Local housing provider Dean Hotop cuts to the chase: If SJ wants to preserve its greenbelt (which it should), we need to find ways to build upwards within our Urban Growth Boundary. Outdated ordinances like the Ellis Act—which make it economically infeasible to densify older, low-density properties—stand in the way of an abundant housing supply and common sense, and have to go. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreWhile some local news sites are making outrageously false claims about Senate Bill 31's anti-street squatting stance, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones sets the record straight in this Opp Now exclusive. He explains how SB 31, along with CARE Court, can provide much-needed services to the unhoused while mitigating the negative neighborhood impacts of runaway encampments.
Read MoreA recent article in local news labels proposed Senate Bill 31 as “criminalizing homelessness” by making it a misdemeanor to take up residence on sidewalks and streets 1,000 ft. from “sensitive areas.” Past SJ councilmember Johnny Khamis clarifies why effective law enforcement, substance abuse/mental health, and housing solutions must be blended to keep our community's families safe. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreStanford Law's Federalist Society student president Tim Rosenberger, Jr. speaks to why a few prominent judges have announced they will stop hiring Stanford Law grads. Some are worried this effect will snowball, as with recent years' Yale Law blacklisting. Stanford's solution, according to TRJ, must involve thoughtful hiring and student discipline decisions. An exclusive from Opp Now, the only local publication covering the Stanford Law circus fully.
Read MoreSF Standard’s Maryann Jones Thompson reports on the latest data about 2020–2022 population losses in Bay Area counties. Second only to SF County (which boasts a -7.5% change), Santa Clara County has seen 3.4% of its residents make a quick getaway post-2020—as Texas areas continue gaining, some counties even by 10–18%.
Read MoreThe rejection of the SJ Housing Dept's overly complex COPA proposal at the Community and Economic Development Committee on March 27 marked a turning point. And it makes local housing provider Dean Hotop wonder if the city is finally putting an end to punitive, heavy-handed regulations that have only made the housing crisis worse. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn this latest exclusive, Opp Now editor Lauren Oliver dives into and analyzes Stanford Law’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—about which many are asking questions, post-The Judge Duncan Incident. Spoiler alert: They, and heckler-sympathizer Dean Steinbach, may not be doing all that much.
Read MoreHonor “Mimi” Robson, the immediate past Libertarian Party of CA chair, explains to Opp Now that if SJ scales back services and regulations to the bare essentials, taxpayers (local gov’t “customers”) are freer to lead productive and happy lives. Part of an exclusive series on SJ’s March Budget Message.
Read MorePete Constant unpacks a prominent—and misconception-ridden—anti-policing manifesto on the Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists’ website. Formerly a SJ policeman and SJ council member, Constant is now Chair of the Public Policy Department at William Jessup University (Rocklin) and board president at his local school board. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreThe Dept of Education has announced rollback of a “burdensome” exec order preventing public colleges from receiving grants “if they put limits on the activities of religious student organizations.” Conservatives are concerned in the wake of rampant anti-free speech protests, but Kyle Grow at SJSU’s Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) is quietly hopeful for continued First Amendment liberties. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreDespite escalating costs, declining ridership expectations, a state audit, and a round of dubious excuse-making, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is plunging ahead with its planned six-mile BART extension through downtown San Jose to Santa Clara. While the project has substantial political momentum, it is not yet a fait accompli, and would most likely have to be stopped at the federal level, explains the Cato Institute's Marc Joffe in this Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreSCC Libertarian Party secretary and Purissima Hills Water District director in Los Altos Hills Brian Holtz critiques San Jose’s March message about the 2023–2024 budget. Holtz wonders if there’s more fluff yet to be cut. Is it time to sacrifice non-essentials, such as public art, to bolster needed expenses in law enforcement and infrastructure? An Opp Now exclusive.
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