Local politics during COVID-19.
I live in Southern California, and often watch the briefings by our governor Newsom at noon, followed by the Los Angeles briefings at 1PM.
It's been amazing watching the local politics, how they are setup and watching them unfold to get needed work done during this pandemic. Then today, Newsom used his power as governor to shut down beaches in Orange County (because over the weekend, thousands of people gathered to the open Orange County beaches during a weekend heat wave). But even when doing this, Newsom spoke with respect to the local mayors, supervisors, health officials, etc.
All that being said, this shows the importance of voting in local elections. I'll admit, I've been pretty bad at that (except judges, I study those). But I will from now on learn to have more interest in local elections.
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Ted Wheeler (Portland, OR) has, until now been a semi-competent, reasonably honest mayor that I voted for reluctantly. He's stepped up his game, following the science, and making the tough calls.
NO mayor wants to see businesses and schools closed, and major events canceled. It's a goddamn nightmare for any public official. He's actively seeking input from small business owners and minority communities. I just might vote for him again, I will certainly thank him for his service during a horrible time.
And to the original point, YES!!! Local and state officials are more important than ever. I just got my ballot today. (BTW I live in a vote by mail state, which now looks downright visionary)
Isn't it odd that progressives are arguing for local and state rights right now?
