Thoughts, opinions, transcripts, etc.
I write this from the creek in my backyard where the mosquitos are celebrating this oddly cool summer morning in Walnut Creek by devouring my shins. I like to work down here anyway. It's a reminder that nothing is perfect and it'll also force me to type a bit faster. Q2 ended with a really… Continue reading Toofr LLC quarterly report: Q2 2018
Here's a look at income inequality in our area. I'm using data and charts provided by this really neat data tool at the St. Louis Fed. Let's start with two charts for Contra Costa County and then compare it to our neighboring counties to the east and west of us. The first shows per capita personal income… Continue reading Income inequality in and around Contra Costa County
I just watched this video of myself in a graduation video from 2008 at the Harvard Kennedy School. I was there with a few other guys in the dual Master's degree program. Most of the others were also attending Harvard Business School. There were four of us doing a joint degree with MIT Sloan (MBA program) but… Continue reading The importance of having experience
Here's what I thought of Proposition 13 going into writing this article: It keeps property taxes artificially low on valuable homes that were bought a long time agoIt has led to the underfunding and ultimate demise of public education in many CA countiesIt was written, funded, and ultimately passed by a group of fear-mongering tax… Continue reading My critique of Prop 13
I spent the last ten years doing startups. Startups are all about forming new businesses, launching, incorporating. It wasn't until after we bought our house in Saranap, a neighborhood tucked between Walnut Creek and Lafayette in the East Bay, that I learned my new home was unincorporated. Unincorporated? What the heck is that? There are 38 million… Continue reading What does it mean to be unincorporated?
There are 58 counties in the State of California and every one of them has a Board Supervisors. But... why? What power does this board have and what does it do? Are county supervisors full-time positions? How do they relate to the city councils? These are the questions my neighbors peppered me with one sunny… Continue reading What is the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors?
My very first commission seat was on the Berkeley Youth Commission. I was appointed by Berkeley City Councilmember Kris Worthington and went to a few meetings. I don't remember much about it. I think I thought it was a waste of time. This was probably 15 years ago. Today I met with my county supervisor Candace Andersen… Continue reading My first commission seat in Contra Costa County