The San Francisco Giants earned a series victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday and won another game thanks to their good starting performance.

Keaton Winn, just in his second big league season, was a scorcher for the Giants on Sunday. It was his third straight game in which he pitched six innings and allowed just one earned run, for a season ERA of 3.18.

Other starting players have played big roles in many of the wins, including Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison.

The right-handed hitter Hicks has been a reserve player for most of his career but is not in the starting lineup this season. In his first six starts, the 27-year-old was one of the best starters in baseball with a 1.59 ERA.

In all of his starts he was completely excited. His ability to keep the ball in the yard was an asset, allowing just one home run in 34.0 innings pitched.

Harrison wasn't as dominant as Hiccup and Winn. However, the young left-hander showed a lot of potential in his second season. In his last start against the Pirates, he did what was needed by allowing zero earned runs and striking out seven in 6.0 innings.

Even though they all pitched well, there's a chance they'll hit the most pitches they've ever pitched. Winn didn't throw more than 127 1/3 innings in a season in his pro career, Hicks was a reliever and Harrison didn't throw more than 113 innings.

With all the injuries in baseball, it's something the coaching staff and coaches should keep in mind.

According to The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly, San Francisco president Farhan Zaidi considers 180 innings to be “red on the gauge.”

According to Baggarly, Zaidi said they are relying on these three pitchers and will figure it out when they have more options.

“We all talked to all three pitchers at the beginning of spring training, even before we signed (Blake) Snell,” Zaidi said. “We told them, 'We're going to rely on you more at the beginning of the year, and when the guys come back and we have more options, we'll figure out where we are.'”

The Giants president seems to understand that this could be an issue that could lead to moves being made to add more depth. With so many injuries in baseball, the health of pitchers must be the organization's top priority.

The post San Francisco Giants President Reveals Plan for Beginning Pitchers appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Kelly Anderson from Anderson Plumbing Heating and Air was recently installed as president of the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) San Diego. Click here for high-resolution version

SAN DIEGO, CA–(Marketwire – Sep 27, 2012) – Kelly Anderson, Call Center Manager at Anderson Plumbing Heating and Air, has been named 2012-2013 President of the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) San Diego.

As the second woman to lead PHCC during its 110 year history, I feel a particular responsibility to be a role model for other young women in San Diego who have chosen a career in plumbing, heating and air conditioning or other home service industries,” said Anderson.

“Our company has been involved with the PHCC organization for many years,” added Anderson. “In fact, in the early 90s my father, Walter Anderson, was the 99th president of the PHCC. Twenty-one years later I am honored to be following in his footsteps serving as president.”

Anderson joined the Anderson Plumbing Heating & Air shortly after graduating from San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s degree in Radio and T.V. Broadcasting. She quickly emerged as a leader in both the Anderson Plumbing Heating & Air organization, as well as PHCC. Anderson’s 2012-2013 plans for the PHCC include focusing on training programs and certifications.

“The PHCC has always been a terrific conduit of information for our business with its focus on education, training and hiring licensed contractors,” Anderson said. “This year PHCC is taking on some exciting new initiatives including our new PHCC offices to accommodate the high demand for our training programs and we’ve expanded to include training and certifications for heating and air conditioning.”

Joining Anderson on the PHCC Board of Directors are: Vice President Steve Fox, Steve Fox Plumbing; Secretary, Scott Ferrell, Black Mountain Plumbing; Directors: Doug Box, Dry Down, Inc.; Michael DeSilva, Plumbing Plus; John Perry, Perry Plumbing; Robert Price, Ferguson Enterprises, Inc.; Lani Testa, My Plumber; and immediate past president Mark Ames, Roto Rooter Plumbers.

Anderson Plumbing Heating and Air has been serving San Diego County since 1978 and offers residential and commercial plumbing, heating and air conditioning services including HVAC new equipment installation, retrofit, repairs and maintenance plus drains, water heaters, toilets, sinks, faucets, water, gas leaks, pipe replacement, pipe lining, sewer replacement, trenchless sewers and pipe repairs. Anderson Plumbing Heating and Air offers 24-hour emergency service to the greater San Diego area. Contractors Licenses #493163 and #853163.

The post Kelly Anderson of Anderson Plumbing Heating and Air Named President of Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Affiliation (PHCC) San Diego appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The 2024 US presidential election race is well and truly underway.

President Joe Biden is seeking re-election and has the backing of his party establishment, leaving him in a strong position to ward off rival Democrats who might believe they’re better placed than the 80-year-old incumbent to take on an energised Republican Party.

On the other side, former president Donald Trump’s early announcement and diehard supporters have propelled him to the top of the GOP list, but there’s a host of potential rivals, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, seeking to break his stranglehold on the party base.

Here’s who’s seeking the White House, who’s already bowed out, and who might yet surprise us in the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election.

Declared: Donald Trump

Former US president Donald Trump during a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse on Saturday, January 28, 2023.(AP Photo: Alex Brandon)

Background: Former president of the United States, real estate mogul, former reality TV host

Home state: Florida/New York

Age on election day 2024: 78

Former president, reality TV star and real estate mogul Donald Trump is seeking to return to the White House after being defeated in 2020 by Joe Biden after a single term.

Mr Trump’s presidency alienated many Americans but energised and transformed the Republican base. His four years in office were marked by a return to a more protectionist trade policy, a shunning of traditional diplomacy in favour of personal relationships with world leaders, and the installation of a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

They also saw a hollowing out of the public service, an abandonment of the democratic and ethical norms surrounding the presidency, and a reliance on “acting” officials to fill cabinet-level positions for increasingly long periods of time.

After refusing to accept the result of the 2020 election, culminating in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, Mr Trump became the first president in history to be impeached twice, although he was acquitted both times in the Senate.

He has since been indicted on a wide range of criminal charges, relating to a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, his alleged storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and his alleged attempts to pressure public officials to overturn the results in Georgia specifically. He was also found liable by a jury for sexually abusing advice columnist E Jean Carroll in the mid-90s.

Far from sinking his campaign, his legal woes seem to have propelled him to a massive lead over his primary rivals, making him the clear frontrunner for the GOP once again.

Declared: Ron DeSantis

Florida governor Ron DeSantis speaks after being sworn in for his second term outside the Old Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, on January 3, 2023.(AP Photo: Lynne Sladky)

Background: Governor of Florida, former congressman, former military lawyer

Home state: Florida

Age on election day 2024: 46

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis staked out his position as Mr Trump’s biggest political threat in 2022 with a huge electoral win at home, trouncing Democrat Charlie Crist by 15 points and further reddening what was once considered a swing state.

He quickly became the go-to candidate for those hardcore conservatives who were ready to move on from Mr Trump, having achieved right-wing policy wins in Florida while also showing a flair for the kind of culture-war skirmishes that animate the GOP base (think inquiries into trans health services and legal battles with “woke” Disney).

Supporters cited his ability to pick his battles better than the former president, hoping he could essentially offer the same policies and fighting spirit in a younger, less abrasive package — the elusive “Trumpism without Trump”.

Mr DeSantis’s much-hyped White House run, however, got off to a rocky start, beginning with a campaign announcement hosted on Elon Musk’s Twitter that was marred by technical glitches.

He’s since struggled to connect with voters, robbing him of vital momentum needed to catch up with Mr Trump’s substantial polling lead and leading him to replace his campaign manager in August.

The governor is travelling the country and playing up his successes by calling Florida a “blueprint for the nation”, and is beginning to test the waters with increasingly direct jabs at Mr Trump.

But the question remains whether he has what it takes to win a head-to-head contest with his fellow Floridian, who has the air of incumbency and doesn’t play by the rules when it comes to taking on political rivals.

