Fox LA reports on the TikTok-viral 37-year-old man inappropriately sniffing over twenty women at local bookstores: A judge has released him back to the streets, despite numerous past arrests for burglary, robbery, and peeping on children. Some question if early release and other Woke criminal justice policies are ruining our valued public spaces (looking at you, San Jose).
Read MoreThe Spectator analyzes San Francisco, America's once-flourishing metro, and traces population shrinkage back to lax criminal justice approaches. Who knew that turning a blind eye to sidewalk camping, substance abuse, and non-violent offenses would only create dangerous and filthy streets—which a third of San Franciscans want to escape ASAP?
Read MoreIs there a moment when you have just rolled your eyes too many times in a particular 24-hour period while reading local media? Peter Coe Verbica, former Board of Equalization candidate, reminds us—in a fine bit of poesy—that running against the tide, challenging orthodoxies, poking the bear, standing up for fairness, and mixing metaphors with abandon can be, well, a whole lotta fun. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreNational Review's Jeffrey Blehar explains how UC institutions including Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA are excluding qualified instructor candidates based on their failure to conform to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ideology. One applicant, for instance, was dismissed for disagreeing with the practice of requiring DEI statements—years ago, on his podcast. Read Blehar's reflections below on the implications for local higher ed.
Read MoreSFPD recently arrested 450 publicly intoxicated drug users in a targeted three-month clampdown on the open-air drug trade. As KRON4 reports, most of the arrested refused the City's offer of treatment services, which highlights how public safety and personal welfare may hinge on “the threat of jail time” (quoting Sheriff Miyamoto). Comments from Mayor Breed and Miyamoto below.
Read MoreThe Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act would close a Prop 13 loophole by affirming that tax changes need majority voter approval, and special taxes need two-thirds approval. Though SJ City Council and local media lambaste it as dangerous, the LA Taxpayers Association believes the measure would responsibly protect taxpayer funds (especially amidst attempts to amend Prop 13 like ACA 1 & 13, both en-route to the State Senate). The Globe reports.
Read MoreHoodline's Nina Singh-Hudson reports that in the first six months of 2023, zero—zip, zilch, nada—new apartment construction projects were launched in the Silicon Valley. With interest rates soaring and apartment-building values slumping, should we be shocked that investors aren't too keen on commencing new local developments?
Read MoreTom Rubin, former SoCal Rapid Transit District CFO, is an analyst–consultant with over 40 years in the transit industry. Here, Rubin applauds BART's move to attract riders by running frequenter (and higher-policed) evening trains, while analyzing how "breaking" trains midday is costly and could create overcrowding. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreLegislators are proposing CA lowers its longstanding Prop 13 threshold (currently two-thirds) for voter approval on new infrastructure taxes/bonds. And the San Jose City Council is supporting this proposed raid on local taxpayers' wallets. Opp Now exclusively gets the perspective of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association about how a counter initiative—the Taxpayer Protection and Gov't Accountability Act (TPA)—would defend Prop 13 from gov't attack and protect residents' hard-won earnings from government plunder. Needless to say, SJ City Council voted to oppose the TPA.
Read MoreIf the City is to bother holding housing panels, it should invite a diversity of opinions. So says Market Urbanist's Scott Beyer, as he surveys the invitee list at SJ HD's recent Housing Study Session—and finds a hopelessly one-sided grouping of Big Gov't, anti-market voices. Beyer offers an alternative in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreTransit commentators analyze BART's initiative, rolled out this Monday, to run frequenter—but shorter—evening trains. Biggest potential hurdles to cost-effectiveness? Extra costs of hiring more drivers, and lack of transparency with the public—though the plan appears a step in the right direction. An Opp Now exclusive featuring Marc Joffe (Cato Institute policy/transit researcher) and Rich Crowley (previously on a Bay Area transportation work group).
Read MoreEmployees at downtown San Francisco's Nancy Pelosi Federal Building are being warned that rolling up to the office in person may be too dangerous a risk. Though police cover the area, lax directives are perpetuating wild drug- and violence-filled streets, about which Rep. Pelosi herself is worried. From Fortune.
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