Thoughts, opinions, transcripts, etc.
My Assembly district cuts across two counties, Contra Costa to the north and Alameda to the south, and includes about 80% of Walnut Creek. It is shaped like a toilet or somebody sitting on one. I mean really, take a look. It's an odd shape primarily due to the thousands of acres of open space… Continue reading All about California Assembly District 16
Coming off an intense Q1, I reflected on knocking out my big accomplishment: writing a damn book and self-publishing it on Amazon. The book launched in the #1 spot in New Releases in small business on the Amazon spots where it stayed for a week! So that was on my mind for my reading and… Continue reading Read Write Play: Q2 2018
When I decided that I was going to run for office the first thing I did was look up the resumes of my current representatives. Most of them began their political careers representing their neighborhoods on city councils and other local organizations. Some were elected mayor or served on school boards. Even in the age… Continue reading First-timers running for office
For the last couple of years I've been working from home, generating my own income with my own companies on my own timeline. It's been a wonderful change of pace from the stress and surprises of startup life. On one hand the timing of needing to sell my venture-backed business really sucked. On the other… Continue reading Benefits of being a work from home dad
2003 Mardi Gras Marathon finisher I ran my first marathon in college. It was my junior year and I decided to take a brief respite from alcohol (I would take another one about fifteen years later) and train for a marathon. There was no impetus behind it. I just wanted to do it for me and I… Continue reading Taking the long road
I've been thinking more about how the role of government should be defined. I've always leaned toward the environment economics view of the role of government: to properly handle negative externalities. These are costs that the free market ignores and the results can be catastrophic. The most common example is clean air and water. When a factory… Continue reading The role of government
All of our local issues stem our affordable housing problem. Public safety, public health, education, transportation, and even environment, core issue that we as Democrats care about, each have a substantial stake in the affordable housing crisis. That’s the bad news, and unfortunately it gets worse. Nearly 98% of cities and counties in California have a “housing… Continue reading Some new data on the housing deficit
I thought a lot about it. I even dreamt about it. Deep in my gut I knew the change would need to happen but I wasn't sure how or when. The thought would come and go and for the most part I ignored it. Then one fateful day about a month ago I was in… Continue reading Moving from SaaS to metered billing
I’m a straight white guy with no physical disabilities. That gives me a head start. On days like today, Martin Luther King Day 2018, in the wake of #metoo and #shithole, a year after the Kaepernick Kneel, I tried to reflect. People don’t stare at me, judge me, ask themselves questions silently but still show… Continue reading What Can I Say
I’m very slowly and deliberately starting the process of building my own political career, and in exploring every option, I looked at the Republican platform through the lens of a new recruit. I was curious because I like to be contrarian. I will need to stand out, and being a fairly normal, pretty moderate, left-leaning… Continue reading Why I’m not a Republican