme Court victory against racial preferences. In this Opportunity Now exclusive Q&A, he talks about the personal cost of activism, ongoing challenges, and the need to build networks and scout for local leaders, to have an even greater impact on state and local policy.
