Archive for November 2024

Erik the Phantom, in trying to control the woman he loves (Christine, pictured with him), inadvertently wrecks his chance to win her affection. From the 1943 adaptation of Phantom of the Opera. Continuing our exclusive Election ’24 analyses, Opp Now contributors argue that local/State gov’t’s tax mania ultimately brought the chandelier down on themselves this…

SJ Council voted Tuesday to honor residents’ preference for democracy and hold a special election to replace D3 CM Torres. Dissenting CMs Jiminez & Cohen worry about low turnout favoring wealthier candidates—but a Governing.com study (explained below) finds that special elections tend to indicate regular election outcomes, accurately representing constituents’ picks. [Some people raise] a legitimate question of…

The fed’s unsustainable financial house may not yet be affecting Californian voters as they decide just how much they want to let their state government borrow. Economist Mike ter Maat says Prop 5 likely failed because it would have enabled indescribable future debt that affects voters’ taxes directly. Yet Props 2 and 4 sailed through,…

Because Tom’s so obsessed with Summer, he ignores her insistence that she doesn’t want a relationship with him—and imagines he has a chance. Spoiler alert: Summer marries someone else. From (500) Days of Summer (2009). In Election ’24, elected officials were so infatuated with tax-raising Proposition 5 that—um—they didn’t realize the proposal would get an…

roposition 33 tried—making this the third attempt in CA—to undo Costa-Hawkins’ rent control limitations (which housing providers cite as keeping them profitable). Below, housing policy expert Christian Britschgi says No on 33’s pivot from “landlord rights” to “housing affordability” messaging is what resonated with SCC voters (60.5% voting “no” this Nov. to expansive rent control).…

Political analyst Kira Davis explains, via X, why SCC is (you heard this right) still counting ballots and determining winners a week after Election Day. Since CA legally prohibits ID verification at the polls, volunteers must painstakingly—and often subjectively, Davis claims—verify signatures, one at a time. A lot of people ask why it takes California…

Image by Apionid on Flickr California has enough rainfall to address local droughts, claims CPC’s water policy director Edward Ring—but the State regularly and wastefully dumps water into SF Bay to try to save the Delta smelt fish. Why, decades after this program began, is the smelt fish population no better off—while Bay Areans are…

Palo Alto councilmember Greg Tananka says that local governments should not ignore the real message of the November 5 election: The People want lean, efficient government. An Opp Now exclusive. The recent presidential election signals a growing demand for government efficiency at all levels. With the President-elect establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the…

Friends, Below is a rundown of recent media in which I was included.  Feel free to use these clips on social media or forward around to your network if you are so inclined. I’ll be forwarding more along as the campaign progresses. We are just getting started.  Irene P.S. If you don’t want to receive…

Image by Wikimedia Commons San Francisco Mayor London Breed recently celebrated new data showing that the number of people living in tents in the city has hit its lowest point in six years. This comes after Breed—in response to SCOTUS’ Grants Pass decision—began more vigorous encampment amelioration. KCBS reports on the latest numbers. In August,…