Why did Prop 5 suffer such a bruising defeat? Voters understood it bypassed Prop 13 and would reduce the threshold for local bonds from two-thirds to 55% of the electorate. Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Ass’n President Jon Coupal credits his organization’s underdog campaign to educate voters. He counts SHIFT Bay Area (né “$20 Billion Reasons”) as one of HJTA’s most effective partners in the fight against wasteful borrowing: seven of nine Bay Area counties voted "no."
Read MoreOut-of-touch housing activists failed to broaden their appeal to the everyday taxpayer—could that explain why Prop 5 got “slapped down?” Tom Rubin, co-founder of the grassroots group that likely nudged RM4 off the ballot earlier this year, points out MTC/BAHFA still haven’t gotten the message. They insist on bond money going to prevailing wage contracts, thus inflating the cost of “affordable” housing. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreFormer Palo Alto mayor Lydia Kou and Recovery Education Coalition founder Tom Wolf find it near-inconceivable that many local gov’ts endorsed Prop 5, while opposing Prop 36. Whether they're just out-of-touch, trying to line their pockets, or listening to the wrong stakeholders (all of the above?)—they've got to start prioritizing what Bay Area voters need. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreAlthough the East Bay’s Alameda County hues bluer than the bay itself, residents had had enough. They don't feel safe. As Californians statewide reversed a permissive stance on crime via Prop 36, Alamedans for the first time in history recalled their prosecutor—a progressive who just wouldn’t prosecute enough. KTVU’s Lisa Fernandez reports.
Read MoreContinuing our exclusive Election '24 analyses, Opp Now contributors argue that local/State gov't's tax mania ultimately brought the chandelier down on themselves this cycle (so to speak) via misguided measures RM4 and Prop 5. Featuring comments from: Cato Institute's Marc Joffe, HJTA's Jon Coupal, transit expert Tom Rubin, and real estate agent Mark Burns.
Read MoreMany free market-minded Bay Areans see wins in Nov. '24's rejection of tax-increasing Prop 5, passing of Prop 36, and more—but one local issue we can't vote away: extreme ideological divides. For this Opp Now exclusive, political science professors (UC Berkeley, Stanford, and University of SF) share insightful book recommendations on why we're so polarized today, what this means for local politics—and, yes, how to get back on track.
Read MoreSJ Council voted Tuesday to honor residents' preference for democracy and hold a special election to replace D3 CM Torres. Dissenting CMs Jiminez & Cohen worry about low turnout favoring wealthier candidates—but a Governing.comstudy (explained below) finds that special elections tend to indicate regular election outcomes, accurately representing constituents' picks.
Read MoreMayor Sheng Thao’s opponents campaigned on her devastating policy choices that bathed The Town in red ink and high crime. Thao fired a popular police chief and somehow missed the deadline for a retail theft grant worth millions. Oaklanders have resoundingly rejected Thao, inviting speculation that Barbara Lee could face off against Loren Taylor in the April special election. KTVU’s Lisa Fernandez reports.
Read MoreAs we reported last year, SJ City Council has a long history of taking stances on ballot propositions that voters then clearly contradict. This cycle, Council endorsed Prop 5—which soon got rejected both county- and state-wide. Alexander Furnas' study (discussed below) may explain this disconnect: political elites, of all partisanships, believe their policy opinions align more with public opinion than they actually do.
Read MoreThe fed’s unsustainable financial house may not yet be affecting Californian voters as they decide just how much they want to let their state government borrow. Economist Mike ter Maat says Prop 5 likely failed because it would have enabled indescribable future debt that affects voters' taxes directly. Yet Props 2 and 4 sailed through, because proponents made a case for borrowing more billions—on top of our state deficit. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreProposition 33 tried—making this the third attempt in CA—to undo Costa-Hawkins' rent control limitations (which housing providers cite as keeping them profitable). Below, housing policy expert Christian Britschgi says No on 33's pivot from “landlord rights” to “housing affordability” messaging is what resonated with SCC voters (60.5% voting “no” this Nov. to expansive rent control). From Reason's Rent Free newsletter.
Read MoreIn Election '24, elected officials were so infatuated with tax-raising Proposition 5 that—um—they didn't realize the proposal would get an “I'm not interested” from 55.5% of CA'ns. Below, more Opp Now exclusive post-election analyses from Tom Wolf, Tom Rubin, Jon Coupal, and Pierluigi Oliverio.
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