Since 2021, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya—Stanford prof of Medicine—has stared down efforts to silence and cancel his fact-based critiques of the medical and gov’t establishments’ COVID responses. His positions have been wholly vindicated over time, and now he has been nominated with much acclaim to lead the National Institute of Health (NIH). Here at Opp Now, we’re proud to…

“Take Back D3” We need change with a business mind and experience like Irene Smith… This time, it’s different. When I ran for D3 councilmember in 2022 against Omar Torres, I think it’s fair to say that the race was fundamentally a contest between: More of the same–won. But as we kick off the D3…

Image generated using Dall-E SF Valencia St’s center-corridor bike lane took out parking places and made cyclists feel unsafe. To restore business to local merchants, SFMTA finally agreed to return the bike lane back to the sides of the road. But this won’t be cheap. The design, which might include dangerous “floating parklets,” will slash…

Image by James Vaughan In a strange mea culpa, liberal SF senator Scott Wiener admits that progressive governance has failed local cities in many respects. But his apologia suggests he doesn’t really mean it. From an SF Standard editorial. Democrats must distinguish ourselves as the party of results by focusing on governing well in the places…

mage by Jana Kadah In a rare development, SJ City Council on August 27 couldn’t achieve a unanimous vote on endorsing Prop 5 (it passed 8–2). Prop 5 aims to lower from 66% to 55% the majority needed for new local taxes, undoing Proposition 13’s precedents. Prop 13 was passed by a large margin of Santa Clara County…

Erik the Phantom, in trying to control the woman he loves (Christine, pictured with him), inadvertently wrecks his chance to win her affection. From the 1943 adaptation of Phantom of the Opera. Continuing our exclusive Election ’24 analyses, Opp Now contributors argue that local/State gov’t’s tax mania ultimately brought the chandelier down on themselves this…

SJ Council voted Tuesday to honor residents’ preference for democracy and hold a special election to replace D3 CM Torres. Dissenting CMs Jiminez & Cohen worry about low turnout favoring wealthier candidates—but a Governing.com study (explained below) finds that special elections tend to indicate regular election outcomes, accurately representing constituents’ picks. [Some people raise] a legitimate question of…

The fed’s unsustainable financial house may not yet be affecting Californian voters as they decide just how much they want to let their state government borrow. Economist Mike ter Maat says Prop 5 likely failed because it would have enabled indescribable future debt that affects voters’ taxes directly. Yet Props 2 and 4 sailed through,…

The fed’s unsustainable financial house may not yet be affecting Californian voters as they decide just how much they want to let their state government borrow. Economist Mike ter Maat says Prop 5 likely failed because it would have enabled indescribable future debt that affects voters’ taxes directly. Yet Props 2 and 4 sailed through,…

Because Tom’s so obsessed with Summer, he ignores her insistence that she doesn’t want a relationship with him—and imagines he has a chance. Spoiler alert: Summer marries someone else. From (500) Days of Summer (2009). In Election ’24, elected officials were so infatuated with tax-raising Proposition 5 that—um—they didn’t realize the proposal would get an…

roposition 33 tried—making this the third attempt in CA—to undo Costa-Hawkins’ rent control limitations (which housing providers cite as keeping them profitable). Below, housing policy expert Christian Britschgi says No on 33’s pivot from “landlord rights” to “housing affordability” messaging is what resonated with SCC voters (60.5% voting “no” this Nov. to expansive rent control).…

Friends, Below is a rundown of recent media in which I was included.  Feel free to use these clips on social media or forward around to your network if you are so inclined. I’ll be forwarding more along as the campaign progresses. We are just getting started.  Irene P.S. If you don’t want to receive…