This week, the results of the November election will be officially certified. Here at California Local, that means we must review all of the information in our government directories. In every county in which we operate, both reelected and newly elected officials will be sworn into office in the coming days, continuing into January. New mayors will be chosen in cities where that position is voted on by the council. New committee assignments will be made, and new appointees selected for commissions. And slowly, local governmental bodies will update their websites. We’ll be following along, working to spruce things up as fast as we can.
Why do we compile these listings? Because we believe that, as Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “wherever the people are well informed they can be trusted with their own government.” (To be honest, we thought he said that a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny…but a search of monticello.org suggests this is just one of many “spurious quotes” attributed to the man). In any case, it’s the “well informed” part that matters—and we’re hoping that in our small way we can be another tool for sharing useful information.