Opinion
Opinion: Downtown needs an old fashioned Jewish deli
BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I admit this isn’t scientific, but it appears that the University Avenue district in Palo Alto is the slowest of the mid-Peninsula downtowns to […]
Opinion
Opinion
Opinion: Why was Foothills president ousted? And county’s ‘hero bonuses’ are an insult
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The community is owed an explanation by members of the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District board about why they didn’t renew the contract of […]
Opinion
Opinion: Improvements needed on suicide prevention system
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The city of Palo Alto paid $1.5 million in 2018 to install a system of cameras and sensors to determine if people were […]
Opinion
Opinion: City should stop increasing its pension liabilities
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Palo Alto’s pension liabilities continue to grow, and the city needs to take stronger actions. The first rule of holes is: Stop digging. […]
Opinion
Opinion: Fees haven’t ended housing crisis
This column was printed Monday, Oct. 19. That evening the City Council voted 5-2 to increase fees developer of office buildings and R&D facilities must pay into a future housing […]
Opinion
Opinion: California’s finally got a courageous attorney general
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor California’s new attorney general, Democrat Rob Bonta, has more courage than I’ve seen in a Sacramento politician in years. A little more than […]
Opinion
Opinion: Give Mayor London Breed a break for going maskless
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor People should stop criticizing San Francisco Mayor London Breed for going maskless at a Tenderloin jazz club. “The fact that this is even […]
Opinion
Opinion: In the middle of the Covid health emergency, county officials consider total tobacco ban
Word Count: 746 Published Sept. 13, 2021 BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Santa Clara County is still in a “state of emergency” due to the Covid pandemic. The Delta […]
Menlo Park
Opinion: Let the voters decide on a natural gas ban
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The climate change debate is hitting home, literally. Menlo Park City Council on Tuesday (Aug. 31) will discuss the radical idea of prohibiting […]
Opinion
Opinion: Don’t kick the little guys when they’re down
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor During the Covid lockdown, beloved local businesses in Palo Alto permanently closed. Many of those that reopened are barely hanging on. So it’s […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Here’s how City Council could revive downtown
GUEST OPINION BY JOHN McNELLIS Once upon a time University Avenue was the main entrance to Stanford University. Not today. Our City Council shut the avenue a year ago in […]
Apple
Opinion: Apple becoming an arm of law enforcement
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Apple has announced plans to scan iPhones for images of child sexual abuse and report offenders to law enforcement. Child protection groups cheered […]
Opinion
Opinion: District attorney candidate emphasizes criminal justice reform
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor For the first time since 2010, Santa Clara County residents will have a choice next year for district attorney. Incumbent Jeff Rosen will […]
Opinion
Opinion: Why vaccine hesitant people are hesitant
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I’m fully vaccinated. So is my wife and son. Everybody I work with has been vaccinated. I can’t think of a friend who […]
Opinion
Opinion: Save on downtown parking
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor If you want to avoid paying the $806 annual fee to park in the downtown Palo Alto parking garages, here’s a tip. Dress […]
Opinion
Opinion: The police reform idea nobody talks about
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Last year, when the city of Palo Alto’s finances were in terrible shape because of the lockdown, some city employees stepped forward and […]
Opinion
Opinion: Palo Alto may soon lose its courthouse
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor It looks like Palo Alto is going to lose its courthouse. That’s not the final decision, but the place suffering the death of […]
Opinion
Opinion: City’s parking laws raise housing costs
GUEST OPINION By Patrick Siegman My mom and dad bought their first house in Palo Alto for about $16,000. At the time, it cost about five cents per hour to […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Juneteenth holiday is long overdue
GUEST OPINION BY MARK OLBERT In a rare act of near unanimity, Congress voted to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday and President Biden signed it into law this week. […]
Opinion
Opinion: If you’re ‘woke,’ this won’t be a joke — these words will make you choke
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The meanings of words are changing faster today than at any time I can remember. This is frustrating. I think we should all […]
Opinion
Opinion: With the latest Caltrain fiasco, it’s time to talk about merging railroad with BART
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The news that Caltrain is delaying its switch to electric trains by two years, and that the project is $330 million over budget, […]
Opinion
Opinion: Find a middle ground on housing; city attorney creates unnecessary mystery, and city examines its cybersecurity
Originally published May 17, 2021 in the Daily Post. If you missed this in print, get in the habit of picking up the Post in the mornings. Only a fraction […]
Opinion
Opinion: 55 days later and state DOJ hasn’t complied with records request for information on police radio encryption