Declared: Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to reporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, on Friday, March 3, 2023 at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, United States.(AP Photo: Alex Brandon)

Background: Biotech entrepreneur, author, political activist

Home state: New York/Ohio

Age on election day 2024: 39

Dubbed the “CEO of Anti-Woke, Inc.” by The New Yorker, Vivek Ramaswamy announced his candidacy for president on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show ahead of the 2023 CPAC conference.

Already a successful businessman in the asset management and biotechnology sectors, Mr Ramaswamy has forged a second career as a conservative activist and author since 2020, focusing on opposing ESG investing (environmental social and governance) as well as the broader social justice, diversity and environmental movements.

The son of Indian immigrants, his platform includes shutting down the FBI and the federal Department of Education, “declaring independence” from China, and using military drones to eliminate Mexican drug cartels.

It’s an approach to presidential politics he openly credits to Mr Trump.

“I think I’m best positioned to advance our America First agenda, take it even further than Trump did, but also unite the country in the process,” Mr Ramaswamy told public broadcaster PBS.

At 39 on election day, he would be the youngest president ever elected.

Fun fact: He once moonlighted as a rapper named Da Vek while studying at Harvard, telling student newspaper The Crimson his life’s theme song was Eminem’s Lose Yourself.

Eminem has since asked Ramaswamy to stop using his music on the campaign trail.

Declared: Mike Pence

Former vice-president Mike Pence speaks to students at Georgetown University in Washington on Wednesday, October 19, 2022.(AP Photo: Jose Luis Magana)

Background: Former vice-president of the United States, former governor of Indiana, former congressman

Home state: Indiana

Age on election day 2024: 65

After four years serving as a quiet, faithful vice-president to Mr Trump, Mike Pence adhered to convention and oversaw the certification of the 2020 US election result, ensuring Mr Trump’s presidency came to an end and avoiding a constitutional crisis.

He has strongly defended his actions in doing so, but has otherwise largely avoided criticising his former boss’s time in the White House, suggesting he is keen to avoid alienating Mr Trump’s base as he makes his own White House run.

“I’m persuaded that no one could have defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 except Donald Trump, but I think we live in a different time and it calls for different leadership,” he told the Associated Press in the lead-up to his declaration.

On paper, a staunchly conservative former VP with evangelical bona fides should be a strong candidate in a GOP primary, with high name recognition and the credibility needed to bring together a broad right-wing coalition.

In reality, hardcore Trump supporters could be heard chanting “Hang Mike Pence” during the Capitol riot, and even his supporters acknowledge his political instincts are lacking.

His position on abortion — he wants to make it not just illegal but “unthinkable” in all circumstances — is popular with large parts of his party but will be a tough sell in a general election, with a post-Roe America still grappling with the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to return the issue to the states.

Declared: Tim Scott

US senator Tim Scott speaks during a news conference about inflation on February 16, 2022.(Reuters: Elizabeth Frantz)

Background: Senator for South Carolina, former congressman, former state representative, insurance agent

Home state: South Carolina

Age on election day 2024: 59

South Carolina senator Tim Scott’s formal announcement ended a months-long testing of the waters that included a “listening tour” with stops in Iowa and the establishment of an exploratory committee in April.

Popular with his constituents and colleagues, Senator Scott’s early rhetoric has been different from that of his fellow Republican candidates, telling supporters they can choose “victimhood or victory”, and emphasising that the party’s nominee should be able to display “compassion for people who don’t agree with us”.

As the GOP’s only black senator, as well as a self-made businessman who grew up poor in a single-parent household, he already has a significant national profile with a compelling story to boot.

He’s backed it up with significant spending in early primary states, launching some of the largest ad buys yet in Iowa and New Hampshire to run across both broadcast and digital platforms.

He entered the race with more cash on hand than any other presidential candidate in US history, due to a leftover $US22 million ($33 million) from his 2022 Senate campaign.

Declared: Nikki Haley

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during a town hall campaign event at Ankeny, Iowa on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.(AP Photo: Charlie Neibergall)

Background: Former ambassador to the United Nations, former South Carolina governor

Home state: South Carolina

Age on election day 2024: 52

A former South Carolina governor and Mr Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley announced her run for the presidency via a video on Twitter emphasising her determination to fight back against bullies.

The daughter of Indian immigrants, she became her home state’s first female and first non-white governor in 2010 at the age of 38.

Ms Haley kept her head down during the Trump years and exited the administration in 2018 with her reputation relatively intact, but there’s no indication her time working for the 45th president won her the favour of any of his supporters.

The fact that she had previously said she wouldn’t run against her former boss in 2024 is also unlikely to help in that respect.

On the issues, Ms Haley is a frequent critic of China, a supporter of the death penalty, and has attacked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis from the right on social issues.

But it’s how she navigates the waters of her relationship with Mr Trump that could well determine the success, or otherwise, of her campaign.

Declared: Doug Burgum

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum speaks to delegates at the Republican State Convention in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on April 7, 2018.(Reuters: Dan Koeck)

Background: Governor of North Dakota, former software executive, former chimney sweep

Home state: North Dakota

Age on election day 2024: 68

An outlier in the Republican field, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum is known more for his earnest policy positions than for battling Democrats.

The former software executive runs a deep red state but has flirted with moderate positions during his time in office, including labelling the 2020 party platform “divisive” when it came to LGBT issues.

However, he hasn’t hesitated to sign conservative bills into a law, including a number of anti-trans bills and a near-total abortion ban.

Mr Burgum makes no secret of the fact that he prefers to focus on energy policy, including his goal for North Dakota to become carbon-neutral by 2030 (albeit through carbon capture and storage, with continuing subsidies for the fossil-fuel industry).

Prior to announcing his candidacy in the Wall Street Journal, Mr Burgum shared a video highlighting his rise from a small town boy to a self-made entrepreneur, and a governor who has cut red tape and taxes.

He’s also well aware that his low profile outside his state makes his 2024 run a long shot, telling an interviewer: “There’s a value to being underestimated all the time.”

It puts into perspective the efforts he took to make it onto the first debate stage, appearing without painkillers despite tearing his Achilles tendon the day before, and achieving the debate’s 40,000-donor threshold in part by offering people $US20 gift cards in exchange for $US1 donations.

Declared: Chris Christie

Republican presidential candidate and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie speaks with reporters in Kyiv, Ukraine on August 4, 2023.(AP Photo: Efrem Lukatsky)

Background: Registered lobbyist, former governor of New Jersey, former US attorney

Home state: New Jersey

Age on election day 2024: 62

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie was once considered the poster boy for loud, aggressive Republicans — until Donald Trump came along.

Ideologically a moderate, Mr Christie was happy for his governorship to be defined by heated verbal arguments with voters and political clashes with the Obama administration.

But it ended in scandal after he was implicated in the “Bridgegate” saga, in which several people close to him were found to have purposefully closed lanes to cause traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge as retribution against a Democratic mayor.

Mr Christie last ran for president in 2016, making some waves in early debates before bowing out after a lacklustre showing in New Hampshire. He then briefly led the Trump presidential transition team before being pushed out by Mr Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

He’s now casting himself as the only person with the guts to take on Mr Trump directly, launching his campaign with a flurry of personal attacks on the former president, who he described as a “lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog”.

“We can’t dismiss the question of character anymore, everybody. If we do, we get what we deserve, and we will have to own it,” he said.

Mr Christie criticised the loyalty pledge candidates were required to sign before they could appear on the first debate stage, which committed them to supporting the party’s eventual nominee in the general election.

