The fed’s unsustainable financial house may not yet be affecting Californian voters as they decide just how much they want to let their state government borrow. Economist Mike ter Maat says Prop 5 likely failed because it would have enabled indescribable future debt that affects voters' taxes directly. Yet Props 2 and 4 sailed through, because proponents made a case for borrowing more billions—on top of our state deficit. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreIn Election '24, elected officials were so infatuated with tax-raising Proposition 5 that—um—they didn't realize the proposal would get an “I'm not interested” from 55.5% of CA'ns. Below, more Opp Now exclusive post-election analyses from Tom Wolf, Tom Rubin, Jon Coupal, and Pierluigi Oliverio.
Read MoreIn this exclusive installment of a special Opp Now Election '24 series, our contributors aren't dancing around the issues: they unpack, below, some key City/County election results—including how “low information voters” impact which candidates are, or aren't, given a whirl in office. From Tobin Gilman (SJ community leader), Gus Mattammal (Midcoast Community councilmember), Mark Burns (local real estate agent), and Pierluigi Oliverio (SJ planning commissioner).
Read MoreWelp, it happened: 69.8% of Bay Areans (and 68.9% CA-wide) voted “yes” to reinstating felony charges for certain property crimes and establishing “treatment-mandated felonies” for some repeat offenders. But why was Prop 36 so overwhelmingly supported? In this exclusive, we trace back Opp Now's Prop 47 & Prop 36 coverage, beginning in January 2022 and up 'til Election Day.
Read MoreGov. Newsom campaigned fervently against Prop 36, but it passed—with 68.9% voting “yes” (69.8% in SCC). SJ Council endorsed Prop 5 (8–2), but most County/State voters (respectively, 54.3% and 55.5%) couldn't stomach it and voted “no.” In this Opp Now exclusive, SJ community leader Tobin Gilman and HJTA's Susan Shelley analyze this startling disconnect—between local politicians and the people they are supposed to represent.
Read MoreProposition 5 (lowering CA's voter approval req't for infrastructure bonds) was wholeheartedly rejected by State and County voters this cycle. Below, SV Taxpayers Ass'n board member John Inks explains why. For this Opp Now exclusive installment, we also talked to transit expert Tom Rubin and real estate agent Mark Burns, who share some wins (and annoyances) from Election '24.
Read MoreContinuing our exclusive Opp Now post-election series, we hear today from Brian Holtz, SCC Libertarian Party secretary and Purissima Hills Water District director. Below, Holtz argues that SF's Ranked-Choice Voting system (in place since 2004) allows voters to elect more reasonable, broadly-supported candidates—not just pick the prettier of two evils.
Read MoreOur very own editor Lauren Oliver celebrates San Jose's first fall rain, below, with an elegant two-stanza poem that recalls the exquisite, otherworldly feelings of wonder we have after a storm's passed. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MorePhew. Another election on the books. Over the next week, we'll be highlighting Opp Now contributors' exclusive takes on (local and statewide) Nov. 2024 wins, flops, and possible next steps. Today, we feature delightful eye-openers from: HJTA's Susan Shelley, Independent Leadership Group's Irene Smith, SJ Housing Commissioner Roberta Moore, and former Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou.
Read MorePalo Alto councilmember Greg Tananka says that local governments should not ignore the real message of the November 5 election: The People want lean, efficient government. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreProp 5 opens the door to more gov't borrowing by reducing the voter threshold to 55% for local bonds. This further incentivizes governments to mislead voters on ballot labels and “informational” mailings. In part 4 of this Opp Now exclusive Q&A, Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Ass’n’s Susan Shelley points to tax hike trickery now in play, from school bonds—which already only need 55% approval—to the widely abused Upland exemption. Overtaxed Californians are grumbling, but Prop 5 can override their opposition, says Shelley.
Read MorePerhaps a well-told story (or mural, like SF Post Office's “Indians by the Golden Gate,” above) is the best way to learn not just history's facts—but its struggles, nuances, and questions. In this Opp Now exclusive, history profs recommend books for better knowing and navigating life's currents: spanning from CA's indigenous peoples, to colonial Indian ethics, to a Nazi German town that still “puzzles” historians.
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