Shifting politics

Prior to the recovery from the Great Recession, the board power structure was essentially progressives to the left and still liberal Democrats as the moderates to the right. The power struggle between the two groups has gone on for years with moderates mostly coming out just on top and definitely having a hold on the mayor’s office.

Now, the moderate Farrell was installed with the help of progressives to wrest any advantage from moderate Breed when she runs for election to replace Ed Lee who died unexpectedly Dec. 12. The thinking was that other progressives, including former state senator Mark Leno and current Supervisor Jane Kim, would benefit from that. So it appears the politics is topsy-turvy but it actually makes sense because of a sea change in the power structure.

And that is in large part because of the YIMBY movement, or those who say yes to new housing in all its forms. YIMBY stands for Yes In My Backyard, and is the opposite of the so-called NIMBYs, or Not In My Backyard, or those who suggest new development should be elsewhere. The YIMBY group is made up largely of young urban professionals, many of whom are college-educated tech workers who arrived in the most recent economic boom after 2010. For the most part, these are smart people who believe paying so much in rent is just not right. And they have a point.

But the YIMBYs, who typically are also liberal, and would likely adhere to the progressive agenda, side more with the moderates who are more developer and tech friendly. Though there are signs that many in the city are tiring of the impact of tech on the city, it’s pretty obvious it is here to stay and its impact is changing the political world.

It is evident that the movement is starting to bleed quickly down into San Mateo County as well with YIMBYs calling for more housing, and a growing number of entrenched locals and natives suggesting enough is enough. That will be part of an underlying tension felt in most land use discussions for the next several years as young urban professionals join forces with low-income labor groups to push for more residential development. However, the dynamic is just a bit different than in San Francisco, with progressives down here being generally pro-housing, moderate Democrats also on board with that, and some traditional liberal baby boomers who raised their children in this area against new development. Joining that cause are conservatives who also believe the rate of growth is not sustainable, question whether there are sufficient resources and infrastructure to address the growth and also wonder out loud why their chosen suburban lifestyle should be modified further to accommodate newcomers and young people. Sometimes the discussions get unnecessarily strident and downright insulting — and that is from both the YIMBYs and the NIMBYs. I know it feels as if this area is becoming a boiler room, but it would be nice if the way people talked to each other didn’t add to the heat and dissonance — unless we do want to turn our politics into San Francisco style, and I don’t think any of us actually want that.

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Good news. The city of San Mateo is planning a Homecoming Parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of it adopting the Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army.

San Mateo was the first city in the United States to adopt a unit, and it began when a soldier serving in Vietnam asked his sister to work with the city to adopt his unit after seeing a lack of mail among his fellow troops. The city was the only one in the United States to hold a homecoming parade honoring returning Vietnam veterans at the war’s end.

The city last commemorated the relationship in 2012, with a Memorial Day parade, among other events, that celebrated the 40th anniversary of the original parade.

This year’s parade, slated for Saturday, March 24, aims to celebrate that legacy. This is a worthwhile cause and event. Might also be a good idea to do it every year, on Memorial Day.

Go to cityofsanmateo.org/3790/50th-Anniversary-Homecoming-Parade more information.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmays.