What with all the (legit, we often think) concerns about tech ruining our sense of self, our social lives, and our politics, it's useful to remember that there was a time, not so long ago, when utopian hippies saw personal computers as a way to save the planet and the species. Poet Richard Brautigan, from 1967.
Read MoreLocal pols are trying to put some lipstick on it, with photo ops and happy signs. But if you read local media closely, you'll realize that the deeply troubled BART-to-SJ line extension remains not fully funded—mostly because the Biden administration didn't give BART and VTA as much funding as requested. Marc Joffe of the Cato Institute explains in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreLA Mayor Karen Bass has rebuked the Supreme Court and Gov Newsom and committed LA to continuing its zealous embrace of the misguided Housing First ideology. Yuval Kremer in the excellent CityWatchLA finds Bass' strategy wrong-headed and likely to increase homeless suffering in the City of Angels.
Read MoreSF says there's been a dramatic increase in migrant families arriving in The City since last year, and it doesn't have the resources to house and support them adequately. SF Standard investigates.
Read MorePrivate property rights, according to economist Ludwig von Mises, are crucial to economic prosperity. Without them, it becomes impossible to set up a system of free markets that allows for rational economic calculation. Despite this, property rights are under attack in Silicon Valley and California by progressives seeking to build a more “just” society through equity. The Mises Institute explains.
Read MoreAccording to Irene Smith of SJ's Independent Leadership Group, the City of San Diego has moved more quickly and effectively than other CA cities in addressing homelessness--most notably by implementing a citywide No Camping ordinance in 2023--even before the SCOTUS Grants Pass decision. While the City of San Jose recently began studying SD's safe sleeping sites program and is considering implementing something similar sometime in the future, Smith says SD is pioneering effective and compassionate homelessness programs.
Read MoreTaking advantage of the legal flexibility provided by SCOTUS' Grants Pass decision and in alignment with Gov. Newsom's requests, Fresno County has taken a more aggressive approach to ameliorating inhumane and unsafe homeless encampments on public land. The excellent Fresno Bee explains.
Read MoreOn the heels of their ill-advised unanimous endorsement of RM4 (which turned out to be shot-full of inaccurate math and misinformation), next week the SJ City Council is considering taking positions on a number of state ballot initiatives. Critics say those initiatives should be directly decided by The People themselves. Critics' letter to Council below.
Read MoreLegislators in Florida, Georgia, and Utah are fed up, and took steps this year to redirect funds away from the deeply flawed Housing First approach to homelessness, and towards policies built on rehabilitation and behavioral health services, with the ultimate goal of independence from government support. Devon Kurtz from the Cicero Institute explains in City Journal.
Read MoreThirty-four. That's how many felonies with which the fired boss of the scandal-plauged SF SAFE nonprofit was recently charged. Allegations include misappropriation of public money, submitting fraudulent invoices, theft, wage theft and check fraud. Recent state and federal audits have also daylighted irregularities with South Bay-based non profits regarding taxpayer-funded housing programs. SF Standard continues to show how local news should be covered.
Read MoreSF City staff has started towing RVs from a controversial encampment near the San Francisco Zoo. The move is part of Mayor Breed's commitment to get more "aggressive" about addressing inhumane, illegal, and unsafe homeless encampments. SF Standard is on the story.
Read MoreIt's only early August, but change is in the air. Days a little shorter. Kids going back to school. Calibunga only open on weekends. But still--summer lingers. And Peter Coe Verbica catches it all in his rooted-in-the-South-Bay-foothills free verse. An Opp Now exclusive.
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