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor When a government agency is proud of what it’s done, they’ll have a PR person send the media a press release to trumpet […]
Opinion
Opinion: Important questions about the pandemic remain unanswered
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor As the pandemic fades away, we as a society need to take an unflinching look back at what we did to combat Covid […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Wrong kind of budget in an emergency
GUEST OPINION BY MARK OLBERT I see the city of San Carlos appears on track to continue its habit of significantly exceeding budget projections. Overall revenues were higher than expected […]
Opinion
Opinion: Bad police work is costly to taxpayers
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor If you think of yourself as a fiscal conservative, you ought to be in favor of police reform. A poorly-run police department with […]
Opinion
Opinion: Why is government building EV charging stations?
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I’ll admit that I don’t understand this. When the automobile first became popular in the early 1900s, it wasn’t necessary for the government […]
Opinion
Opinion: Council tonight can make the Police Department more transparent
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor One of the messages from last summer’s George Floyd marches was that police departments need to be more accountable. But in the months […]
Opinion
Opinion: Police scanners and Civil Rights
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Police scanners played an important role in the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, according to Mountain View City Councilwoman Sally Lieber. And […]
Opinion
Opinion: ‘Hero Pay’ or ‘Hazard Pay’ proposal is unfair, risky
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor It’s odd that local governments, such as the city of San Carlos, are just now deciding to force grocery stores to boost their […]
Opinion
Guest Opinion: SB9, SB10 are the kiss of death for neighborhoods
GUEST OPINION BY RISHI KUMAR Silicon Valley’s tech exodus is weighing California down. For California’s legislators, the solution is obvious — more housing! With some upcoming bills, state legislators are […]
Opinion
Opinion: Top issues in Palo Alto in 1993 are familiar today
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor A friend the other day gave me a copy of a 1993 survey of Palo Alto residents commissioned by the city. The 28-year-old […]
East Palo Alto
Opinion: Kudos to local leaders who are fighting to get more vaccines to East Palo Alto
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Five local officials deserve a round of applause for calling attention to the fact that East Palo Alto residents are getting far fewer […]
Opinion
Opinion: Eshoo’s ‘questions’ a pressure tactic
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor We don’t need the government to decide what TV channels we watch, what newspapers we read or what websites we can visit. The […]
Opinion
Opinion: Encryption isn’t a ‘mandate,’ it’s a choice
BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The dispute over the decision by Palo Alto, Mountain View and Los Altos to encrypt their police radio frequencies may just boil down to […]
Opinion
Opinion: Police aren’t required to encrypt their radios
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The dispute over the decision by Palo Alto, Mountain View and Los Altos to encrypt their police radio frequencies may just boil down […]
Opinion
Opinion: Reopening schools isn’t as easy as it might sound
This was originally published on Jan. 25 in the Daily Post. BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Last week I wrote about the irony that scientists could produce a Covid […]
Opinion
Opinion: County shouldn’t keep Covid death statistics a secret
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor San Mateo County’s leaders have made little progress in stemming the spread of Covid-19 in East Palo Alto and North Fair Oaks, with […]
Opinion
Opinion: City should postpone construction of police station
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor This doesn’t make sense. A few months ago, the Palo Alto city budget was so tight that the Fire Department was forced to […]
Opinion
Opinion: Newsom and the vaccines — failure to plan is planning to fail
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor America developed a vaccine for Covid-19 in record time. Nobody thought the scientists and pharmaceutical companies could come up with vaccines in a […]
East Palo Alto
Opinion: Full court press needed to deal with alarming Covid rate in East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Government, business and nonprofit leaders need to make a full court press to stop the surge of Covid cases in East Palo Alto […]
Opinion
Editorial: Police decision to encrypt radio transmissions reduces transparency
Daily Post Editorial Palo Alto police have decided to encrypt their radio transmissions, a move that will severely limit the ability of journalists to do their jobs. Moreover, members of […]
Opinion
Opinion: We’re not doing a year-in-review story for 2020
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Somebody in our newsroom suggested that we put together the “year in review” story for 2020. It’s a staple of newspapers and TV […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Time to turn the page on Foothills Park
GUEST OPINION This guest opinion piece originally appeared in Friday’s Daily Post. To keep up on what’s happening locally, pick up the Post in the mornings at 1,000 mid-Peninsula locations. […]
Opinion
Opinion: Re-open the restaurants
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody hasn’t presented any data to justify her decision to stop restaurants from operating outdoors. Experts […]
Los Altos
Opinion: How did Chris Jordan last four years as city manager?
