Many local cities have tried—or are considering—natural gas bans on new buildings. Though “green” mandates get a good rep ‘round San Jose, Silicon Valley GOP head David G. Johnson believes we aren’t considering all the facts. Namely: that renewable energy’s expensive, unsustainable, insufficient for our needs, and—um—is a far cry from “clean.” His Opp Now exclusive op-ed, below.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that California’s High-Speed Rail boondoggle will undergo a review to determine whether about $4 billion in federal funds should continue to go toward the project. Townhall reports.
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CA's latest homelessness numbers. What a parcel tax means for your wallet. Or how the State's actually spending its cheddar. It's easy to fall prey to misleading political narratives—as info literacy expert Melanie Trecek-King explains, on YouTube—if we don't understand the web of internal/external forces influencing our judgments.
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One of the major reasons we haven't put a dent in SJ's homelessness crisis is that our approach has been scattershot, not strategic—a long list of small-scale bureaucratic maneuvers. So says Irene Smith, D3 CM candidate who provides an update to her 2022 Incremental Ladder of Housing Success proposal, which focuses on a step-by-step approach to interim housing solutions, starting with large-scale community shelters. An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
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The Liberal Democrats are the Third Way party in the U.K., charting a course between Labour and Conservatives. Below, Lib Dems provide (on Local Gov't Ass'n) a hyper-local perspective regarding proposed Nat'l Health Services funding that might be useful for SJ's City Council, which seems hopelessly wedded to a centralized, tax-increase model.
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If we want the Bay Area's young adults to value (and be proficient at) reading, says Nat Review, we must model a passion for it ourselves—not just as teachers, but as parents, neighbors, coworkers, and friends.
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Many free market folks were glad to see SJ's abolition of parking minimum req'ts in 2022. But, as explored by Housing Commissioner Roberta Moore, this move—along with recently proposed changes to SB 9—doesn't come without consequences for already-dense communities nearby. Excerpted from a 3.6 email.
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A recent Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll press release shows that an overwhelming % of voters think gov't expenditures should be cut and expenses should be more closely examined. Meanwhile, SJ City Council, along with ostensibly fiscally accountable reps Mahan, Casey, and Mulcahy, continue to lobby to make it easier to raise taxes.
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As SJ's D3 race spending approaches the half-million dollar mark (in the primary!), experts note that money is by no means the determining factor in successful campaigns, and that most political ad spending is wasteful. FiveThirtyEight reports.
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Silicon Valley's no stranger to ballot wording that's been tweaked and twisted to seem more palatable to voters. And just last week, a Contra Costa school district was court-ordered to set right its misleading language on a proposed parcel tax. SFGate clarifies, below.
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What if parents were given a yearly $10k check to send their kids to whatever school they like (public, private, or home)? Many states are doing it. Others like TX are considering it. Here, the Federalist unpacks how ESAs benefit low-income families, boost the quality of local education, and empower teachers with bargaining power.
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CA’s Democratic Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas has removed lawmakers who questioned the State's spending priorities from high-profile committee roles at the State Capitol. KCRA reports.
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