Posts by Take Back San Jose
Newsom’s anti-recall funding underscores gov’t union sway
October 22, 2022 xamining key donations from Gov. Newsom’s anti-recall campaign, policy analyst Brandon Ristoff breaks down the biggest collective contributors as government unions — including multiple teachers unions (over $2.3 million total), a peace officers association ($1.75 million), and a service employees union ($1 million). Ristoff’s analysis highlights the dangers of sizable, formidable unions…
Read MoreRevanchist unions – Pat Waite: can Mahan’s “lather, rinse, repeat” approach clean house in Sacramento?
Special Reports April 13, 2026 With a heavy application of performance metrics, Matt Mahan’s state spending plan draws from the same formula as his San Jose mayoral race, says SVBA’s Pat Waite. He warns that a Governor Mahan would have to work through intractable grit at the state level. An Opportunity Now exclusive reaction. Matt…
Read MoreURGENT: The heist that is killing America
April 8, 2026
Read MoreMy Life’s Journey…
April 8, 2026
Read MoreINSTAGRAM: Yes, it’s true. California spent 20% MORE on its “fight” against homelessness than NASA is budgeting to build a base on the moon. I’m leading the charge to investigate where this money went and will keep you updated.
☆ Regional planners mapped out a “vibrant” Bay Area. Now there’s a serious math problem.
Special Reports December 12, 2025 While “unelected regional bodies” promise their Plan Bay Area 2050+ will improve affordability, SHIFT-Bay Area says it doesn’t add up: the transit-heavy, forced urbanization scheme has no off-ramp, and it estimates population growth amidst an exodus. In a newsletter summarizing SHIFT’s findings, CoCo Taxpayer Ass’n warns the $1.5 trillion dream isn’t yet…
Read MoreOpinion: Bay Area’s Prop 5 profiteers serve at the “pleasure, whim, and political wishes of MTC”
October 30, 2024 mage generated using Dall-E Looks like the ABC’s of our regional agencies all end up spelling MTC. If Prop 5 passes, Bay Areans can expect to see massive tax hikes to pay for BAHFA’s next multi-billion-dollar housing bond. But who runs BAHFA—and ABAG, for that matter? Marin Post’s Bob Silvestri argues that…
Read More☆ Opinion: The iceberg of Bay Area Public Works deficits
April 22, 2025 Image generated using Dall-E Your public works infrastructure is decaying without a fiscally sustainable plan to replenish it, says SHIFT-Bay Area’s sustainability director Gregg Dieguez. Here, Dieguez argues that higher taxes could be coming. An Opp Now exclusive. Allowing public works to fall into disrepair will lead to critical failures that will…
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