He’s made it clear he won’t be supporting Mr Trump in a general election — but said he did what he needed to do to get onstage.

Declared: Asa Hutchinson

Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson speaks during an interview with the Associated Press on December 13, 2022.(AP Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Background: Former governor of Arkansas, former DEA administrator

Home state: Arkansas

Age on election day 2024: 73

Asa Hutchinson says he is running for president because he is convinced Americans want leaders that “appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts”.

He served two terms as Arkansas’s governor from 2015 to 2023, winning his second term in a landslide with more than 65 per cent of the vote.

Prior to that he spent time in the George W Bush administration, firstly as the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and secondly handling border security in the then fledgling Department of Homeland Security.

Mr Hutchinson left the governor’s office with a conservative record, but has shown a willingness to split with his party on occasional issues in the past — including vetoing a bill that would have banned gender-affirming medication for minors (a veto his party later overrode), and praising the Biden administration’s “depoliticising” of the government’s COVID response.

More recently, he’s said Donald Trump should drop out of the race following his criminal indictment in the state of New York.

Mr Trump, for his part, calls Mr Hutchinson “Ada Hutchinson” — “because of certain reasons or others”.

Declared: Larry Elder

Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder speaks after the polls close on the recall election in Costa Mesa, California, United States on September 14, 2021.(Reuters: Mike Blake)

Background: Conservative radio host, California gubernatorial candidate, lawyer

Home state: California

Age on election day 2024: 72

Talk radio personality Larry Elder is a relative political novice, despite having built himself into a national brand in conservative media since he first began hosting The Larry Elder Show in 1993.

The former attorney ran his first political campaign in 2021, when he took on Gavin Newsom in a recall election effort that the blue-state Democrat won easily.

Mr Elder is, like many others on this list, a staunch right-winger — opposing minimum wage laws, environmental legislation and the Black Lives Matter movement, and supporting school choice programs and physical barriers along the border with Mexico.

He announced his candidacy for the presidency on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program, telling the TV host his decision was in part motivated by the fact he’s the only member of his family who hasn’t served in the military.

Mr Elder said he had met the criteria required to attend the first Republican primary debate, but organisers disagreed — prompting him to declare he would sue the Republican National Committee.

Declared: Will Hurd

US Representative Will Hurd questions witnesses during a House Intelligence Committee impeachment inquiry hearing in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2019.(Pool via Reuters: Andrew Harrer)

Background: Congressman, cybersecurity consultant, former CIA agent

Home state: Texas

Age on election day 2024: 47

A self-acknowledged “dark horse candidate“, Texas congressman Will Hurd sticks out from the Republican field in more ways than one.

The 47-year-old moderate was a CIA operative for nine years in the 2000s, spending time mostly in Washington but also serving in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

He represents a nearly 70 per cent Latino district which runs for 820 miles (1,319 kilometres) along the Texas-Mexico border, which has elevated his voice as he has called for a calmer, solutions-based approach to the country’s border issues.

He has also called Mr Trump a “lawless, selfish, failed politician … who lost the House, the Senate and the White House”.

“If Donald Trump is leading in the polls, and he’s your opponent, then kissing his butt is not going to help you win,” he told his fellow GOP candidates in August.

Along with Chris Christie, Mr Hurd spoke out against the Republican Party’s requirement for candidates to sign a loyalty pledge to support the eventual nominee before they were granted access to the first primary debate stage.

Declared: Ryan Binkley

Republican presidential candidate Ryan Binkley speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa’s Lincoln Day Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 28, 2023.(Reuters: Scott Morgan)

Background: Pastor, businessman

Home state: Texas

Age on election day 2024: 56

Ryan Binkley is aiming high with his first political campaign.

The Dallas businessman and non-denominational pastor is bringing an overtly religious message to the campaign trail, promising a country that is “strong, unified and reconciled to God and each other”.

He’s focusing his message on Iowa, where he recently landed a coveted speaking slot at the state party’s Lincoln Dinner.

Mr Binkley is campaigning on immigration reform, reducing the national debt, urban education, and — in a sign of how prominent the issue has become in conservative circles as much as liberal ones — taking on the pharmaceutical industry.

But despite already having invested more than $US1.7 million ($2.64 million) into his own campaign, he’s failing to show up in most early polls — if he’s included at all.

Declared: Perry Johnson

Perry Johnson enters the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland on March 2, 2023.(Supplied: Perry Johnson for President Inc)

Background: Businessman, author, Michigan gubernatorial candidate

Home state: Michigan

Age on election day 2024: 76

A businessman known primarily for his work in quality control, Perry Johnson announced his 2024 presidential bid during conservative gala CPAC, where he came in third in a straw poll behind former president Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

His previous attempt to run for office didn’t go so smoothly, having been disqualified from Michigan’s 2022 governor’s race once fraudulent signatures were found on his nominating petition.

An avid bridge player, Mr Johnson lists among his accomplishments five National Bridge Championships and an eighth-place finish in the 1998 World Championship in Lille, France.

Like Larry Elder and Miami mayor Francis Suarez, Mr Johnson said he had met the criteria required to attend the first Republican primary debate — but organisers disagreed.

Possible: Kristi Noem

South Dakota governor Kristi Noem speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on February 25, 2022.(Reuters: Marco Bello)

Background: Governor of South Dakota, former congresswoman, farmer

Home state: South Dakota

Age on election day 2024: 52

South Dakota governor Kristi Noem is increasingly becoming part of the conversation when it comes to the 2024 Republican field.

The 51-year-old second-term governor connects well with her party’s base, telling the story of how she had to leave college early as a young woman after her father died in a farm accident.

Ms Noem earned a reputation as a Trump loyalist during his time in office, and has been spoken about as a possible running mate.

However, she has stood up to the former president on occasion, notably calling out his trade war with China for “devastating” her state’s economy — not to mention denying him a spot on Mount Rushmore.

When asked in early 2023 if she had considered running for president, she said she’s “not convinced she needs to”.

Possible: John Bolton

US national security advisor John Bolton during a visit to London on August 12, 2019.(Reuters: Peter Nicholls)

Background: Former national security adviser, former ambassador to the United Nations, former Fox News commentator

Home state: Maryland

Age on election day 2024: 75

A well-known foreign policy hawk, John Bolton cut his teeth during the Reagan administration before being appointed as an undersecretary of state and then ambassador to the United Nations by George W Bush.

A committed advocate for the war in Iraq, he was later an uncomfortable presence in the Trump White House during his year-long tenure as national security adviser, and has spoken openly of his alarm at Mr Trump’s haphazard approach to foreign policy in the years since.

He says he’s seriously considering challenging the former president, calling Mr Trump’s 2024 campaign “poison” for the GOP.

A debate clash between Mr Trump and Mr Bolton would be something to witness. Mr Trump could barely hide his disdain for Mr Bolton when they were working together, and reportedly told advisers “the moustache is a problem” when considering him for a cabinet post early in his presidency.

Declared: Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden delivers the 2023 State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.(Pool via AP Photos: Jacquelyn Martin)

Background: President of the United States, former vice-president of the United States, former senator for Delaware

Home state: Delaware

Age on election day 2024: 81 

The incumbent president has formally declared his intention to seek a second term, accompanied once again by Vice-President Kamala Harris as his running mate.

A senator for 36 years before becoming Barack Obama’s vice-president in 2009, Mr Biden has so far had mixed success when it comes to implementing his first-term agenda.

However, he’s fallen short when it comes to protecting voting rights and following through on other major campaign promises, such as raising the minimum wage.

Mr Biden’s age — and how he navigates it as an issue — will also play a significant factor in whether or not he can pull off a successful re-election campaign.

