The Memorial Rose Garden at McKinley Park in Sacramento. Built and maintained by everyday citizens as a gift to their city.
You may have noticed last week that government, and governing, seem to be suddenly cool again. Elected officials starred in a mini-series that became the hit of the season—drawing applause and even genuine, heartfelt laughs. People talking politics used the word "joy" repeatedly—and also that buzzword from a few seasons back: "hope."
We say: It's about time. For too many years, there's been a negative campaign telling a dark and cynical story about politics and politicians, and this has not been the exclusive provenance of any one political party.
Some of the consequences of this campaign became evident this week, as a number of cities throughout the state had to cancel elections and re-appoint incumbents because nobody registered to run—it's a safe bet that some folks opted out to avoid the hyper-partisan attacks that come with public service.
Here at California's pro-democracy web portal, we seek out the true stories about (as our book title has it) How California Works. In this week's episode of The Newsletter, we bring you a couple more.