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I don’t understand how Chris Jordan survived for four years as city manager of Los Altos. Why City Council put up with him […]
Opinion
Opinion: Highlights, surprises from local elections
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor On Election Night everyone was riveted on the presidential race, which is understandable, but several interesting local contests were decided too. The big […]
Opinion
Opinion: If you lose, here’s what you do
OPINION This was printed in Monday morning’s Daily Post. BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor With tomorrow’s election, many of us are dreading the vote-counting and litigating that could go […]
Opinion
Opinion: Does every vote count? Local election officials didn’t count 10,000 ballots in March primary
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Politicians like to say that every vote counts. But when it comes to mail-in voting, not so much. In the March primary, California […]
Opinion
Opinion: Candidates should decline certain contributions
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor If we want to reduce the influence of money in local politics, here’s a suggestion. City Council could have a rule that says […]
Caltrain
Opinion: Pro and con on Measure RR, the Caltrain tax
Below is a guest opinion piece in favor of Measure RR, the Caltrain sales tax. Under that is the Post’s editorial against the measure. Pro BY YORIKO KISHIMOTO Measure RR […]
Election 2020
Opinion: The Post’s recommendations on the 12 ballot propositions and Measure RR
RR — Reverse Robinhood tax Measure RR — No. This is a new one-eighth-of-a-cent sales tax that would last 30 years to fund Caltrain. The letters RR, in our opinion, […]
Election 2020
Editorial: Post recommends Burt, Varma, Templeton and Lauing for City Council
DAILY POST EDITORIAL One of the most touching anecdotes to come from the remembrances of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was her friendship with fellow Justice Antonin Scalia. Politically, […]
Opinion
Editorial: Post’s recommendations for school board
EDITORIAL We were thinking a few months ago that the pandemic would reduce the number of qualified people who wanted to run for local offices this fall. We were worried […]
Election 2020
Pro and con on the water district’s parcel tax renewal, Measure S
This morning, Oct. 5, the Daily Post published guest opinion pieces from proponents and opponents of Measure S, a renewal of an existing parcel tax for the Santa Clara County […]
Opinion
Opinion: Police take a step in the right direction; Los Altos should obey the law; payouts to former employees shouldn’t be secret
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I’ve devoted a number of columns to wrongdoing by police, so I was happy the other day to learn about something the Palo […]
Opinion
Opinion: Why was that story newsworthy?
