Call it anemoia, call it an old promise—but by now, California residents are getting pretty used to gov't stifling industries with excessive regulations and licensing fees. As SFGate reports, since CA legalized marijuana in 2016, legit pot businesses have struggled to make profits amidst high tax rates—and cannabis growers are returning en masse to their place of promise: illegal selling.
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 MoreHoward Jarvis Taxpayers Association's Susan Shelley, in the OC Register, analyzes the State's $10 bn Proposition 2 for school building repairs. Sneakily in its ballot language lies the promise to use a “Project Labor Agreement,” a.k.a., collective bargaining contract that's widely known to increase wage expenses and privilege union companies.
Read MoreLooks like the ABC’s of our regional agencies all end up spelling MTC. If Prop 5 passes, Bay Areans can expect to see massive tax hikes to pay for BAHFA’s next multi-billion-dollar housing bond. But who runs BAHFA—and ABAG, for that matter? Marin Post’s Bob Silvestri argues that the MTC is truly calling the shots. Voters may have questions about this transportation agency, which stands to profit from billions in easy bond money.
Read MoreProp 5 will release a massive infusion of affordable housing bonds into local elections, like the Bay Area’s dead-but-not-forgotten RM4. Yet what does “affordable” mean? In his comprehensive post-mortem of that $20 billion boondoggle, Marin Post’s Bob Silvestri examines how BAHFA’s cure for housing is worse than the disease. Lower-income property owners end up paying to house high-income residents. Even vulnerable, fixed-income homeowners are forced to pay more taxes.
Read MoreLocal election "experts" recently framed their analysis of the upcoming election around a whopping piece of misinformation, falsely asserting: "Let's first talk about the Bay Area—of course, overwhelmingly Democratic." The truth: in Santa Clara County, there is no majority party. Allow us to hit "repeat" on our Opp Now exclusive article examining the same, from 3/24.
Read MoreA recent California law that targeted satirical “misinformation” around the election has recently been struck down as being unconstitutional. This bill would have resulted in any satirical messaging deemed deceptive (relating to the election) being banned. The court found that this was an infringement on the First Amendment. Nat'l Review reports.
Read MoreIn an exclusive Opp Now comment, SJ Housing Commissioner Roberta Moore joins the resounding local chorus of Proposition 5 criticism. Moore argues that—by lowering California's “infrastructure” bond approval requirement from two-thirds to 55%—Prop 5 makes it easier for gov't to spend more of our money on less essential projects.
Read MoreSo asked Elton John almost 20 years ago—and today, his question's being echoed by Bay Areans concerned about BATA's proposed toll hike to $10.50 (or $11.50 for folks not pre-registered or using FasTrak) by 2030. {BATA's rationale? Bridge maintenance.} If this all sounds familiar, says Contra Costa News, it should: via 2018's RM 3, we've already recently increased Bay Area tolls by a whopping 60%.
Read MoreMany voters are confused about initiatives that empower gov't tax-raising schemes (Prop 5) or gift $1 billion to a failing, shrinking SJ school district (Measure R)—and for good reason: in a decisive report, SCC's Civil Grand Jury observed (in 2022) that local ballot measures are regularly designed to “deceive” voters through feel-good, misleading, or straight manipulative language.
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.
Read MoreThe LA Times’ Michael Lens discusses that CA’s biggest cities aren’t building housing fast enough to keep up with population increases. He suggests the solution lies in reforming local zoning laws (already commonly sidestepped by SJ developers) and building planning practices—starting with prioritizing more multifamily apartments.
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