Half a year ago, Dr. Tabia Lee—who happens to be a Black woman—was fired from De Anza College because her approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was too “white” (read: she didn't reduce students to their check box identities). In an exclusive chat with Opp Now, Lee analyzes DEI's impact on local institutions, her preference for the classical (not critical) DEI approach, and why she sustains hope for colleges' DEI programs.
Read MorePalo Alto Councilmember and Congressional candidate Greg Tanaka reflects on the recent incident of antisemitic targeting of Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. The act, symbolizing a disturbing rise in local and national hate-driven politics, finds a unique adversary in Tanaka, whose personal family history lends special poignancy to his critique. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreBay Area Jewish leaders have roundly condemned the recent rally poster that targeted County DA Jeff Rosen with antisemitic tropes and imagery, but South Bay media largely has yet to acknowledge the incident. Alan Perlman, PhD, a forensic linguist based in New Hampshire, unpacks it all in an exclusive email conversation with Opp Now's co-founder Christopher Escher, and suggests that the imbroglio discloses how the world's oldest hatred is alive and well in Silicon Valley.
Read MoreSilicon Valley Taxpayers Association's Pierluigi Oliverio scrutinizes Sen. Cortese's proposal to make our County sales tax jump from 1.86% to 2.49% (blowing past the current cap of 2%) in this Opp Now exclusive, noting that Santa Clara County already has “no lack of revenue” (and regularly squeezes taxpayers for non-priority projects). Oliverio's not alone in questioning SB 335: read analyses from watchdogs Pat Waite and Dan Kostenbauder and Elizabeth Brierly here.
Read MoreOpp Now reached out to SJ D6 City Council candidates to address the following question: How should councilmembers balance requests to increase homeless alternatives (interim housing, sanctioned encampments, etc.) with appeals to preserve vibrant/safe business and residential districts? An Opp Now exclusive with varied takes from Michael Mulcahy and Alex Shoor.
Read MoreCato Institute's state policy expert Marc Joffe is dubious about Metropolitan Transportation Commission's slated $10-20 bn “affordable housing” bond. Due to the proposal's fuzzy verbage, it's unclear just how much taxpayers would fork over—and how many housing units would get produced (and when?). An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreMatthew Hargrove is president of California Business Properties Association, a prominent pro-taxpayer org fighting for Prop 13 rights via the courts and ballot box. In this Opp Now exclusive, he analyzes Prop 13's popularity among CA'ns, the tricky Upland loophole that the Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA) would close, and why he believes lowering the voting threshold via ACA 1 would exacerbate housing unaffordability.
Read MoreHousing provider Dean Hotop takes a close look at the City's latest initiative to abate homelessness via sponsored RV parking spots. Getting down and dirty with the numbers, Hotop contends there are far more productive ways to turn taxpayer dollars into real (and lasting) change; and by funding yet another failed solution, gov’t props up its self-perpetuating Homeless Industrial Complex. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreYou didn't think we'd resist putting in our two cents, did you? (It's true: we can't help ourselves.) Below, Opportunity Now's editor Lauren Oliver, inaugural editor Simon Gilbert, and co-founders Christopher Escher and Jeffrey Cristina share the articles, podcasts, movies, and books that really resonated in 2023. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreBetty Duong, Corina Herrera-Loera, and Madison Nguyen—all SCC District 2 Supervisor hopefuls—soar through the highs and lows of '23 to crown what they deem as this year's most meaningful podcasts and TV episodes. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreHoliday Season in Silicon Valley: A winter view through the bare trees. An unexpected shower. Lost clouds lingering along the bottom of Monte Bello Ridge. For many of us locals, this is a distinctive time of year: full of reflection about change, about remembering, about forgetting, about hope. Peter Coe Verbica hits many of these notes in his lyrical poem that journeys from Costa Rica to the crests of the Diablo Range. An Opp Now exclusive. And from all of us at Opp Now—Lauren, Jackson, Lucy, Jeff, & Christopher—we wish you an inspirational Holiday Season and a New Year full of (we had to say it) unlimited opportunity. :-)
Read MoreSan Jose's Mayor Matt Mahan and Councilmembers Dev Davis, Bien Doan, Domingo Candelas, and Arjun Batra cover the intellectual waterfront with their perspectives on the movies, podcasts, and games from 2023 that inspired them to better serve and unite our local community. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read More
