Notes, quotes and dust motes

Anyway, welcome back from wherever you were.

THE CHALLENGING EQUITY CHALLENGE: A recent column about the local Democratic Party Equity Endorsement Pledge, in which elected officials agree to hold off endorsing candidates until six months before an election, prompted one interested party to suggest I took it too easy  on those who voted against the pledge resolution when it came before the county Central Committee. Specifically, the representatives of some elected officials voted against the proposal, which requires, among other things, that every Democratic candidate for every office be offered an endorsement interview.

It is a rare day when I am accused of taking it easy on anyone, so let us savor that for a moment.

But it is understandable why elected officials may look askance at the new expectations of the pledge, especially staff, who will end up doing the work.

A quick count shows that more than 150 candidates were on the local ballot in 2020, running for everything from Midcoast Community Council to city councils and school boards. Certainly, not all these candidates are Democrats, but assuming two-thirds are, does Assemblymember Kevin Mullin have to agree to interview all 100 of them? Logistics aside, is it even practical politics? U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo appears likely to have a Democratic opponent next year, just as she did in 2020. Does Assemblymember Marc Berman have to agree to interview her opponent before he can endorse Eshoo, an incumbent who routinely gets over 65% of the vote? … By the way, there is a bill pending in the Legislature that would move countywide races to the presidential election year. It would mean dramatically improved turnout in races where little attention is paid, and where even fewer incumbents are challenged. The dismal turnout in a June primary of a nonpresidential election year is, perhaps, the greatest security blanket in the custody of district attorneys and sheriffs around the state, not to mention lower-profile offices in this county.

GOOD PEOPLE: It has taken me longer than it should to acknowledge and publicly grieve the lives lost in the horrendous shootings at the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority rail yard last month. As is noted at the bottom of the column, I worked for more than a decade at SamTrans and Caltrain. My duties frequently brought me in contact with the people who work at VTA. While I did not know any of the victims personally, I do know this — they were transit people.

One of the true privileges and joys of working at a transit agency is coming in contact with the people who put the service on the streets and the rails. They are uniformly dedicated to their work and the people they serve. They are inspiring. A surprising number of people go to work in transit thinking it will do until they find something else. Then they stay. It gets into your heart and your soul and your blood, too much of which was spilled at VTA. My heart goes out to the families of the slain and to the VTA colleagues who went back to work, intent on putting service back on the street.

ONE MORE SMACK AT SMAC: The San Mateo County Community College Board of Trustees next week is expected to decide the interim fate of the San Mateo Athletic Facility. I suspect you are as weary of this topic as am I, but I feel compelled to address the fiction that this is some plush facility available and used only by the “privileged few.”

Pre-COVID, there were more than 6,300 members, including more than 350 San Mateo Masters swimmers, of which I am one. It is a modest facility, not a spa, and it is one of only three places in the county that has both a gym and a pool that is useable for swim teams and fitness swimmers. It is not comparable in any meaningful way to a private club with saunas, tennis courts, a cafe and carpeted locker rooms. The reality of SMAC is in the public record that has been presented to the trustees at length. Any decision ought to reflect those facts.

Mark Simon is a veteran journalist, whose career included 15 years as an executive at SamTrans and Caltrain. He can be reached at marksimon@smdailyjournal.com.