As SJ faces yet another budget shortfall ($60m!), we take a look at what makes some cities deliver services without constant financial drama and high taxes. What Works Cities on Medium provides some great examples, with a focus on better public communication and protecting resident data.
Read MoreSilicon Valley's conservative folks often censor their ideas for fear of others' negative reactions. But what if we could train ourselves—like athletes for a marathon—to develop skills for uncomfortable conversations? Well, Daniel Shiner's done exactly that, and explains his unique “bootcamp” experience in Medium's Human Parts blog.
Read MoreRecent immigration enforcement activity in San Jose has led some to wonder precisely what role—if any—cities or counties are supposed to play in assisting—or not—federal authorities. Attorney Sara Ramey, in The Hill, says cities have no legal requirement to cooperate with ICE, excerpted below.
Read MoreOn the job only since Jan. 8, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is proposing sweeping legislation and mayoral powers to overhaul how the city addresses the fentanyl, homelessness, and behavioral health crises on its streets. The Chron editorial board, below, supports the move.
Read MoreThe Free Press editors suggest that the L.A. fires have revealed a broken governing model in CA: a fecklessness; a lack of professionalism; and a shocking inability to admit mistakes, pivot away from orthodoxies, and actually listen to alternative voices.
Read MoreBack in 2024, SJ City Manager Jeniffer Maguire imperiously tried to wave away a scathing state audit that faulted the City for mismanaging up to $300M (!) of taxpayer largesse on homelessness programs. Last week, we discovered that City staff has also failed to even meet the deadlines set by the state auditor for getting SJ's financial house in order. The East Bay Times' Ethan Varian uncovers the historie sordide, excerpted below.
Read MoreSan Jose City Council recently voted 10–0 to endorse lower voter thresholds for new taxes (despite Prop 5’s rejection in Election ‘24), calling them a “tool” for infrastructure. But Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s tax expert Susan Shelley rebuts their big gov’t arguments, calling the lower thresholds a “mortgage on someone else’s home”—which should demand a broad consensus. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MorePricey housing. Mismanaged environmental issues. Crime à gogo. In a thoughtful essay, Deseret Magazine's Natalia Galicza explains why hundreds of thousands of Californians a year are jumpin' ship for other states—and what the Golden State must do to preserve its "California Dream" of opportunities to establish family, wealth, and innovation (incl. better water management, revised land use policies, 180k new housing units, and more).
Read MoreIn Opp Now's ongoing exploration of the history of racism in California, we take a look at the demolition of Stockton's Chinatown, Japantown, and Little Manila—all in the name of big gov't urban redevelopment. Zocalo Public Square reports.
Read MoreBelow in KRON4, a San Francisco sheriff's deputies union rep proposes a list of policies they think would make the Tenderloin safe again. And (spoiler alert) it's got nothing to do with stifling local business owners—everything to do with empowering law enforcement to protect the community.
Read MoreOur friends who haven't visited SF or the Tenderloin neighborhood may see how it's depicted in media (i.e., dirty, dangerous, crime-ridden) and write it off as unredeemable. Not worth reforming. But The Bold Italic's Adriana Roberts has called SF home since 2001—and reminds us, below, why the Tenderloin's worth our hard work and change.
Read MoreNew research indicates that the data CA gov’ts use to justify their extravagant expenditures are (hold your breath) kinda worthless. Daily Caller reports.
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