A sexy mailer recently went out to Angelenos, promising them a homeless redo. It didn’t disclose that Measure A adds a half cent sales tax for six LA cities. Special interests must hope this subterfuge can convince a bare majority, because that’s all they need—no more two-thirds supermajority if you call yourself a “citizens’ initiative,” like SF’s 2018 commercial rent tax. If only we had a way to identify a cheater. LA Times’s Doug Smith reports.
Read MoreSan Jose Unified's whopping demand for a $1.15 billion bond next Tuesday gets a big thumbs down from the SJ Mercury editorial board, as the paper cites the excessive size of the bond and serious questions about SJUSD's financial (mis)management. The Merc also criticizes deceptive ballot language regarding bond requests up and down this year's ballot.
Read MoreRM4 fell off the November ballot, so taxpayers dodged a $48 bn asteroid. This time. But if Prop 5 passes, the $50bn boondoggle could make a direct hit. Marin Post’s Bob Silvestri writes.
Read MoreShouting matches at local universities. Vitriolic online rants. Hasty—even angry—dismissal when you try discussing politics with others. Below, Opp Now asked Bay Area political science professors for their exclusive literature rec's on bringing folks together to better their community, in today's age of increasing ideological polarization.
Read MoreNational Review asks a pertinent question as SJ residents consider Measure R: if the most valuable education resources in our schools—teachers—aren’t getting the money, then who is? A lot of it, no surprise, is going toward administrative bloat and surges in non-teaching staff.
Read MoreRemember that '89 movie "Dead Poets Society" (the one with Robin Williams)? Law & Liberty's J. R. Gage has an interesting take on it that's relevant to Silicon Valley voters, especially this election season. He says the true message of the movie is that we have to chart a path between passionate impulses (It's for the kids!) and soulless utilitarianism (Raw majorities rule!).
Read MoreWe're all attuned to the overt ways that local colleges force political ideology (remember when SJSU prof Jonathan Roth was punished for defending himself against an aggressive anti-Israel protester?). But, as Law & Liberty's John Grove indicates, simply promoting “free speech” or manipulating an artificial balance of ideas won't fix things. The Bay Area doesn't need anemically neutral universities—it needs them to “disinterestedly” pursue truth.
Read MoreCall 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.
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