Bay Area universities at bottom of 2024 free speech list

Image by Wikimedia Commons The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression flips back this year’s calendar, recalling 102 unsettling “deplatforming” incidents at U.S. colleges (i.e., an event was substantially disrupted or canceled due to controversy, a speaker’s invitation rescinded, etc.). On the repeated incidents list—along with big players like Harvard and Dartmouth—see our very own…

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Opinion: Prop 47 didn’t help CA’s vulnerable drug addicts; it enabled self-destructive behaviors

Image by PowerthruControl on DeviantArt Tom Wolf, once homeless and struggling with addiction, now advocates for our unhoused neighbors as director of West Coast Initiatives for the Foundation For Drug Policy Solutions. In an op-ed for The Voice of SF, Wolf breaks down where he thinks Proposition 47 fell miserably short, and how Prop 47…

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SJ Spotlight: Irene Smith on Watson Park

  Hello all,   I was recently interviewed by SJ Spotlight regarding the sanctioned supportive encampment (SSE) at Watson Park; here are 2 considerations. 1.   Consensus will be reached between the neighborhood and City on community commitments; San Jose will achieve those commitments and honor their agreement. 2. The nonprofit must continually update all…

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Analysis: Decarceration orthodoxy shot down by % of violent crimes, recidivism

Mizuno Toshikata: Samurai archer, 1899. Reducing local prison populations isn’t a noble aspiration, says Manhattan Institute’s Rafael A. Mangual, but actually counterproductive for anyone wanting safe streets. Mangual discusses the high percentage of U.S. prisoners who 1) were booked for violent crimes, and 2) will re-commit once released. Why, then, do pols like Supe Ellenberg…

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Silicon Valley Reps: SB 1047’s AI regulations will turn off innovation, cause companies to drop out of California

If SB 1047 passes, California could become as unattractive to AI innovators as Europe is, wrote U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) in a letter to State Senator Scott Wiener. Lofgren pointed out that the bill makes companies comply with guidelines that haven’t yet been developed. In a statement on his official website, U.S. Representative…

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Expert: How to make Watson Park sanctioned homeless encampment work

Irene Smith, one of the first local leaders to advocate for sanctioned encampments and congregate housing to address SJ’s homelessness crisis, provides City staff some helpful guidelines re: how to make our first sanctioned encampment effective for both neighboring and homeless communities. From Medium. Three cheers for Mayor Mahan and CM Torres (D3) for doing…

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☆ Opinion: Palo Alto CM says SB-1047 (AI regulation) could negatively impact CA’s role as innovator

Image by Wikimedia Commons According to Palo Alto councilmember Greg Tanaka, SB-1047, ostensibly designed to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) and prevent potential harm—if signed into law—will hamstring technological progress, stifle small businesses, and harm California’s competitive edge in the global AI race. His Opp Now exclusive comments below. California stands at a critical juncture. SB-1047…

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Labor/left progressives used to deride sanctioned homeless encampments. Now they embrace them.

Image by Jordii Sastre Conventional wisdom is a funny ol’ thing: it sometimes shifts so fast that we don’t even notice. Just two years ago, thought leaders advocating for sanctioned encampments in SJ were derided by the local Labor/left as slumlords and racists, guilty of promoting internment camps. Now, even some of the (previously) most hostile critics…

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