San Francisco spends over $1 bn/yr on contracted nonprofits. Recent investigations raise concern as to where all this dough’s really going (see: $700k “misused” by now-felon charged SF SAFE director). SF Standard reports, below, that Mayor Breed’s now mandating nonprofits do additional spending documentation and screening for conflicts of interest.
Read MoreLocal anti-squatting activist (also known as “The Squatting Hunter”) Flash Shelton sat down with California Insider to discuss frequently exploited loopholes that hurt homeowners—along with his proposed solution of tighter, smarter tenancy legislation. Excerpts from their conversation, originally on YouTube, are highlighted below.
Read MoreIn this Opp Now exclusive op-ed, citizen David Eisbach warns that, if Prop 5 passes, any other proposition that achieves 55% voter approval this November will become law—even if it was written to require two-thirds to pass.
Read MoreMany San Joseans were concerned when SJUSD added $1.15 bn Measure R to the ballot despite rapid enrollment declines, the recent Civil Grand Jury report citing “leadership issues,” and—you know—the fact it'd double the taxes we already pay to SJ Unified. Below, Opp Now asked SJUSD board members/candidates to weigh in. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIndependent Leadership Group's Irene Smith and Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility's Pat Waite examine SJ Unified's $1.15 bn bond measure for “facility repairs” and housing. Considering SJUSD's lack of accountability with past bond funds (punctuated by a scathing Civil Grand Jury report this June), as well as how much Measure R raises property taxes, should voters really sign away another billion?
Read MoreLiterary references. Obscure mythological art. Thought pieces from complex, varied viewpoints. We're often asked by new Opp Now readers why we bother, in an age of fast, bite-sized, self-affirming journalism. In the NY Times, David Brooks discusses the dangers of media posing as entertainment (instead of art), and how we can return to our “higher desires.”
Read MoreMany CA'n parents (8.6%, compared to U.S. avg 5.4%) are opting to educate their kids at home or through small-group cooperatives. Below, a study recapped in the NY Times highlights a key benefit: having the same teacher for 2+ years—called “looping,” where teachers advance a grade alongside their classes—is correlated with higher math/reading performance.
Read MoreAs Bay Areans scrutinize Prop 5—which lets gov't spike taxes with lower public approval—we turn to a beloved Opp Now figurehead in Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek. Researchers Bejaković and Luburić summarize Hayek's illuminating idea that the market's spontaneous, dynamic consolidation of billions of hopes, dreams, and aspirations produces far better decisions than could the political "elite."
Read MoreThis November’s Proposition 5 would lower the approval threshold for local infrastructure and housing bonds from 66.6% to 55%. The result, says Midcoast Community Council Vice Chair Gregg Dieguez, will be more local government bonds; and that is harmful to us all. An Opp Now exclusive op-ed by Dieguez, here expressing his own opinions.
Read MoreOur readers will recall anthropology professor Dr. Elizabeth Weiss, ousted from SJSU last year for her view against reburying bones. This month, the Nat Review discusses Weiss's new book “On the Warpath: My Battles with Indians, Pretendians, and Woke Warriors”—and how a celebrated researcher was condemned to career-threatening censure, just for (you guessed it) standing up to the Woke elite.
Read MoreBusinesspeople from a wide range of categories were disconcerted to find that the SJ Chamber of Commerce had endorsed Proposition 5, which would make it easier for gov't to raise taxes on local merchants. Concerns, disappointments, and lived experiences voiced below. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreIn this Opp Now exclusive, California Policy Center's Lance Christensen introduces their new Local Fiscal Health Dashboard. This tool tracks and grades every CA'n city, county, and school district on fiscal strength. Here's a hint on what grade letter both SJ and SCC earned (and see below for answer): it's, um, barely a passing grade.
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