Local universities accused of surreptitiously continuing race-based admissions

Stanford University, Cal, UCLA, and UC Irvine are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly considering race in their admissions processes, even though state and federal law now forbid it. Policy experts tell The College Fix that these schools are creating a “system of reverse discrimination.”

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Jax Oliver
California officials find bias in SJ's ethnic studies classes

Dept. of Ed says Branham High coverage of Arab–Israeli conflict discriminated against Jewish students. The Chron reports.

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Jax Oliver
Will conservative profs "fit well" into Bay Area community colleges?

Post-lawsuit, CA Community Colleges has pinky-promised to stop mandating DEI alignment for local faculty. But we wonder if it'll take time for colleges like De Anza to fully shift from ideological hostility to not-far-left folks. Case in point: a telling recent survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (with 6k+ profs).

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Jax Oliver
New poll: CA voters not so keen on national political bloodsport

Politico suggests that progressive state politicians should take note: Californians are more worried about homelessness and cost of living than Elon Musk's hand gestures.

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Jax Oliver
☆ Does SJ Unified really need another tax? And for "core academic programs"?

SJUSD proposes to extend its $72 parcel tax—originally touted as temporary back in 2016—to "maintain and improve" English, math, and science programming. But Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association's president Mark Hinkle questions if the tax even makes sense, with the district's dropping enrollment, failing academic standards—and how they just got $1.15B from taxpayers in November. An Opp Now exclusive.

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Jax Oliver
Here in the willows of our glen

Today's Arbor Day. So we revisit a poem, below, from Peter Coe Verbica that celebrates the friendly, ever-fluttering trees of San Jose's Willow Glen. You’ll hear rustling leaves, horse hooves, and maybe even something more…

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Jax Oliver
We could've told you this without the audits

An independent auditing agency found it impossible to track the $2.3 billion the County and City of Los Angeles spent (mostly via unaccountable nonprofits) on homeless services last year, according to a report filed with a federal district court on March 6. OpenTheBooks.com explains on RealClearInvestigations.

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Jax Oliver
☆ Legal experts: Excessive, misguided gov't regulations impede education—especially for homeschoolers (2/2)

State legislators tend to favor more oversight (big surprise), but can they find common ground with local homeschooled families? And what should we expect going forward re: CA education? Part 2 of an Opp Now exclusive Q&A with HSLDA’s Will Estrada, Esq., and Family Protection Ministries’ Nathan Pierce.

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Jax Oliver
In SF, officials cheer safety improvements associated with increased arrests of unhoused camping on public property

SCOTUS’ Grants Pass decision gave cities broad powers to redirect unhoused people camping illegally. SF launched a “very aggressive” crackdown on encampments, and illegal lodging arrests have soared as a result. Mayor Daniel Lurie reports that the City’s’ safety metrics have subsequently improved substantially. The Chron reports.

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Jax Oliver
☆ What's behind the growth (and pushback) to homeschooling—locally and statewide? (1/2)

Why are Silicon Valley families flocking to homeschooling? How do (even well-meaning) Sac legislators end up restricting homeschooling? And, um, how’s the Dept of Pesticides involved? An Opp Now exclusive Q&A with Home School Legal Defense Association’s senior counsel Will Estrada, Esq., and Family Protection Ministries’ executive director Nathan Pierce.

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Jax Oliver
To fine, or not to fine

SCOTUS’ Grants Pass decision in 2024 appeared to empower municipalities to enforce no-camping zones. But activists in Sacramento are trying to reverse Grant’s Pass in CA, potentially banning cities like SJ and Fremont from pursuing legal action against trespassers and bivouacking. SJ's Mayor Mahan says SJ doesn't criminalize homelessness and just enforces laws equitably. The Merc's report on Sacto proposal and Mahan's response & X thread, below.

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Jax Oliver
☆ Opinion: The iceberg of Bay Area Public Works deficits

Your public works infrastructure is decaying without a fiscally sustainable plan to replenish it, says SHIFT-Bay Area's sustainability director Gregg Dieguez. Here, Dieguez argues that higher taxes could be coming. An Opp Now exclusive.

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Jax Oliver