Already the oldest president in history at 80, he’ll be 82 by the beginning of his second term, and will have to convince voters he’s fit to serve up until he leaves the White House at 86.

Declared: Robert F Kennedy Jr

Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of former US president John F Kennedy, waves as he attends a demonstration against COVID-19 vaccines in Mmilan, Italy on November 13, 2021.(Reuters: Flavio Lo Scalvo)

Background: Environmental lawyer, anti-vaccine activist, author

Home state: New York/Massachusetts

Age on election day 2024: 70

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the son of popular former senator and 1968 presidential candidate Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, will contest the 2024 primary as a Democrat.

An environmental lawyer by trade, Mr Kennedy is more widely known as an outspoken conspiracy theorist and anti-vaccine campaigner dating back to well before the COVID-19 pandemic.

His most recent book offering is The Real Anthony Fauci, in which he argues Dr Fauci, the scientist who spearheaded America’s pandemic response, worked “in tandem with his long-term partner, billionaire Bill Gates” to suppress hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as COVID treatments in favour of vaccines.

In response, Dr Fauci called Mr Kennedy “a very disturbed individual”.

Mr Kennedy’s anti-vaccine statements have elicited strong rebukes from other members of the Kennedy family in the past — as well as from his wife Cheryl Hines, an actress on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.

He’s nevertheless managed to pull together a number of notable endorsements, including from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and recorded double-digit showings in early polls that will irritate Democrats who believe the party needs to quickly unite behind Mr Biden.

Declared: Marianne Williamson

Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson speaks at the Faith, Politics and the Common Good Forum at Franklin Jr High school in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 9, 2020.(AP Photo: Andrew Harnik)

Background: Self-help author, spiritual and progressive activist

Home state: California/Texas

Age on election day 2024: 72

Self-help author Marianne Williamson was the first notable Democrat to challenge Mr Biden for the party’s nod in 2024.

Once known as “Oprah’s spiritual adviser” due to her frequent appearances on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, Ms Williamson has backed progressive causes throughout her career, including anti-poverty campaigns, support for HIV/AIDS charities and the establishment of a US Department of Peace.

But she’s perhaps most well-known for her unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination in 2020, during which she initially polled high enough to be included in the first round of primary debates.

Her campaign was short-lived, but still made headlines due to her overtly spiritual approach to politics, as she told voters she would “harness love for political purposes” and take on Donald Trump’s “dark psychic force”.

Ms Williamson says she’s challenging Joe Biden because she believes she can “contribute to harnessing the collective sensibility that I feel is our greatest hope at this time”.

Unlikely: Gavin Newsom

California governor Gavin Newsom speaks to victims’ families and local leaders after a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, California, on January 24, 2023.(AP Photo: Aaron Kehoe)

Background: Governor of California, former lieutenant-governor of California, former mayor of San Francisco

Home state: California

Age on election day 2024: 57

As the governor of California and a former mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom has earned a reputation as a slick, ambitious politician, able and willing to change tactics as circumstances require.

Despite a history of personal scandals and a number of recent crises in the Golden State, he’s currently riding high in state polls and handily beat an effort to recall him in 2021.

Mr Newsom has spoken about running for president in the future, but has repeatedly denied he’s running in 2024 — going so far as to say there’s “no one better to lead” than Mr Biden.

A day is a year in politics, though, and his recent eagerness to weigh in on national issues — not to mention his perpetual battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — points to someone who is aware he should at least keep the door open should circumstances change.

Poll-watchers say it’s not a matter of if, but when Mr Newsom runs for president.

Fun fact: He used to be married to Kimberly Guilfoyle, who’s now engaged to Donald Trump Jr.

Unlikely: Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks about an electric ute at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, on September 16, 2021.(Reuters: Rebecca Cook)

Background: Governor of Michigan, former state senator, former state representative

Home state: Michigan

Age on election day 2024: 53

Outside of being the target of an ill-fated kidnapping attempt, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer isn’t too widely known beyond the borders of the United States.

But as a female, second-term governor with a liberal record who is nevertheless popular in a swing state — and who just soundly defeated a Trump-backed opponent — Ms Whitmer is someone who ticks all the boxes required for a Democrat to mount a formidable primary campaign.

She’s managed to pass a slate of left-leaning legislation in Michigan despite rock-solid Republican opposition, and is beginning to see her national spotlight grow as she pioneers the use of Gen-Z-friendly platforms like TikTok and Twitch to reach younger voters.

The only issue is she’s flatly said she’s backing President Biden — even if she’s keeping her options open in the future.

Unlikely: JB Pritzker

Illinois governor Jay Robert (JB) Pritzker speaks during a science initiative event at the University of Chicago on July 23, 2020.(Reuters: Kamil Krzaczynski)

Background: Governor of Illinois, former businessman, former political staffer

Home state: Illinois

Age on election day 2024: 59

A member of the wealthy Pritzker family, which owns the Hyatt hotel chain, billionaire Jay Robert “JB” Pritzker was a longtime Democratic donor before winning the party’s nomination for Illinois governor in 2018.

While a billionaire investor might seem an unlikely ally of progressives, the 58-year-old governor has won over the party’s left with a string of policy wins in his state, having legalised recreational cannabis, enacted a $US15 minimum wage, codified access to abortions after the overturning of Roe v Wade and enacted a ban on assault weapons.

He’s also open about his intent to run for higher office one day, and hasn’t hesitated to spend his own money to achieve political goals.

Mr Pritzker was spoken about for some time as the Democrats’ “break glass” option for 2024 if Joe Biden decided not to run. But he’s now strongly endorsed Mr Biden, launching a spirited defence of the incumbent’s decision to seek re-election and taking up a position on the president’s campaign advisory board.

“I don’t think there’s anybody that’s serious that’s actually considered running against Joe Biden because he’s done such a great job,” he said.

Unlikely: Dean Phillips

United States Congressman Dean Phillips on September 16, 2020.(Pool via Reuters: Kevin Dietsch)

Background: Congressman, businessman

Home state: Minnesota

Age on election day 2024: 55

Citing polling showing most Democratic voters would prefer to field an alternative candidate to Joe Biden, third-term Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips has begun speaking out against the president’s seemingly obstacle-free path to the Democratic nomination.

“Democrats are telling me that they want, not a coronation, but they want a competition,” he told CBS’s Face the Nation in August.

“If we don’t heed that call, shame on us. And the consequences, I believe, are going to be disastrous.”

A former liquor CEO and ideological moderate, Mr Phillips says he’s calling on all qualified candidates to jump into the race.

He’s also met with Democratic donors to discuss his own possible run — although he says his own candidacy is “very unlikely” to be part of the 2024 story.

Unlikely: Pete Buttigieg

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks at a news conference at the construction site of the Hudson Tunnel Project in New York on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.(AP Photo: John Minchillo)

Background: Secretary of transportation, former mayor of South Bend, former US Navy Reserve lieutenant

Home state: Indiana

Age on election day 2024: 42

A former mayor of South Bend, Indiana (population 100,000), Pete Buttigieg ran an unexpectedly strong (and just plain unexpected) race for the presidency in 2020 before being chosen to become Mr Biden’s transportation secretary.

Since then, he’s been an effective surrogate for Mr Biden on morning TV and cable news, and a popular presence on the campaign trail for Democrats in the 2022 midterms.

While politically talented, experience nevertheless remains a question for Mr Buttigieg, who’ll be just 42 by the time the election rolls around — although he will have spent four years in Mr Biden’s cabinet since his last campaign.

If elected president, he would be the first openly gay person to hold the office, as well as the youngest president ever elected.

