That’s particularly the case in Pleasanton where Mayor Jerry Thorne is termed out as are Councilmembers Karla Brown and Jerry Pentin. That means three open seats on the ballot.
Planning Commissioner Nancy Allen decided it was time to go public when she announced her candidacy this week.
That prompted her fellow commissioner, Jack Balch, to formally throw his hat in the ring the next day. He had an event scheduled for mid-April to kickoff his campaign that he delayed because of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order.
Realtor Randy Brown, president of the Chamber of Commerce, had planned an event literally the week of the shutdown that he postponed. Presumably his hat will publicly go into the ring soon. I did not get a response to my email with that question.
That leaves the open question of the mayor’s race. Assuming Karla Brown wants to continue to serve, it’s her only option. The same for Jerry Pentin. And Kathy Narum is mid-term in a safe seat so she’s positioned to run as well.
I reached out to all three. Karla and Kathy had no comment, while Jerry responded by email, “ Contrary to popular belief I have not made up my mind about running for Mayor or any other elective office. Actually, with the Pandemic and impacts to the City budget and ultimately services, a strong guiding hand is going to be needed next year and beyond, so that has me thinking even more about a run. But not right now. If others are chomping at the bit and want to get out there, good for them but my attention is where we are right now, in the middle of this crisis and I’m focusing on that.”
Watching Golf Channel Monday afternoon, I was reminded that—absent the COVID-19 that has upended the world—the PGA Championships would have been held at TPC Harding Park in Daly City this week. That would have meant wall-to-wall “Live from” coverage. Instead there was a one-hour special Thursday morning.
Given the lock-down in San Francisco and the Bay Area, the tournament has been postponed until Aug. 3-7 when the pros will encounter San Francisco’s famed summer fog. Of course, this week there would have been some rain.
