California’s Proposition 36 was officially enacted over the holiday break, following voters’ overwhelming approval of the initiative aimed at driving down serial theft and fentanyl crimes through harsher prosecution and more aggressive drug diversion policies. But are local DAs like Jeff Rosen trying to undermine The Voters' Will? Robert Salonga (with our editors' notes) reports for the Merc.
Read MoreOpp Now contributor Scott Beyer of the Market Urbanist lays out, below, why letting the private sector do its thing re: transit is—no surprise—way more effective than public transportation initiatives (looking at you, CA HSR and BART's DTSJ extension). From Catalyst.
Read MoreIn City Journal, Christopher F. Rufo exposits “The Quiet Right” as a growing movement going beyond economic policy and seeking to transform local art, education, literature—even town landscapes. And from all around Silicon Valley, you can see evidence of enthusiasm for a vibrant counterculture that’s knowledgeable, thoughtful, and optimistic about Silicon Valley (and what it could be!).
Read MoreWhile SJ and SF brag about small percentage improvements in homeless population, the truth—according to experts—is that the data is dubious, at best. And that agencies are leaving a huge proportion of the truly unhoused uncounted. From X, Public Integrity, and StreetSense media.
Read More“Expect a rough 2025 for BART,” said Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility prez Pat Waite this Wednesday—citing declining ridership and depleted Covid funds, but ever-ballooning costs. Below, the Mises Institute wonders if public transit could instead be governed by the “sovereignty” of free consumers' decisions (not, like BART, propped up by gov't funds regardless of performance).
Read MoreSF’s lax shelter policy is turning out to be a destructive, expensive failure, says Randy Shaw, director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic in the excellent Beyond Chron.
Read MoreSJ's new Housing Director Eric Soliván and a unanimous (!) SJ City Council raised eyebrows recently when they gifted a local nonprofit known for assaulting employees of local business groups with a cool $5m to help buy properties in ESJ. Soliván/Council claimed that the scheme would block new development on the property and thus ease worries about neighborhood “displacement.” Only problem? The logic is all wrong, says SF housing expert Kate Pennington, who notes that data says new development actually helps alleviate overall displacement and rent hikes in affected neighborhoods.
Read MoreVTA's BART-to-SJ extension highlights the (hugely expensive) wishful thinking underlying far too much of American transit planning. The excellent Strong Towns website unpacks the false assumptions that doom big transit systems like VTA and BART.
Read MoreCA’n voters made it clear to pols this past November: if you're going to spend our money, first prove you know how to do it. But gov’t doesn’t always follow the logical yellow brick road, as Opp Now contributors analyze below. In this exclusive, hear from CA taxpayer advocates Marc Joffe, Lance Christensen, and Pat Waite—on what they’re watching, expecting, and hoping for in ‘25 (from BART, new taxes, energy costs, and more).
Read MoreThere's a rising resistance to The City’s ongoing efforts to prioritize train and bus service over personal vehicles. And it's getting nasty. SF Chron reports.
Read MoreOn X, Lance Christensen (former CA Policy Center VP of Education Policy and Gov’t Affairs) sees a vibe shift in the results from the most recent election, which minimizes the power of the far-left in the Democratic Party.
Read MoreIf you live in the Valley, you’ve certainly felt its spirited je ne sais quoi in the air. But—dare we try to define the sublime—what exactly distinguishes Silicon Valley from CA, from the world? To welcome New Year ‘25, a medley of creative leaders exalted the Valley’s beauty, diversity, and tenacity in this Opp Now exclusive (series consolidated below).
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