Mr Buttigieg has backed Mr Biden’s re-election campaign, and says “I don’t have any plans to do any job besides the one I’ve got.”

It’s not the most categorical of denials, but it is a sign that a challenge against his boss is very unlikely to happen.

Unlikely: Stacey Abrams

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams concedes the 2022 governor’s race in Atlanta on November 8, 2022.(AP Photo: Ben Gray)

Background: Former Georgia state minority leader, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, voting rights activist

Home state: Georgia

Age on election day 2024: 50

Stacey Abrams makes a point of being open about her ambitions, telling interviewers she has a responsibility to show young people of colour they can aim for the top.

She first came to national prominence after outperforming expectations in a tough governor’s race in 2018, and campaigned to be included on Mr Biden’s list of potential running mates in 2020.

The massive voter organisation effort she put together for her own campaign was credited with helping turn Georgia blue in the 2020 presidential and senate elections, as well as helping senator Raphael Warnock fend off a challenge from college football superstar Herschel Walker in 2022.

However, the Georgia governorship has remained just out of reach for Ms Abrams, and leapfrogging it to announce a White House bid could open her to attacks claiming she’s not electable — a difficulty she is already facing as she mulls a third run for the governor’s mansion.

Ms Abrams has made it clear she won’t run for president if Mr Biden is running. But if something causes him to shift course, an outsider bid would be very on-brand.

Green Party: Cornel West

Political activist Cornel West announces his candidacy for the US presidency via social media on June 5, 2023.(Supplied)

Background: Philosopher, progressive activist

Home state: Oklahoma/New York

Age on election day 2024: 72

One of America’s most prominent public intellectuals, Cornel West launched his third-party presidential bid with a video on Twitter set to jazz music.

“In these bleak times, I have decided to run for truth and justice which takes the form of running for president of the United States as a candidate for the People’s Party,” he said.

A few days later he said he would be seeking the Green Party nomination instead.

The philosopher and activist, called Brother West by his supporters, is just as widely known for his appearances in popular media as for his academic career, which has seen him teach at Harvard, Princeton and Dartmouth universities.

He’s appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher and Joe Rogan’s podcast, released hip-hop albums, and made cameo appearances in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

Throughout his long career he’s championed progressive causes such as racial justice, ending poverty and mass incarceration, pacifism, and universal healthcare.

Dr West, a Christian who refers to himself as a non-Marxist socialist, has supported left-wing presidential candidates in the past, including Bill Bradley, Jill Stein and Bernie Sanders.

While he doesn’t stand much of a chance at winning the White House, his candidacy will worry Democrats concerned he could siphon votes away Mr Biden, potentially handing the election to the Republicans.

Independent: Joe Manchin?

West Virginia senator Joe Manchin speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Afghanistan on September 28, 2021.

Background: Senator for West Virginia, former governor of West Virginia, coal and real estate broker

Home state: West Virginia

Age on election day 2024: 77

Conservative Democratic senator Joe Manchin, who represents coal-loving West Virginia, has long been a thorn in the side of the progressive wing of his party, using his position to loudly undercut left-wing talking points and stall or sink progressive legislation.

His supporters argue he’s essentially a bonus vote, delivering the Democrats a regular senator from one of the country’s reddest states who can be counted on to vote for majority leaders, judges and the occasional big-ticket item such as the Affordable Care Act.

Forever decrying partisanship and political extremes on both sides of the aisle, he’s now toying with taking things a step further, as he refuses to rule out an independent or third-party bid for the presidency in 2024.

He’s attended several events hosted by No Labels, a non-partisan group chaired by Republican Larry Hogan and former Democrat Joe Lieberman that intends to run a unity ticket as a third option in 2024.

Don’t call him a spoiler candidate, though.

“I’ve never been in any race I’ve ever spoiled. I’ve been in races to win. If I get in the race, I’m gonna win,” he told a town hall in New Hampshire in July.

“I haven’t made a decision,” he quickly added.

Independent: Liz Cheney?

Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney speaks during the Anti-Defamation League’s Never is Now summit in New York on November 10, 2022.(Reuters: Jeenah Moon)

Background: Professor of politics, former congresswoman, former diplomat

Home state: Wyoming

Age on election day 2024: 58

Former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, the daughter of George W Bush vice-president Dick Cheney, was once considered to have serious street cred in the Republican Party.

That changed in the wake of the January 6 attack, after which she became one of the few Republicans to genuinely stand up to Mr Trump, serving on the commission to investigate the attack and calling out her colleagues for their unwillingness to confront the former president.

Her unwillingness to “go along with President Trump’s lie” cost her her seat in Congress.

Ms Cheney has spoken openly about challenging Mr Trump since then, and has built up a considerable campaign war chest. But she’s acknowledged that if she were to be on the ballot in 2024, it wouldn’t be as a Republican.

She says she’ll make a decision soon. In the meantime, she’s taken on a professorship at the University of Virginia as she mulls things over.

Independent: Larry Hogan?

Maryland governor Larry Hogan holds a news conference in Annapolis, Maryland, on July 22, 2020.(Reuters: Jonathan Ernst)

Background: Former governor of Maryland, former Maryland secretary of appointments, land broker

Home state: Maryland

Age on election day 2024: 68

Frequent Trump critic Larry Hogan says he has made the “difficult decision” not to run for president as a Republican, citing the need to avoid repeating “the same mistakes that we made in 2016” by splitting the anti-Trump vote.

“It’s better for us to have a smaller field with a strong candidate or two rather than 10 or more people who are failing to get attention, who are all in single digits,” he said.

However, the former Maryland governor said in early September that he has not closed the door on a White House run as a No Labels candidate — the same group courting Democratic senator Joe Manchin.

“I think we should only put together a ticket in the event that it’s Trump and Biden,” he told CBS’s Face the Nation.

“Nobody’s trying to spoil anything. This is about actually receiving a majority of the votes.”

A centrist, Mr Hogan blames Mr Trump’s domination of the Republican Party for its lacklustre results in 2018, 2020 and 2022, when he said the Republicans should have won the Senate.

He says the better way forward is for parties to have a message — and a candidate — that appeals to a wider group of people.

“I think kind of doubling down on the rhetoric just to appeal to the base may backfire in a general election,” he told NPR’s Morning Edition.

His own electoral success is unquestionable, having left office due to term limits with a 77 per cent approval rating — one of the highest in the country for a governor — despite being a Republican running a deeply blue state.

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Conversion from office space to apartments is getting harder. Let’s discuss why, and also what the effort is really all about.

Only 3,575 apartment units were converted from office space last year. The already fraught process now faces even more challenges.

The Wall Street Journal explains why in its report Turning Empty Offices Into Apartments Is Getting Even Harder

Cities hoping to convert emptying office buildings into apartments are running into financing issues, stagnating rental markets and other challenges that are bottling up their efforts.

Developers last year created just 3,575 apartment units in the U.S. through office conversions, according to an analysis by rental listing site RentCafe. That amounts to less than 1% of all apartments built that year through new construction. 

Federal and local governments are also trying to give conversions a boost. The White House said last month that it was updating guidance for existing grants and spending programs to make billions in federal dollars available for these projects. It also said it would seek the conversion of more government-owned properties into housing.

Some cities, such as Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco, are also taking steps to encourage more conversions. Tax incentives and faster approvals are “rocket fuel” for these projects, said Sheila Botting, a principal at commercial property brokerage Avison Young.

Even so, the process has always been fraught with difficulty and few office buildings are natural candidates. Conversions are easiest in older, lower-quality and mostly empty buildings with small floors. But less than 1% of office space in the biggest U.S. cities ticks those boxes, according to Avison Young.

