Below, Peter Coe Verbica observes important lessons on managing money and relating to gov’t (take note, ‘24 city/county candidates). In this Opp Now exclusive, Verbica breaks down “The House of Rothschild,” which tells the story of Europe’s preeminent, elusive Ashkenazi Jewish finance family.
Read MoreChris Robell, retired CFO and advocate for clear and lawful ballot questions (follow his San Mateo County school bond lawsuit here), dissects the pros, cons, and glaring empty spaces of the MTC's $10–20 billion housing bond, to be gleaned via serious property tax hikes. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreWe asked SJ D10's Council candidates to provide their perspectives on some of the upcoming election's most pressing issues—the attacks on Prop 13 via ACA 1 and 13, and the strengthening of Prop 13 with the Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA). Comments from the three who replied to our query below in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreJerry Strangis, San Jose land use consultant since 1975, comments on the City's attempt to get its Housing Element certified. Hand-wringing City officials worry—should the State reject their plan—developers will keep using the “builder's remedy” loophole to avert zoning restrictions. Strangis praises SJ's efforts toward a compliant Housing Element, while recognizing key economic benefits of the builder's remedy. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreCalifornia finance expert Tom Rubin analyzes MTC's proposed $10–20 bn bond measure, which would chuck some greenbacks at jurisdictions in the name of developing/preserving affordable housing. Not only does the measure lack clear performance metrics (um, are we talking 100 or 10,000 units produced?), but it neglects key market problems—suggesting instead we hand gov't (more) cash to figure everything out. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn sprung verse as elastic and effortless as resupine lines of code stretching over black screens, past Board of Equalization candidate Peter Coe Verbica ponders the implications of widespread AI developments—for our daily strivings, our grasp of beauty and wonder, and our uniquely human search for truth. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreJohnny Khamis wonders if we start using the word “The” and the number of the highway (like our fellow CA citizens do) when describing our transportation infrastructure, will our daily “trafficgedon” garner the political respect and attention we deserve? An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreDave Rand, local land use attorney specializing in CEQA regulations, exclusively chats with Opp Now about all things California Environmental Quality Act. He analyzes why it first came into being, what loophole encourages cities/interest groups to logjam projects—as well as new reforms to mitigate this—and his suggested solution (warning, it's pretty “surgical”). Plus: how do carpenters' unions fit into the puzzle of ridiculous CEQA overrregulations, even for exemption options?
Read MoreSJ's Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility and Silicon Valley Leadership Group chime in on Senator Cortese's controversial bill to jack up our sales tax from its existing cap of 2%. Rather than worsen residents' fiscal burden, they point out, shouldn't San Jose look into balancing its budget better and cutting the fluff? Or is that too radical a concept? An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreA forest walk at twilight. Amber storefront lights. A rare find in a curio shop. Piano keys. Peter Coe Verbica muses on navigating what is lost, what is found, as we kick off our Holiday Season. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn his exclusive report for Opportunity Now, Randal O'Toole of the Thoreau Institute explores how New Urbanist thinking and misguided anti-market policies created one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the world—and how to fix it. First posted on 11.19.2020.
Read MoreRandal O'Toole of the Thoreau Institutes outlines how to start undoing the failed policies of the past that led to Santa Clara County's current affordability debacle, with an eye toward increasing tax revenues as well. Originally published in November of 2020, O'Toole's sharp analysis—and conclusions for urban-growth boundaries and CEQA—is more relevant than ever today. An Opp Now exclusive.
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