Image by Wikimedia Commons Todd Spitzer, Orange County’s District Attorney, takes the will of people seriously, and is aggressively implementing Prop 36’s common-sense criminal accountability initiative. Will the lawyers in Rosen’s office take note? From the OC Register. Californians took the law into their own hands last November, overwhelmingly approving Proposition 36 and rejecting the disastrous…

Image by Wikimedia Commons Tomorrow, SCC Supes will consider adopting ranked-choice voting for future elections. In this Opp Now exclusive, local resident Alice Kao critiques RCV’s tabulating methods as non-intuitive and confusing, adding that (by design) they end up discarding many voters’ preferences. For those unfamiliar with Ranked Choice Voting, it’s a complex system that…

Jan Sadeler: Preparation for the Passover, 1585. Image by Wikimedia Commons On the first evening of Passover, historian April Halberstadt invites us to pull up a chair as she recounts the fascinating and inspiring stories of three Jewish San Joseans: doctor/musician Ephraim Engleman, and market owners/activists Sarah and Louis Richards. An Opp Now exclusive. Spring…

Image from the Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times, 1936. We revisit a Governing.com analysis of SJ’s infamous union deal from two years ago, and wonder if Bay Area gov’t strikes—once taboo, recently regaining traction—might fade to the background again post-VTA strike. [Editor’s note: The following article was published in 2023.] Most city workers in San…

In one of the most poignant scenes from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, retired professor Faber makes the case for literature to Montag using a few key criteria (that apply also to film; podcasts; and, hey, news commentary!): it’s all about “pores,” leisure, and the freedom to act. “You’re a hopeless romantic,” said Faber. … “It’s…

SJ Mayor Mahan wants to tie city leadership’s pay to outcomes in homelessness, public safety, clean neighborhoods, and business development. But will it work? In an Opp Now exclusive Q&A, entrepreneur and MCC Councilmember Gus Mattammal says it’s worth a try, but progress is much more feasible in two of the targeted areas. Opportunity Now:…

Image in public domain When Bay Area voters face a transit sales tax measure next year, agencies and transit supporters will warn that failure to pass the tax measure will lead to catastrophic results. Um, no. SHIFT-Bay Area reports. On March 10, bus and light-rail service throughout the Bay Area’s largest county shut down after…

The system is crumbling, protect your wealth or suffer the fallout. Elon Musk has avoided two major financial crises before. He pulled Tesla and SpaceX back from the brink of collapse and built two of the most valuable companies in history. Now, he’s sounding the alarm about America’s $36 trillion debt time bomb that could…

Image by Wikimedia Commons Bay Area political commentator Denise Kalm dives into the recent (somewhat anticlimactic) transit strikes, wondering if public unionization actually does more harm than good for the Valley’s taxpayers, hardworking public employees, and gov’t services. An Opp Now exclusive op-ed. VTA, the Valley Transportation Agency, is a special district that manages public…

Image by Edmond Dantès San Joseans play Twister with logic on social media defending why it’s somehow not a good idea to vote for the best candidate. The Link publication disagrees and says: the best vote is the honest vote. For those who don’t know but probably still do it anyway, strategic voting is voting…

Alejandra Lazo of the Wall Street Journal (June 15, 2019) takes a hard look at how California spends money to address homelessness, and if it’s working. “California’s homeless population is going up despite billions of dollars in taxpayer funded efforts, according to recently released data and officials…Homelessness grew 42% in San Jose over the past…

Image by County of Los Angeles Bay Area homeless policy advocates Irene Smith and Tom Wolf discuss why they believe CA’s extreme Housing First approach (barrier-free Permanent Supportive Housing) harms our homeless neighbors and community. What if local pols pursued “middle ground” solutions instead? Part 2 of an Opp Now exclusive. Opportunity Now: Earlier, you…