This week, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors approved a bill that'll require contracted nonprofits to meet “measurable performance goals” if they want to keep consuming City money. Lately, SF has faced scrutiny for a barrage of nonprofit scandals exposing serious misuse of taxpayer funds; and many (including former mayor Sam Liccardo) worry San Jose'll be similarly plagued unless pols take action. From the SF Examiner.
Read MoreVTA's own independent auditor found that the BART extension team had "engaged in ‘breach of transparency’ and ‘misleading’ communications to its governing board and public about the project’s cost." Even after promises by VTA to kick the habit of slow-walking adverse information about the project, experts are still finding notable lapses in communication. From Marc Joffe, Cato Institute, in a March 10, 2024 public letter to VTA committee.
Read MoreHeads up: PG&E is raising its rates yet again, a widely misliked move criticized by Sen. Scott Wiener among others. Meanwhile, nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) questions the State's longstanding system that upholds “energy monopolies,” instead of fighting for more fiscally/environmentally efficient, pro-consumer policies.
Read MoreOn Monday, Supe Ellenberg argued in SJ Spotlight that requiring sobriety of welfare recipients is an unscientific, fear-based frippery—that people can be trusted to “make their own determinations” with gov't funds—basing her conclusion on what turn out to be highly questionable, biased reports. Spoiler alert: relying on self-reporting about people's drug habits and spending is unserious and parochial. Various sources excerpted below.
Read MoreKarl Marx famously said, "History repeats itself first as tragedy, then as farce." SJ taxpayers are wondering—at least when it comes to yet another budget-busting BART overage—what comes after farce? Marc Joffe of Cato Institute explains in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreLast month, Jewish students trying to enter UC Berkeley's auditorium for an Israeli attorney's guest talk were met and harassed by a vitriolic pro-Palestinian throng. The speech got shut down for safety concerns. Cal admin shared an apologetic pro-free speech statement, but many—like the WSJ editorial board and Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)—are demanding Berkeley properly discipline offenders.
Read MoreDespite pressure from vocal activist groups, two more California cities (Gilroy and Morgan Hill) officially declined to pass one-sided resolutions on foreign policy. Many locals are praising the Councils' decisions to stay in their own lanes, prioritizing core City obligations in lieu of extraneous initiatives. Gilroy Dispatch and the Merc summarize below.
Read MoreIn his continuing Opp Now exclusive series on dubious election-season assertions about Santa Clara County’s 2016 Measure A tax to address homelessness, former CM and small business owner Johnny Khamis asserts that the County fudged on its promise to voters by choosing to build new property from scratch—instead of buying on the open market.
Read MoreThe only formal action SJSU took after what has been called an antisemitic melee on 2.19 was against—get this—a professor who tried to defend his ability to take photos of the rowdy crowd. While the incident is still being investigated, missing from local media coverage and SJSU admin's statements is an understanding that taking photos in public is constitutionally protected. And impeding that right may run afoul of the law, as various legal experts explain below.
Read MoreThe results from this week's voting in that fair suburb to the north suggest that SF voters may finally be starting to get real about reversing the wild-eyed progressive policies that have turned their once-proud metropolis into a case study in municipal mismanagement. Axios reports below.
Read MoreEyebrows were raised across the city recently, when Council decided to shut down public Zoom input into City Council and staff open meetings for fear that too much Hate Speech was interrupting the proceedings. Irene Smith, former D3 Council candidate and head of the local Independent Leadership Group and United Housing Alliance, says the problem isn't Zoom—it's a dated and corrupt input process that favors political donors, and disadvantages local residents. An Opp Now exclusive interview with our co-founder Christopher Escher.
Read MoreIn a 2.16 article, the Silicon Valley Business Journal tried to paint a rosy picture of how the VTA—after being ranked one of the worst-performing transit agencies in the country—was rolling out big plans to become a housing provider as well. Frequent Opp Now contributor Randall O'Toole of the Thoreau Institute brings a much needed professional, metrics-based critique to the dubious proposal. An Opp Now exclusive.
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