In this exclusive roundup series (consolidated below), 19 Opp Now contributors analyzed their most important post-election takeaways and what to expect going forward. (And, yep, despite some bummers, we believe—as always—there's far more reasons to be hopeful. ;-))
Read MoreDisillusionment might have reached a nadir when Mayor Breed’s Dream Keeper Initiative—with its big promises for uplift—face-planted in scandal. Then there’s the economic flight from Union Square and FiDi. Restless SF voters chose Daniel Lurie, with no prior government experience, to replace Breed. City Journal’s Erica Sandberg welcomes the shake-up, but wonders if Mayor Lurie can deliver.
Read MoreProperty taxes are uniquely burdensome because they tax homeowners repeatedly for something they already own, says HJTA’s Susan Shelley, who asks why the revenue can’t be limited to property-related services. But as Prop 13 protections are eroded by parcel taxes/bonds, local gov'ts—flush with extra dollars—often spend outside their scope. In this Opp Now exclusive Q&A, Shelley forecasts the next major move to defend Prop 13.
Read MoreJoe Rodriguez at the inestimable SF Standard says that London Breed got booted from the SF Mayor job because she didn't—or wouldn't—hold together the city's "moderate coalition."
Read MoreCounty residents may have been united on some things this election, but we can't vote away ideological diversity. So how can we productively discuss our differences (and, um, still have friends)? Here, Radix mag recalls philosopher Martin Buber's conceptualization of dialogue—which artfully balances “holding your ground” with “staying open to the other.”
Read MoreAustrian economist Friedrich Hayek believed gov't shouldn't “shape” the economy through mandates, but instead “cultivate a growth by providing the appropriate environment” (as with gardening). Below, Law & Liberty elegantly expands on this pillar of free marketism—that “grown” economics fulfills our needs far better than “invented” top-down principles.
Read MoreIn Social Epistemology, political scientist Tim Hayward says authoritative institutions may defend their “official story” on an issue—regardless of the actual facts—by smearing other viewpoints as “conspiracy theories.” Hmm, doesn't that sound too familiar for Stanford prof Dr.Bhattacharya, canceled during Covid for stating the obvious (now widely backed) truth: lockdowns didn't work.
Read MoreThe Upland loophole lets local governments hike taxes with only 50% approval. But HJTA’s Susan Shelley argues this contravenes the CA Constitution, which requires two-thirds. She says voters were denied a chance to close the loophole because Sac blocked the Taxpayer Protection Act. This let extreme sales and parcel taxes sail through down in LA. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreAcross the Golden State, voters flagged their discomfort with pols and policies that accelerated social unrest. Prop 36 won because it reforms Prop 47, the starting gun for theft and disorder that collided with Californians’ sense of public safety. Soft-on-crime DAs have now been recalled in SF, Alameda, and LA—and some crime-friendly Bay Area mayors lost their campaigns. Rafael Mangual of City Journal wonders if local Dems will take the hint, and embrace more moderate policies.
Read MoreCalMatters’s Yue Stella Yu reports that demographics could signal an unexpected destiny: a younger, more right-leaning Latino electorate in California.
Read MoreIf voters' Prop 13 protections are clearly under threat, they'll push back, says HJTA Comms VP Susan Shelley. In this Opp Now exclusive Q&A, she recalls how Prop 5’s proponents claimed it wasn’t a tax, and they were “just asking questions”—but, she says, voters saw right through that tangled, deceptive messaging: although outspent, HJTA’s “shoestring” campaign helped safeguard communities across the state from gov't overreach.
Read MoreConcluding our Opp Now exclusive Election '24 series, SJ Housing Commissioner Roberta Moore rejects the notion that ideological polarization is just a fact we must accept in Silicon Valley—pointing instead to common goals we can all get behind (gov't accountability, anyone?).
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