Local political watchers have been surprised by the surge in the cost of political campaigns in the Bay Area, in which millions of dollars are raised (and spent) even for small, district-wide races. Concerned that these large numbers end up privileging special interests and candidates with deep pocket donors, many are looking to public financing of campaigns to provide more balance and representation. Aaron McKean writes for the Campaign Legal Center.
Read MoreSF finds a novel way to make housing supply meet demand: make it impossible for lots of people to live there. David Garcia and Michael Lane report in the SF Chronicle.
Read MoreTwo local leaders (from SJ/SF) for smarter, data-supported homelessness solutions discuss the importance of CARE Court and Permanent Supportive Housing's behavioral codes in this final Opp Now exclusive installment.
Read MoreTrump told reporters Tuesday that his administration will investigate the long-delayed California High-Speed Rail project, which was authorized by voters in the state in 2008. Since then, costs have exploded and delays multiplied. His harsh comments put the future of the much-maligned project in even greater jeopardy. From Epoch Times.
Read MorePeggy Noonan at the WSJ analyzes today's culture of lightning-fast news and social media sound bytes—and why good literature, even (and especially) in the 21st century, makes us more perceptive. So we wonder if SJ's homelessness funds might be better allocated if pols, you know, paged through some Dostoyevsky.
Read MoreIt's not just a matter of missing some data. Or chasing money. James C. Scott writes in Seeing Like a State that rulers excel at naming, organizing, and coercing problems into a mold that gov't programs can address. But—like nature itself—many local issues, including homelessness, resist bureaucratic categorization; and require more nuanced, on-the-ground solutions than "veni, vidi, vici."
Read MoreRecovery Education Coalition's Tom Wolf and SJ D3 Council candidate Irene Smith predict big results from Proposition 36 (reinstating felony charges for certain property crimes and sometimes mandating drug treatment)—if, you know, our DAs decide to enforce it. More below, in part 3 of an Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreCarl DeMaio of Reform California explains how he took on entrenched interests in San Diego to deliver common sense reform of a corrupt, imperious City Hall regime—and won. From an interview on California Insider.
Read MoreValentine's Day, a holiday tradition tracing back to the 1300s, may equally evoke in us feelings of love and heartbreak. Along that same vein, Secret San Jose's Cassie Kifer—writing below—uncovers some fascinating SJ stories about James Lick, Sarah Lockwood Winchester, and more: about love had, and love lost.
Read MoreBay Area homeless policy advocates Irene Smith and Tom Wolf discuss why they believe CA's extreme Housing First approach (barrier-free Permanent Supportive Housing) harms our homeless neighbors and community. What if local pols pursued “middle ground” solutions instead? Part 2 of an Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreAfter CA Community Colleges adopted a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mandate for profs in 2023, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed suit for six faculty. As FIRE explains, below, CCC just changed their tune—saying they actually won't penalize anyone based on DEI viewpoint. (The lawsuit's been dismissed based on that promise.)
Read MoreGiven ongoing concern about the Bay Area’s failure to reduce homelessness, we sat down with two experts—SJ D3 Council candidate Irene Smith and Recovery Education Coalition's Tom Wolf—for a 4-part interview series. In part 1, they focus on the importance of interim housing and the prospects for large-scale shelters. An Opp Now exclusive.
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