Posts by Take Back San Jose

Image by a user on Deviantart 21st century academics have flattened the discipline of literature to a “mere political vehicle” for ideology, says Liza Libes in Pens and Poison blog. And this narrow-minded view of text as “battleground for social justice”—but not art—is robbing today’s students of universal lessons, complexities, and beauty. The best essay…

Portrait of English poet John Keats, oil painting by Joseph Severn, 1821. We’ll always remember where we finished reading The Crying of Lot 49, or where we first started The Hobbit. In this weekend’s exclusive, Opp Now readers—all submissions anonymized, below—share their favorite places in SJ to enjoy a good book. (City staff and pols, take note!)…

Image by Pixabay They say daylight is the greatest disinfectant. Tax expert Jon Coupal suggests that DOGE’s tallying of the economic illiteracy of CA’s High-Speed Rail boondoggle will sunset the misbegotten project. Once the California Legislature approved placing a nearly $10 billion bond measure on the ballot, few in government were asking the most important…

A headline from CBS News Prop 5 lost handily statewide and countywide, but the tax-happy SJ Council continues to lobby (unanimous vote on 1.14) to make it easier to raise taxes. Local business groups, including Silicon Valley Business Alliance, Santa Clara County Realtors Ass’n, and Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, among others, voiced their displeasure in an…

April 8, 2025. That’s the date for the D3 councilmember special election.  It’s thrilling to be in the arena again and finding common ground with my fellow D3 residents. But I wanted to pull back before we get going, to share my perspective–as a resident, not just a candidate–about what I think makes the right…

In 2020, concerned citizen David Yborra sent the following email (abbreviated) to two then-SCC Supervisors. He suggested SJ’s Fairgrounds property could be better utilized throughout the year if the County: used it instead of leasing costly buildings, recycled it into low-income housing, or sold it to the UC system. (And in case you’re wondering: one…

Image by Wikimedia Commons For those who do the math, “free” transit days only serve to daylight the hundreds of dollars in subsidies that backstop every public transit ride—wouldn’t the money be better spent just giving it to transit-needy in the form of vouchers? Jon Calara opines in Coloradopolitics.com. “Free” rides don’t improve ridership because…

Image by Wikimedia Commons Homelessness hits record highs nationally, but feds refuse to acknowledge the role of mental health and addiction issues in the crisis, leading to counterproductive Housing First strategies. WSJ editorial. Restrictive zoning and environmental regulations reduce housing supply and drive up prices. Compare the number of new housing permits issued last year…

Dorothea Lange, photographer. Migrant Mother, 1935. The influx of migrants to states like CA played a big role in rising homelessness count nationwide, reports the LA Times. Because the local agencies taking the count across the country do not ask for immigration status, homeless numbers ballooned in a handful of states that took in tens…

Even when condemned to death, free speech bastion—and teacher—Socrates refused to relinquish his ideas. (Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Socrates, 1787. Image by Wikimedia Commons.) After CA Community Colleges adopted a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mandate for profs in 2023, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed suit for six faculty. As FIRE…