Will Kamala Harris become the first Californian since Richard Nixon to lead the nation?
For people who care about democracy, this has been a good week. Many of us are feeling, maybe for the first time in a while, optimistic—or at least hopeful—about our political future. This warm feeling is made possible because a bunch of civic leaders, journalists and others, working individually and together, executed a master class in statecraft.
“Statecraft,” in its broadest and driest definition, is the art of governance. In a democracy, the term can be used to describe the way our elected leaders and others involved in politics wield power. Note that the skillful execution of political power is an art and not a science—it has been likened to “listening for the footsteps of God and catching his coattails as he strides by.”
In his five decades as a public servant, Joe Biden wielded power effectively and gracefully, but, in his Covid fever last week, he may have heard those footsteps heading away. He definitely also heard from leaders of his party, and finally heard a message that he had not allowed himself to hear for at least a couple of years.
As we’ve seen, the wave of gratitude that followed the president’s courageous decision to step aside and anoint his successor immediately morphed into a storm of enthusiasm, proving the collective wisdom of the longtime friends and allies who gently but firmly pulled the levers that dislodged him.
And here we are, with Kamala Harris making a strong bid to be the first Californian since Richard Nixon to serve as president of the United States. So the word of the week: Statecraft!
Mountain View parcels which have low-density apartments and a single family home are proposed to be redeveloped into a 4-story 42 unit housing complex.
(07/30/2024) Mountain View Voice
An abandoned three-story office complex on El Camino Real in Los Altos was demolished, to be replaced by 129 units of housing.
(07/30/2024) Los Altos Town Crier
The Los Altos Hills County Fire District is urging residents to take steps to create and maintain defensible spaces around their homes.
(07/30/2024) Los Altos Town Crier
The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association is open to a sanctioned homeless encampment at the Valley Transportation Authority’s Lelong Street property, but with a list of conditions.
(07/27/2024) The Mercury News
In a special meeting held with less than 24 hours notice on July 25, the San Jose Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to put a $1.2 billion bond on the November ballot to fund school facility upgrades and build affordable staff housing.
(07/26/2024) The Mercury News
In a July 25 ceremony, Sunnyvale and county officials gathered across from the Lawrence Caltrain Station to celebrate the start of construction of 176 affordable apartments.
(07/26/2024) The Mercury News
Following the confirmation of West Nile virus in tested mosquitos, pesticide spraying was ordered for neighborhoods in the 95111, 95112, 95121 and 95122 zip codes in San Jose and unincorporated Santa Clara Valley.
(07/26/2024) The Mercury News
In their July 24 meeting, the San Jose Unified School District Board of Trustees strongly rejected findings from the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury.
(07/25/2024) The Mercury News
In the face of pressure from state Housing and Community Development requirements for the building of over 6,000 new housing units in Palo Alto, the city is working to streamline the planning and review process.
(07/25/2024) Palo Alto Online
Candidates have begun filing the paperwork to run for open seats in the Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View in the upcoming November election.
(07/23/2024) Los Altos Town Crier
The 90-unit all-affordable housing development planned for Distel Circle recently reduced the number of proposed parking spaces by more than half.
(07/23/2024) Los Altos Town Crier
Although the initiative process — proposing new laws via ballot measures — has been in California’s constitution for more than a century, its use was fairly uncommon until the 1970s.
(07/30/2024) CalMatters
The official Watch Duty incident page for the massive Park Fire burning in Butte and Tehama Counties.
(07/27/2024) Watch Duty
After years of delay, a new California regulation to protect indoor workers from extreme heat is now in effect.
(07/25/2024) CalMatters
In his 2018 campaign, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would create 500,000 new apprenticeships in the decade after taking office. So far, the state has registered more than 180,000 new apprenticeships. Many of them are firefighters.
(07/25/2024) CalMatters
When California emerged from its colonial beginnings nearly two centuries ago and began coalescing into a distinct society, its towns and villages tended to be located either on navigable rivers, such as Sacramento, or around the 21 missions that Spanish explorer priests had established, such as San Diego.
(07/25/2024) CalMatters
“This doesn’t build public trust. Where is the evidence?” said Jeff Wenninger, a former Los Angeles Police lieutenant who oversaw use of force investigations.
(07/25/2024) CalMatters
California Forever’s announcement July 22 that it has decided to pull a ballot measure that would have let voters decide on a controversial planned city in rural Solano County drew swift reaction from political leaders and opponents.
(07/24/2024) Local News Matters
What happens when voters take to the ballot to thumb their nose at state housing law? Courts haven’t offered a clear answer.
(07/24/2024) CalMatters
The first two human cases of West Nile virus this season were reported in Yuba and Stanislaus Counties.
(07/24/2024) The Sacramento Bee
There never was much of a chance that California Gov. Gavin Newsom would be running for president this year, even if President Joe Biden were to step aside.
(07/23/2024) CalMatters
Following a report released the previous week by Solano County citing billions of dollars in costs and a host of other issues, California Forever pulled their initiative from the November ballot.
(07/23/2024) The Mercury News
