[whpalmer4]

The issue is that you're constructing this perspective in project/planning mode instead of context mode. That's only going to turn up the projects that start today, not the actions that start today.

Switch to context mode (cmd-2, or View->Context Mode). Group by Start date, show Available actions. Close the groups for anything but Start today, and save as a perspective. That should show you only actions starting today, though of course if you open one of the closed groups, you'll see its contained actions as well.