In significant ways, the conversion process is getting even harder now. Slowing rent growth might make apartment conversions less attractive to investors, if the trend persists into next year. Asking rents for apartments have fallen 1.2% nationally over the past 12 months, according to rentals website Apartment List.

Projects Not Economical

Without massive subsidies these projects are not economically feasible. Many aren’t even with massive subsidies.

In downtown Dallas, developer Wolfe Investments seeks to convert an 18-story, 1950s office tower into residential apartments, but has recently been fighting off foreclosure from its lender, Thistle Creek Partners, court records show. 

Developers of One Camelback, a 200,000-square-foot office building in central Phoenix, are trying to convert it into what would be one of the city’s most expensive rental-apartment properties. A website advertises $8,000-a-month apartments, with floor-to-ceiling windows and crystal-clear views of nearby mountains.

But the developers, Sagamore Capital and partners defaulted on a loan of about $70 million. The project’s lender, Delphi Financial Group, has moved to foreclose. An auction of One Camelback is set for later this month, according to documents filed in Maricopa County, Ariz.

Biden Throws $45 Billion in Federal Funds to Convert Offices into Homes

On October 29, I commented Biden Throws $45 Billion in Federal Funds to Convert Offices into Homes

Questions abound. Assume you can convert offices into homes, who wants to live in them? Is a tear down cheaper?

The government has 1,500 office buildings nationally and leases on almost 200 million square feet of additional space that it does not need. Instead of canceling leases and selling the real estate, it’s going to convert them into clean energy spaces.

With enough subsidies, developers will try nearly anything. Then when the projects fail, the developers ask for more money.

How is this Being Paid For?

Taxpayers of course. But Biden is funneling $45 billion from clean energy incentives in the ridiculously named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into housing conversions.

You might also be wondering what this has to do with clean energy, and the answer is nothing. The questions keep piling up and I have answers.

What’s Really Going On Here?

Biden is hoping to spread the IRA dollars around to buy more votes.

But to do so, he is taking money away from his other pet projects to fund the idea of the moment. His idea of the moment is to do something about the price of rent.

Biden Trails Trump in Five of Six Battleground States

Polls say Biden is in serious trouble and those polls are very believable for reasons I explain.

For discussion, please see Five Alarm Bell – Biden Trails Trump in Five of Six Battleground States

One of the more amusing stats in the poll is voters under 30 favor Mr. Biden by only a single percentage point. And a majority of voters saying Mr. Biden’s policies have personally hurt them.

Housing helps explain that.

CPI Rises More Than Expected as Rent Jumps Another 0.6 Percent

CPI data from the BLS via the St. Louis Fed, chart by Mish

I repeat the core key theme for something like two years now. People keep telling me rents are falling, I keep doubting.

The doubters have it correct again.

On October 12, I noted CPI Rises More Than Expected as Rent Jumps Another 0.6 Percent

Rent of primary residence, the cost that best equates to the rent people pay, jumped 0.6 percent. Rent of primary residence has gone up at least 0.4 percent for 26 consecutive months!

Supposedly, the price of new leases is declining. But new leases are a small slice of the market. Most people do not move. And the irony is falling prices on new leases makes these conversions increasingly unfeasible without bigger and bigger subsidies.

It is not the wealthy who make up the majority of renters. So rent alone is fueling the pain that shows up in the polls. Factor in food.

A rising stock market and home prices does not help those with no assets. And the poor have no assets.

So Biden is desperate to do something about rent. His funneling of $45 billion from here to there is part of his solution.

He may very well be caught in a Red Queen Race where the more he tries the worse he looks.

Wake Up Mr. President, Consumers Do Not Want Not EVs

On October 16, I commented Wake Up Mr. President, Consumers Want Hybrids, Not EVs

A better title would have been Wake Up Mr. President, Consumers Don’t Want EVs

While the President harps about how great things are, consumers don’t see it that away and I have been covering all the reasons why.

This office to apartment idea is nothing more than throwing money at failed big cities hoping to buy more votes. Since consumers don’t want EV’s Biden’s plan is to quietly shift the spotlight to rent.

Unfortunately for Biden, $45 billion does not buy as many votes as it used to.

The post Whats up President Biden, About Your Plan to Waste $45 Billion on Housing Conversions – MishTalk appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

JANIE HAR
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — President Biden praised the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday as a dear friend and a woman of deep integrity who fought to protect what was important to America: freedom, civil liberties, security and the U.S. Constitution.

“She was always tough, prepared, rigorous, compassionate. She always served the people of California and our nation for the right reasons,” Biden said in recorded video remarks played at Feinstein’s memorial outside San Francisco City Hall.

Roughly 1,500 invited guests were at the private service, where two large screens showed photos of Feinstein over the years. Guests seated in white chairs sweltered on an unseasonably hot day as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight team soared overhead, occasionally interrupting speakers with the roar of their jets.

The flight demonstration squadron is in the city as part of Fleet Week, an annual San Francisco celebration started by Feinstein in 1981 when she was mayor.

People are also reading…

Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer were scheduled to deliver remarks, along with Feinstein’s granddaughter, Eileen Mariano, who will speak for family.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, and former Gov. Jerry Brown were in the audience.

The service marks the end of two days of events in the city that launched Feinstein’s political career.

On Wednesday, hundreds of mourners streamed into City Hall to pay their respects, honoring Feinstein as fearless, smart and the glue who kept the city together after two shocking political assassinations.

Many said they had never met her but wanted to honor an indefatigable public servant who fought to level the playing field for women, members of the LGBTQ community and racial minorities.

Feinstein died early Friday at her home in Washington, D.C., of natural causes, said Adam Russell, a spokesperson for her office. She was 90.

Feinstein was one of California’s first two women U.S. senators, a job she first won alongside Barbara Boxer in 1992, dubbed the “ Year of the Woman.”

Feinstein spent much of her career in the U.S. Senate but will be known as the forever mayor of San Francisco, a role she inherited in tragedy. She was president of the Board of Supervisors in November 1978 when former supervisor Dan White assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly gay supervisor, at City Hall.

Feinstein, who found Milk’s body, became acting mayor and won election twice to serve as mayor until 1988.

Georgia Otterson, 76, a health care administrator, said Feinstein wasn’t as politically liberal as she would have liked, but the late mayor earned her respect with how she kept the heartbroken city together.

“We were all mourning together, holding candles. If memory serves me, Joan Baez sang,” Otterson said of an impromptu march that night from the historically gay Castro District to City Hall. “And she held us up.”

As a centrist Democrat, Feinstein was criticized by people on the left, including for her support for the death penalty, and in her later years, for working with Republicans. But the straight, white woman largely earned the gratitude of a city that celebrates its racial and sexual diversity.

She steered San Francisco through the HIV and AIDS crisis, bringing attention to an epidemic ignored by President Ronald Reagan. She also secured federal and private funding to save the city’s iconic cable cars from death by deterioration.

Feinstein led the city as it played host to the Democratic National Convention in 1984. Another San Francisco tradition — “Fleet Week” — was started by Feinstein in 1981, and this year’s annual celebration of air shows, naval ships and military bands is dedicated to her.

While Feinstein’s career sent her to Washington, she remained deeply involved in the affairs of San Francisco, the city where she was born and raised. She often called her successors — including Newsom — to complain about potholes or trash and to offer advice and encouragement.

Breed recalled looking up to Feinstein when she was a Black kid growing up in public housing and playing the French horn in a middle school band that performed regularly at mayoral events.

“She was so proud of us and she said so, and she took the time to talk to us, express how amazing we were and to remind us that we were her band,” Breed said at a news conference the day after Feinstein’s death.

