Image by Jeffery Scism Ninth circuit ruling Martin v. Boise only allows cities to remove illegal encampments (read: enforce existing laws) if every homeless resident has the “option” of sleeping indoors. The ruling’s vague wording has inspired numerous debates and lawsuits, but the City of San Bernardino sweeps the controversy to the side, pointing out:…

Image by Wikimedia Commons At the end of last year, City Council directed Staff to consider further regulating development in the City by requiring building officials to withhold a certificate of occupancy from private owners when any contractor, subcontractor, or supplier is subject to an unpaid final wage theft judgment. The following Open Letter from local…

Santa Cruz City Council shot down a Gaza ceasefire resolution on 1.10, superseding it with a more neutral call to “peace.” To reach their 5–2 vote against the original resolution (and 5–1 for the alternate peace decree), Council endured 10 hours of aggressive public feedback that grew violent at times. Now, many are wondering if…

Image by HarshLight on Flickr The City of San Jose resisted pressure from some advocacy groups to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Rather, the City opted for a generalized statement calling for peace and unity within the community. This decision aligned with many statements from local citizens, who recently reminded Councilmembers of what is—and…

Standing for Parental Rights and Control A focus on the teaching of STEM subjects Newsletter Volume 3 Edition 1 January, 2024 Support the Protect Kids Statewide Ballot Initiative We hope your new year is starting off on a good note. Informed Parents strongly supports the Protect Kids ballot initiative for the California election in November…

As Mayor I’m working every day to make San José safer, to bring the homeless indoors, and to focus on the basics like a cleaner city and a stronger economy. San José needs a champion for these issues – and the truth is every city and town in the Bay Area needs a representative in…

Image by ILRI on Flickr The State’s HSR project—voter-approved in 2008 and today, billions of dollars later, still without a single actual track to its name—has proven a masterclass in suspense (whether you call it a slow burn or, along with transit experts, a wildly overbudgeted crash and burn). The Cato Institute points out that…

René Magritte: Time Transfixed, 1938. Image by Vilseskogen on Flickr Next Wednesday, a new ad hoc committee overseeing the BART Downtown San Jose extension will meet for the first time. In preparation, Bay Area Transportation Working Group (BATWG) members have compiled a list of key questions for the steering committee to address. BATWG’s letter, in…

A forest walk at twilight. Amber storefront lights. A rare find in a curio shop. Piano keys. Peter Coe Verbica muses on navigating what is lost, what is found, as we kick off our Holiday Season. An Opp Now exclusive. You’re appreciated. That’s the long and the short of it. That’s the purpose of this…

In his exclusive report for Opportunity Now, Randal O’Toole of the Thoreau Institute explores how New Urbanist thinking and misguided anti-market policies created one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the world—and how to fix it. First posted on 11.19.2020. High-density, mid-rise and high-rise housing is more costly to build and most homebuyers and…

Image by John K on Flickr Randal O’Toole of the Thoreau Institutes outlines how to start undoing the failed policies of the past that led to Santa Clara County’s current affordability debacle, with an eye toward increasing tax revenues as well. Originally published in November of 2020, O’Toole’s sharp analysis—and conclusions for urban-growth boundaries and…