Posts by Take Back San Jose

Understanding and acting upon risk is notably challenging, and navigating complexity with understandings developed for stable environments may inadvertently build a false sense of safety. Neglecting the potential for non-linear change or “black swan” events – highly impactful but uncommon occurrences – may lead to naive optimisation under assumed stability, exposing systems to extreme risks.…

Clemson researcher and founding director of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Jesus de la Garza found that techniques designed to reduce harm can actually promote a false sense of security and increase risky behavior. Interventions designed to keep people safe can have hidden side effects. With an increased perception of…

November 23, 2025 The burning of the Amazon Rainforest is a classic example of a common flaw in local government thinking–considering only the benefits of an action, regardless of its price. Image by Amazônia Real from Manaus AM, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 One of the biggest problems baked into Silicon Valley progressive governance is the systemic…

April 5, 2021 Michael Brilliot of the SJ Planning Dept recently chided Planning Commissioner Pierluigi Oliverio for saying that San Jose’s proposed Opportunity Housing initiative would eliminate single family zoning in the city, even though the initiative would allow up to six units on lots currently zoned for single families. Brilliot publicly said PLO was…

December 23, 2019 Affordable housing & living. Integrated communities. Booming economy. Increased densification. Scott Beyer of Market Urbanism takes on liberal snobbery about Houston’s urban success in Catalyst. “Anyone who advocates for “Market Urbanism”—aka free-market city policy—must grapple with a common response: “but then we’ll get a bunch of Houstons.” The implication is that Houston is…

December 15, 2023 SJtoday takes us on a tour through the heart of DTSJ’s streets, highlighting the unique, vibrant, and culturally rich murals the Silicon Valley’s Capital has to offer. Below, take a break from local news and enjoy a tasting plate of SJ’s best art: celebrating cultures all over the globe, important figures like…

September 27, 2024 Image by Wally Gobetz t’s easy, after scanning the tenth article about who has access to keys to SJ Parks, to get skeptical about the status of our local political discourse. Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti finds a way out—reclaiming wonder—from his “A Coney Island of the Mind,” 1958. “I Am Waiting” (excerpt) I…

November 26, 2025 Hypnotica Studios Infinite from Toms River, New Jersey, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons It was a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago. On December 4, 1965, the Grateful Dead’s first gig playin’ in the band as the Dead took place in a large house that once stood on the current…