Mourners Wednesday expressed their pride in Feinstein.

“She kept moving on up. I was proud of her, very proud of her,” said Dorothy Hudson, 81, a retired federal government employee. “She was very kind, very smart. She opened doors up to let people know, ‘You can do it.’”

San Francisco native Cari Donovan placed a bouquet of red and pink lilies and daisies on the floor before the casket. She lingered, crying quietly over a woman she never knew but who was so important to her life.

“She championed and fought for the rights of so many people,” Donovan said. “I’m so grateful. And I really just wanted her family to know how much she meant to me.”

The social worker said she talked to her 28-year-old daughter about the battles Feinstein fought so that younger generations of women could dream bigger. “She was a lioness.”

AP researcher Randy Herschaft in New York and writer Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Photos: Sen. Dianne Feinstein through the years

Supervisor Dianne Feinstein holds a news conference at her San Francisco home, Sept. 17, 1971 to announce she is a candidate for mayor of San Francisco. Asked how she rated her chances against incumbent Joseph L. Alioto, she replied with one word: “Good.” She told the news conference that leadership will be the campaign’s key issue. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Richard Drew

Dianne Feinstein, 38-year-old President of the City-County Board of Supervisors and candidate for mayor of San Francisco, prepares to cast her ballot in San Francisco on Nov. 2, 1971. The city’s registrar of voters has predicted a 75 percent turnout for the election in which Mayor Joseph L. Alioto seeks another term in office. (AP Photo/Sal Veder)

Sal Veder

Acting Mayor Dianne Feinstein with Police Chief Charles Gain at left, addresses the more than 25,000 people jammed around San Francisco’s City Hall, Nov. 28, 1978 as city residents staged a spontaneous memorial service for slain officials Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Man at right is not identified. (AP Photo)

Anonymous

Dianne Feinstein elected to finish out the term of the late San Francisco Mayor George R. Moscone, addresses the Board of Supervisors following her election in San Francisco Monday, Dec. 5, 1978. (AP Photo/Sal Veder)

Sal Veder

Mayor of San Francisco Dianne Feinstein is shown in her office, Dec. 11, 1978. (AP Photo)

STF

Mayor of San Francisco Dianne Feinstein speaks in Washington, D.C., March 13, 1979. (AP Photo/John Duricka)

John Duricka

Rep. Abner J. Mikva (D-Ill.), and San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein hold a Capitol Hill news conference in Washington, Jan. 25, 1979 to promote presidential and congressional action for strong handgun control. (AP Photo/John Duricka)

John Duricka

San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein carries a candle as she lead an estimated 15,000 marchers also carrying candles during a march in memory of slain Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco, Nov. 28, 1979. In the background is a sign that says “Gay Love is Gay Power.” (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Paul Sakuma

Mayor Dianne Feinstein leaves the voting booth in San Francisco, Dec. 11, 1979, after casting her ballot in the run-off election for mayor. The mayor faces Supervisor Quentin Kopp in the runoff as she attempts to become the first woman elected to the city’s highest office. (AP Photo/Jim Palmer)

Jim Palmer

Diane Feinstein with Pope John Paul II in Vatican City, Sept. 8, 1982. (AP Photo)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang escorts San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein in the Zeguangge, Pavilion of Purple Light, where they met in Peking, Saturday, Nov. 10, 1984. (AP Photo/Neal Ulevich)

Neal Ulevich

San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, right, and Mayor Richard Berkley of Kansas City, Mo. appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee at Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, August 16, 1982 which is holding hearings on antitrust problems which professional sports teams. (AP Photo/Scott Stewart)

Scott Stewart

Democratic Senate candidates Barbara Boxer, left, and Dianne Feinstein raise their arms in victory and wave to supporters at an election rally in San Francisco, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1992. The two women claimed victory over their Republican male rivals, Bruce Herschensohn and Sen. John Seymour. (AP Photo/Alan Greth)

Alan Greth

Former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, left, and Rep. Barbara Boxer raise their hands in victory during an appearance at the airport in Burbank, California, Wednesday, June 3, 1992. The two women won the Democratic nominations for the two California U.S. Senate seats. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Paul Sakuma

Walter Mondale gestures to supporters as he is greeted by San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein outside her home as she arrived to attend a fund-raiser reception in San Francisco, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 1984. Mondale had been in San Francisco for an after noon rally where he picked up the endorsement of the Sierra Club. (AP Photo/Lana Harris)

Lana Harris

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., reacts after the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission announced on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, June 25, 1993, that the shipyard in Long Beach in Calif., would remain open. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., is at right. (AP Photo/Stephen R. Brown)

Stephen R. Brown

California Senator Dianne Feinstein and Roland J. Johnson, assistant director of the San Diego district for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, tour the San Ysidro Border Crossing in San Diego, Wednesday, July 7, 1993. Feinstein has proposed a $1.00 fee for crossing the border. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Lenny Ignelzi

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein gestures to friends on Thursday, Oct. 27, 1994 at the San Francisco Fire Department’s fireboat berth during a demonstration of equipment used to supply emergency drinking water to Rwandan refugee camps. Feinstein was instrumental in getting the equipment, credited with saving nearly 150,000 lives in Rwanda, shipped to the war-torn African nation. (AP Photo/Dwayne Newton)

Dwayne Newton

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., arrives at a Democratic election party in San Francisco, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

PAUL SAKUMA

Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., left, discusses re-introduction of legislation to expand a nationwide Amber Alert communication system to help find abducted children. Left to right are Feinstein, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Sen. Orrin, R-Utah, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Feinstein said Tuesday they would try again to create a nationwide Amber Alert network to help track down suspected child abductors.(AP Photo/Dennis Cook)

DENNIS COOK

** FILE ** In this July 17, 2008, file photo, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., left, President Bush, center, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., speak about the California wildfires in Redding, Calif. Firefighting costs have soared since a firestorm in Southern California in 2003. Schwarzenegger cited the expense as a factor when he deferred wages for state workers and laid off others recently as he contends with an overall budget shortfall. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Evan Vucci

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., center, flanked by Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., left, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VT., right, take part in news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, to discuss Judiciary Committee action on legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Feinstein is the lead sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. walks to a closed-door briefing with intelligence officials, Wednesday, June 4, 2014, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

J. Scott Applewhite

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. is surrounded by reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014, as she leaves the Senate chamber after releasing a report on the CIA’s harsh interrogation techniques at secret overseas facilities. Feinstein branded the findings a “stain on the nation’s history.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

J. Scott Applewhite

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., attends a signing ceremony for a federal grant for the “regional connector transit corridor” in Los Angeles Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014. The light rail public transit system in Los Angeles is getting $670 million to solve one of its most vexing design deficiencies: Train riders who want to travel from one side of downtown and out the other must transfer twice. The “regional connector,” as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority calls it, will tie together three existing light rail lines with a new tunnel and three new stations. Major construction should begin later this year, with an estimated cost of $1.4 billion. It will be opened in 2020. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Damian Dovarganes

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., waves after speaking at a news conference about health care at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Friday, July 7, 2017, in San Francisco. Feinstein addressed how Medicaid cuts in the Senate Republican health care bill would devastate care for children. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Eric Risberg

Vice President Mike Pence administers a ceremonial Senate oath during a mock swearing-in ceremony to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., accompanied by her husband Richard Blum, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019, in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Manuel Balce Ceneta

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., walks at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

J. Scott Applewhite

Actress and activist Angelina Jolie, center, is joined from left by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, at a news conference to announce a bipartisan update to the Violence Against Women Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

J. Scott Applewhite

FILE – Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., arrives for the Senate Democratic Caucus leadership election at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. Feinstein’s months-long absence from the Senate has become a growing problem for Democrats. Feinstein’s vote is critical to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees to the federal courts, but Feinstein is away from the Senate indefinitely as she recovers from the shingles. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

J. Scott Applewhite

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, talks with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., right, before a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Mariam Zuhaib

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., walks through a Senate corridor after telling her Democratic colleagues that she will not seek reelection in 2024, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

J. Scott Applewhite

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com.