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Newspapers get a lot of letters from readers, more than we can ever publish. But I make it a priority to run those […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Opening Foothills Park to non-residents will create problems
GUEST OPINION By CARLIN OTTO Dear Palo Alto residents, as you consider opening Foothills Park to the general public, think about the following points: 1. During the last 20 years, […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Communities need elections like hamburgers need beef
BY MARK OLBERT I was saddened, and disappointed, to hear the San Carlos School District will be filling a vacancy on its oversight board via appointment rather than election. I’m […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Bad policy led to wildfires and blackouts
BY MICKIE WINKLER Believe it or not the phrase “fighting fire with fire” refers to the practice, by pioneers as early as 1850, of starting controlled burns to prevent the […]
Opinion
Opinion: The odd case of Greg Tanaka’s donations
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor It’s possible to see the allegations against Palo Alto City Councilman Greg Tanaka as mere paperwork errors. He didn’t file the right form […]
Opinion
Opinion: This pandemic comes with its own slogans
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The coronavirus pandemic is bad enough, but why does it have to come with annoying slogans? Here are a few that are grating […]
Opinion
Opinion: This should make Caltrain fans furious
BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor We won’t know for sure until the deadline on Friday, but it looks like voters won’t see a Caltrain sales tax on the November […]
Opinion
Opinion: Nobody’s been jailed for entering Foothills Park; On police reform, DA wants it both ways
BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I’ve been scratching my head over one of the claims that was made by the group of people who want to open Foothills Park […]
Opinion
Opinion: Why is Newsom blaming restaurants?
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The head of the state restaurant association has a simple question for Gov. Gavin Newsom — where’s the data? California was hit with […]
Opinion
Post Editorial: Don’t let the county health department cancel high school football, choir, band and cheerleading
DAILY POST EDITORIAL Santa Clara County’s chief health officer, Dr. Sara Cody, has told the public schools they can’t allow choir, band or cheerleading this fall. And it looks like […]
Opinion
Opinion: City Council’s faulty logic will force the closure of an iconic store
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor If you follow the logic the Palo Alto City Council used in passing the tobacco ordinance that will close Mac’s Smoke Shop, it’s […]
Opinion
Letter: Community leaders push to open Foothills Park to all
The following letter appeared in the Monday, June 8, edition of the Daily Post. Dear Editor: At this historic time, civic leaders across America are being challenged to reassess the […]
Opinion
Guest Opinion: It’s opportunity time for cities
BY MICKIE WINKLER The cities on the Peninsula have the opportunity right now to cut costs without cutting services. And right now, all budget-making politicians should be focused on doing […]
Opinion
Opinion: Our leaders were repeatedly wrong about the coronavirus
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor We were told that this shutdown would last three weeks. We were told that the coronavirus was 10 times more deadly than the […]
Opinion
Opinion: Gov. Newsom, when does this ‘moment’ end?
Opinion BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor When the coronavirus shutdown began on March 19, I was among many people who expected it to last for a few weeks as […]
Opinion
Opinion: Time to carefully reopen California
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down California a month ago based on bad data, and now he needs to expedite the reopening of the […]
Opinion
Opinion: Stay-at-home order points to traffic solution
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor If there’s a bright side to the coronavirus stay-at-home order, it’s the empty freeways. For years the public has been debating how to […]
Opinion
Opinion: Stay positive and set a good example
Opinion BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Three weeks into this stay-at-home order and I think some of my friends are going stir crazy. I’ll get a phone call, text […]
Opinion
Opinion: When will the stay-at-home order end?
