☆ HJTA’s Susan Shelley: Prop 5 a sneaky way to hike taxes and give raises to gov't employees (part 1)
Prop 5 will help local leaders hand out bigger checks to government employees under the guise of public works, warns Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Ass’n spokesperson Susan Shelley in this Opp Now exclusive Q&A. With major ambiguity and little accountability, the measure will ease through almost any kind of local bond that fits the new, open-ended "infrastructure" definition—while existing budgets are siphoned up for salaries. What’s more, "housing" under Prop 5 now includes down payment handouts.
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Consequences: Long Beach to pursue legal recourse for entrenched homeless campers that refuse shelter
LB City officials roll out a plan with legal enforcement alternatives to clear out encampments that pose a public threat or block access to libraries, parks, and beaches, as well as addressing homeless camps where people have repeatedly declined to accept service or shelter. LA Times reports.
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☆ Perspective: Modern education stifles creativity and critical thinking—here's how “classical” thinking can save SV's tech
Silicon Valley—perhaps the only place where interviewing an AI bot is as normal as walking—is a longtime exemplar of innovation. Below, pausing on local politics, our managing editor Lauren Oliver and Lyra Rufino-Maceda (executive director of Menlo Park's Chesterton Academy of St. James) discuss how the classical framework can enrich and enlighten our busy, tech-filled lives. An Opp Now exclusive.
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Opinion: How about entrance exams and performance reviews for Bay Area gov't?
Last month, SF Mayor Breed tightened requirements for nonprofits' spending documentation—and local CEO Min Chang urges Bay Area school districts to follow suit. In a Substack article, entrepreneur Joe Lonsdale thoughtfully defends using more merit-based accountability processes in local gov't, for this (using his words) “Makes Bureaucracy Less Dumb.”
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Regional and statewide homeless counts not reliable, say experts
Homelessness increased again in California this year. But experts are raising questions about the data. CalMatters reports.
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New bond, same old mistakes?
On first listen, SJ Unified's Measure R feels like it might be a fresh new way to advance our schools. But resident Christopher Webb, writing in a Merc op-ed, notes that the deeper we get into R, the more dissonant it gets. Webb has championed many school bonds over the years, only to be disappointed time and again by SJUSD's "toxic" mgmt and lack of governance accountability (and he's not alone).
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The Bay Area's mythical Omniscient Politician
Local officeholders' knowledge on politics is far less extensive than we realize, says philosophy–econ prof Scott Scheall. Instead of these figureheads controlling the Bay's fiscal restrictions/incentives (cough: SCC's ongoing basic income program, anyone?), our economy should be led by the market's “invisible hand”—which is spontaneously assembled from self-interested individuals' interactions. From Substack.
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San Francisco realizes letting people steal homes might not be a good idea
As SF Chronicle reports, San Francisco recently announced they’ll be doing controlled demolition of deserted houses with illegal squatter residents. This project will provide (via redevelopment) 800 new affordable homes and 800 new market-rate units, with the eventual goal of building 5,300 new apartments.
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☆ SJ D2 candidate Lopez: Prop 36 a “compassionate solution” for homelessness, addiction, crime
Council candidate and law enforcement veteran Joe Lopez shares his perspective that Prop 36's mandated drug treatment for certain offenders would protect the most vulnerable in our neighborhoods and help clean up city streets, while reducing City spending. An Opp Now exclusive. D2 candidate Pamela Campos has not responded to our requests for comment.
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BART Director Debora Allen to speak at taxpayers luncheon in Concord
The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association invites locals to hear from Debora Allen—business leader and accomplished BART Director who terms out this December—during an upcoming luncheon. Mark your calendars, CoCoTax says, for October 25. More details on the event below.
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☆ School board candidate: I'm a CEO; here's how SJ/SF districts can fix their fiscal disasters
Min Chang, a CEO who's turned around three companies and SF Board of Education hopeful, analyzes SJUSD's $1.15 bn Measure R. Instead of begging voters to approve more bonds (as SF's also doing), Chang advises our school districts use smarter budgeting, fundraising, and accountability processes—already proven successful in Silicon Valley's private sector. An Opp Now exclusive.
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Climate of doubt: State’s rising debt levels could drown Prop 4’s chances this November
Talk about an inconvenient truth: as California swims in $1.5 trillion debt, voters are much more skeptical about “free money” from expensive loans. The Prop 1 homeless bond barely squeaked by in March. This November, Prop 4 wants to make an end run around the general fund, to pay for already existing environmental programs. The Orange County Register’s Jon Coupal wonders if voters are ready to charge another $10 billion to the State’s credit card.
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