Despite hundreds of millions of dubious spends, the homelessness picture in San Jose and Santa Clara County remains grim. The latest point-in-time count reveals that the majority of our homeless remain unsheltered, even as the overall homeless count continues to rise. Meanwhile, solutions such as high-capacity shelters (which many cities have used to achieve functional zero on homelessness) get short shrift from our elected reps. SJ Spotlight provides details.
Read MoreTwo years and hundreds of million dollars later, SJ City (and Santa Clara County) still haven't reduced the number of homeless people suffering among us, according to the most recent formal tally. Concurrently, other Bay Area cities are seeing decreases, and other CA cities have even reached homelessness "functional zero." In business, this would cause an emergency strategic re-evaluation. The Merc has the grim details (excerpts).
Read MoreIn a Freedom to Learn Substack post, psychologist Peter Gray argues that pushing local four- and five-year-olds into desk work doesn’t boost long-term achievement; rather, it hurts it. That’s a timely caution for Silicon Valley parents and lawmakers championing California’s universal TK (Transitional Kindergarten) roll-out.
Read MoreRather than chase short-term ribbon cuttings with unsustainable and disruptive tax breaks, cities should help all kinds of entrepreneurs navigate the complex approval process. And while they’re at it, simplify the process altogether. So says Mark Moses, author of The Municipal Financial Crisis, in an Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Read MoreRichie Crowley, on Medium, argues that flooding certain communities with high densities of alcohol outlets (take a guess which one's in SJ*) leads to economic/social disparities and unequal results.
Read MoreLocal historian April Halberstadt notes that this weekend, July 12–13, all of us in Santa Clara County have a unique opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our Japanese neighbors at the annual Obon Festival. Halberstadt also explores the difficult times and unfairness early Asian American immigrants to California had to overcome. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreArguably, the single best vista in San Jose is the lit-up electric light tower at History Park San Jose, at dusk, from upper rows of the first base line during a San Jose Giants baseball game. SJtoday explores how this exceptional park and organization came about.
Read MoreThe legacy media’s love affair with unions paints a rosy picture of Big Labor, but Maddie Dermon at National Review argues it’s more PR than reality. This glossy coverage risks sidelining concerns about corruption and overreach from Silicon Valley workers who prize independence. Are local workers buying the hype, or tuning it out?
Read MoreThor Hanson of Noema magazine describes the process of discovering new species and their lifecycles right outside his kitchen door.
Read MoreIn a recent LinkedIn post, land-use veteran Shawn Milligan argues that CEQA lawsuits, Cortese-Knox red tape, and Prop 13 tax distortions interlock into a Golden-Gate-wide deadbolt that shuts down the state’s housing supply. Wonder why the average monthly rent in most California cities is now $3,000? Milligan explores the impact of these three laws.
Read MoreIf Silicon Valley's advocacy local journalism gives you deja vu all over again, you're not alone. Political philosopher Peter Berkowitz explains how we've slapped together the “frank[ly] partisan” early American news approach and pious 20th century “objectivity” label, thanks to postmodern progressivism's subtle creep into academia. From RealClear Politics.
Read MoreThe South Bay Progressive Alliance, in a smartly argued Merc editorial, says VTA can't justify ballooning costs when newer technologies offer faster, cleaner, and more flexible alternatives.
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