Oakland has long resisted more aggressive techniques to address its crisis of crime and street homelessness. But on the heels of Grants Pass and directives from Gov. Newsom, its hard-left mayor, city council, and city staff are starting to act. The Merc's report excerpted below.
Read MoreAfter the agency got sued for an unforced math error on the RM4 ballot—and polls showed 2/3 of voters would not support the $48 billion tax hike—BAHFA took its ball and went home. Rather than fix its mistake and perhaps even rework the measure to get Bay Areans on board, the regional agency decided to “pivot to Prop 5," argues the Marin Post’s Bob Silvestri. When RM4 rolls around next time, they hope to win with only 55% approval.
Read MoreAs The Atlantic's podcast “Good on Paper” points out, most folks only consider school choice in terms of privatized options. However, the movement doesn't (and shouldn't) stop there: Los Angeles Unified School District's remarkably successful 2012 experiment—in which schools had to compete against each other for enrollment—shows how school choice frameworks can also strengthen traditional public schools.
Read MoreCiting the deceitful campaign practices of local agencies and businesses that financially benefit from passage of bond measures, the Merc (in a cogently argued and smartly written op-ed) joins the SF Chron in saying "No" to lowering the voter threshold for new taxes from 66% to 55%. All major Bay Area dailies have now come out in opposition to Prop 5, as has the City of Gilroy, its mayor Marie Blankley, and SJ CMs Batra and Doan.
Read MoreHey, where do we send our resumes? An SF nonprofit gets caught expensing tequila shots at Kaliwa, first-class round trips to O'Hare, and (the one we want the most) tickets to Soul Train. SF Standard unpacks the grift.
Read MoreSacramento’s Camp Resolution was supposed to be a national model of managed encampments for the unhoused. It recently closed in turmoil. The Sac Bee wades through the finger-pointing, providing further warnings and recommendations for San Jose's upcoming Watson Park sanctioned encampment.
Read MoreThe more Bay Areans learn about Prop 5, the less they like it. Even the historically liberal Chronicle Editorial Board now joins the San Jose Mercury News & East Bay Times in opposition to the constitutional amendment, which makes it easier to pass local housing and infrastructure bonds. Where would Prop 5’s new tax money go? To build on abandoned parking lots, argues the Chronicle, and to down-payment assistance that has nothing to do with infrastructure.
Read MoreCA has spent over $20 billion (no typo) on homelessness solutions—to little (and perhaps negative) effect. CalMatters reports that much of the failure is due to petty feuds between City and County gov'ts—a FUBAR increasingly witnessed between City of SJ and County.
Read MoreThe Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression flips back this year's calendar, recalling 102 unsettling "deplatforming" incidents at U.S. colleges (i.e., an event was substantially disrupted or canceled due to controversy, a speaker's invitation rescinded, etc.). On the repeated incidents list—along with big players like Harvard and Dartmouth—see our very own San Jose State University, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis.
Read MoreTom Wolf, once homeless and struggling with addiction, now advocates for our unhoused neighbors as director of West Coast Initiatives for the Foundation For Drug Policy Solutions. In an op-ed for The Voice of SF, Wolf breaks down where he thinks Proposition 47 fell miserably short, and how Prop 47 reform could promote safety, accountability, and healing for those needing help in our communities.
Read MoreA year ago, the LA Alliance successfully sued LA City and County regarding hugely expensive and wildly ineffective gov't homelessness programs. Now, reports the excellent Berkeley Scanner, nine East Bay business and property owners have filed a lawsuit against Berkeley regarding the longstanding Harrison St. homeless camp.
Read MoreThe University of Austin, founded recently by classically liberal scholars, has turned heads for being an alternative to narrow-minded Woke colleges (hear that, SJSU?). In a moving convocation speech to UATX's first class ('28), president Pano Kanelos unravels why we learn, how true “revolution” is education's grail, and what Plato's Akademy can offer the Bay Area's world of fast news and free speech antis.
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