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Today is the 11th day of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order and we don’t know when it will end. President Trump said he […]
Opinion
Opinion: Let’s find ways to help one another
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post editor If you’re over 40, you remember 9/11 and how the country came together afterward. Instead of being a Republican or a Democrat, everyone […]
Opinion
Opinion: This illness might just surprise you
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I want to tell you about a respiratory illness that’s spreading throughout the Bay Area, the nation and the world. It causes fevers, […]
Opinion
Opinion: Reject the 2020 version of Prop. 13
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Perhaps the sneakiest thing on Tuesday’s ballot is a proposition that is getting almost zero attention from the news media. It’s called Prop. […]
Opinion
Opinion: Advice I wish I had given Capt. Perron
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Palo Alto Police Chief Robert Jonsen will have a sit-down tonight (Feb. 24) with the City Council to talk about “crime statistics, recent […]
Opinion
Opinion: There may be more to the story behind Carl Guardino’s resignation
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I suspect there’s more to the story about why Carl Guardino has resigned as head of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, the high-profile […]
Opinion
Opinion: No rush on the rail crossing tax — take some time and get it right
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor It’s becoming evident that Palo Alto officials won’t be able to make a good decision on the future of the rail crossings by […]
Opinion
Opinion: Council should reject plan to reduce police transparency
Opinion BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Palo Alto City Attorney Molly Stump will ask City Council tonight (Dec. 16) to vote on a dreadful proposal to reduce public oversight […]
Opinion
Opinion: Many bicyclists are putting their lives at risk
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor One of the scariest things drivers face are bicyclists who don’t stop at stop signs or stop lights. Nobody wants to hit a […]
Opinion
Opinion: Council not using tool to rein in police
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Palo Altans have reason to be concerned about a series of cases accusing the city’s police officers. • On Nov. 18, City Council […]
Opinion
Opinion: Want to ban something? Ask the people first
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I’m disappointed that four city councils in our area have decided to place restrictions on natural gas rather than allowing consumers to decide […]
Opinion
Opinion: Stanford made one mistake after another
Opinion BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Watching Stanford stumble through the process to get a permit for its 3.5-million-square-foot expansion has been painful. I count myself as among those […]
Opinion
Opinion: Smell the air! Maybe I didn’t stop smoking after all?
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor These forest fires north of San Francisco have become an annual autumn nightmare. We’re fortunate here on the Peninsula that the only consequence […]
Facebook
Opinion: How bribery works in today’s world
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor America has come a long way from the days of Tammany Hall, when a developer would have to lug a briefcase full of […]
Opinion
Opinion: Legislature sticks us with three lousy bills
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor The state Legislature passed three lousy bills last week that are going to create a lot of problems for everyone. 1. Rent control, […]
Opinion
Opinion: School board, don’t squelch public input
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor My column today might seem too wonky, but please follow along. I’ve got an important point to make. I think it’s safe to […]
Opinion
Opinion: College district stuck with two very expensive chancellors
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Facts are slowly beginning to emerge about the decision by the board of the San Mateo County Community College District to remove longtime […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Let’s not repeat the same mistakes again with Plan Bay Area
GUEST OPINION BY LYNETTE LEE ENG For many residents, traffic starts before 3 p.m. while our teachers and service workers struggle with prolonged and extensive commutes. People can’t get around […]
Opinion
Opinion: Coincidence or just a case of tit-for-tat?
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Is this a coincidence or just tit-for-tat? You be the judge. Last fall, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith told District Attorney Jeff […]
Opinion
Guest opinion: Protecting the public’s right to know
BY MARK OLBERT Earlier this year I became San Carlos’ representative on the Silicon Valley Clean Water commission. SVCW operates the sanitary waste treatment system serving Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood […]
Opinion
Opinion: Sewer plant manager’s $875,000 payout is over the top
Opinion BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor I think the public is owed an explanation as to why a government agency, Silicon Valley Clean Water, wrote a severance check of […]
Opinion
Opinion: The ugly truth about red-light cameras
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor San Mateo has finally pulled the plug on its red-light cameras — about 10 years too late, in my opinion. In January 2009, […]
Opinion
Here’s what was happening in Palo Alto when man landed on the moon
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor First, I’d like to thank all of the people who wrote to us about their memories of watching the first moonwalk. We received […]
Opinion
Opinion: A sad piece of legislation on car camping at community colleges
Opinion BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor Marc Berman, the former Palo Alto City Councilman who now represents the mid-Peninsula in the state Assembly, has introduced a bill that would […]
Google
Opinion: Google’s $1 billion housing offer not what it seems
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor “Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many.” That observation penned by Plato applies to Google’s announcement that it […]
Opinion
Opinion: There’s another way to deal with plastic drinking straws than a ban from city hall
OPINION BY DAVE PRICE Daily Post Editor What happened to the idea of simply asking somebody to do something? Instead, people in local government have this mindset that they have […]