Posts by Take Back San Jose

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…

  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…

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…

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…

Image by Jonathan Cutrer Let’s take a spin at this game: What ballot measure, you might ask, are pols like CM Cohen lauding and mistakenly linking to a wacky understanding of American civics? Bonus question: Would it shock you if all this bill does is make it easier for gov’t to borrow money for non-priority…

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…

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…

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…

Image by James Yang Local SJ officials seem perplexed that the County Board of Supes appear to be pulling a switcheroo regarding what had been an interim housing site on Monterey and Bernal. The county wants to turn it into a jail diversion site that’s an alternative to jail or prison for alleged offenders awaiting…

A page from Court and Courtship: Indian Miniatures in the TAPI Collection by JP Losty(Amazon) A decade after Proposition 47 was approved by Californians, many are questioning whether the crime-lenient bill has actually promoted “safe neighborhoods.” Below, algorithm analyst Ray Manning zooms in on Long Beach’s publicly available data, finding that: no, crime of all…