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The post President Biden praises Dianne Feinstein as defender of American values at San Francisco memorial appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will be among those delivering remarks at Thursday’s memorial for the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, where she served as the city’s first female mayor.

The service will mark the end of two days of events in the city that launched Feinstein’s political career. On Wednesday, mourners streamed into City Hall to pay their respects, honoring Feinstein as fearless, smart and the glue who kept the city together after two shocking political assassinations.

“She wasn’t afraid to do a man’s job. She wasn’t afraid to be a senator. She wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted,” said Lawanda Carter, 48, of San Francisco. “And that’s encouragement for us women now to have courage.”

Carter was among the scores of everyday San Franciscans and political leaders alike who brought flowers, bowed their heads or clasped their hands in prayer as they stood before Feinstein’s casket, which was draped in an American flag and on display behind velvet ropes. Many said they had never met Feinstein, but wanted to honor an indefatigable public servant who fought to level the playing field for women, members of the LGBTQ community and racial minorities.

Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also of San Francisco, and Mayor London Breed were among the officials who paid their respects.

Feinstein died early Friday in her Washington, D.C., home of natural causes, said Adam Russell, a spokesperson for her office. She was 90.

A recorded message from President Joe Biden will be played at Thursday’s memorial, where Pelosi and Feinstein’s granddaughter, Eileen Mariano, are also scheduled to speak. Gov. Gavin Newsom, himself a former San Francisco mayor, and former California Gov. Jerry Brown are also expected to be in attendance. A livestream is planned of the service, which will be closed to the public.

Feinstein was one of California’s first two women U.S. senators, a job she first won alongside Barbara Boxer in 1992, dubbed the “ Year of the Woman.”

Feinstein spent much of her career in the U.S. Senate but will be known as the forever mayor of San Francisco, a role she inherited in tragedy. She was president of the Board of Supervisors in November 1978 when a former supervisor assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly gay supervisor, at City Hall.

Feinstein, who found Milk’s body, became acting mayor and won election twice to serve as mayor until 1988.

Georgia Otterson, 76, a health care administrator, said Feinstein wasn’t as politically liberal as she would have liked, but the late mayor earned her respect with how she kept the heartbroken city together.

“We were all mourning together, holding candles. If memory serves me, Joan Baez sang,” Otterson said of an impromptu march that night from the historically gay Castro District to City Hall. “And she held us up.”

As a centrist Democrat, Feinstein was criticized by people on the left, including for her support for the death penalty, and in her later years, for working with Republicans. But the straight, white woman largely earned the gratitude of a city that celebrates its racial and sexual diversity.

She steered San Francisco through the HIV and AIDS crisis, bringing attention to an epidemic ignored by President Ronald Reagan. She also secured federal and private funding to save the city’s iconic cable cars from death by deterioration.

Feinstein led the city as it played host to the Democratic National Convention in 1984. Another San Francisco tradition — “Fleet Week” — was started by Feinstein in 1981, and this year’s annual celebration of air shows, naval ships and military bands is dedicated to her.

While Feinstein’s career sent her to Washington, she remained deeply involved in the affairs of San Francisco, the city where she was born and raised. She often called her successors — including Newsom — to complain about potholes or trash and to offer advice and encouragement.

Breed recalled looking up to Feinstein when she was a Black kid growing up in public housing and playing the French horn in a middle school band that performed regularly at mayoral events.

“She was so proud of us and she said so, and she took the time to talk to us, express how amazing we were and to remind us that we were her band,” Breed said at a news conference the day after Feinstein’s death.

Mourners Wednesday expressed their pride in Feinstein.

“She kept moving on up. I was proud of her, very proud of her,” said Dorothy Hudson, 81, a retired federal government employee. “She was very kind, very smart. She opened doors up to let people know, ‘You can do it.’”

San Francisco native Cari Donovan placed a bouquet of red and pink lilies and daisies on the floor before the casket. She lingered, crying quietly over a woman she never knew but who was so important to her life.

“She championed and fought for the rights of so many people,” Donovan said. “I’m so grateful. And I really just wanted her family to know how much she meant to me.”

The social worker said she talked to her 28-year-old daughter about the battles Feinstein fought so that younger generations of women could dream bigger. “She was a lioness.”

——

AP researcher Randy Herschaft in New York and writer Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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Private Residence
San Francisco, California

(September 27, 2023)

5:22 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT: Before you — before you go, I’ve got to tell a little story. (Laughter.) You know, I didn’t realize, even though I’d been vice president and sat in that seat next to the President in front of the fireplace in the Oval Office for eight years, that the outgoing president has to be out of the office by — I think it’s 10 o’clock on Inauguration Day. And the incoming president doesn’t — can’t come in — I believe it isn’t until four o’clock.

And so, I asked my brother, Jim, my best buddy — who has better taste than I do — to pick which desk I would — I knew what desk and rug I wanted in the room, but pick out and lay out the furniture.

And for — I was there for a long time as a U.S. senator and then as vice president. And there was one portrait that hung over — the Secretary of the Interior knows this — one portion that — portrait that hung over the mantelpiece, and it was George Washington. And it was a normal size; it was probably about two and a half or three by four, or something like that.

And so, I came in, and there was this gigantic picture of Franklin Delano Roosevelt — portrait, not picture. Portrait. And next to him, there’s four other presidents: Jefferson and Madison on the one side, and Washington and Lincoln.

So, I looked at my brother. I said, “Why Roosevelt?” I admired him, but why? And Jon Meacham, who is a presidential historian — was helping my brother set the office up — figure the office — said, “Well, because no president has ever taken office with the world in more financial disarray than he.” And I said, “Oh, that’s wonderful.” (Laughter.)

And then I said, “Why Lincoln?” He said, “Because the country hasn’t been as divided since Lincoln.”

I said, “I’m out of here.” (Laughter.) (Inaudible.)

But, look, thank you all so very, very much. And as you can tell, I like kids better than people, so — (laughter) — I’m not going to go long because I want to see the kids. She brought everybody — her two sons out, but her beautiful daughter is sitting in the back on a bench back here.

Folks, Gretchen and Andrew, I want to thank you for organizing the event.

And your lieutenant governor, we were talking about — not the Pacific Ocean, but the Bala- — Lake Balaton in — when she was the Ambassador to Hungary, which I spent a lot of time in with — putting Hungary together. And thank you.

And Deb — Deb Haaland has not only made history as the first Native American Cabinet Secretary, but has helped me get so much done.

And I was raised politically by Danny Inouye. For real. He was the first guy to urge me to run for president. And Danny used to say, “Joe, it’s Indian Nations — Indian Nations.” And it is.

And, Deb, you’re the best. You really are. You’re doing a heck of a job. (Applause.)

And just like you, I owe it all to my sister, sitting to your left. Sis, welcome. Thank you. (Applause.)

Normally at events like this, I would talk about how much Kamala — and Kamala has been an incredible, incredible ally. (Applause.) No, she really has. She is so bright. She is so tough. She is just doing a first-rate job making me look better. (Laughs.)

But I want — I ordinarily talk about what Kamala and I have accomplished in the first almost two years of our administration because today, a lot of Americans don’t know it. You know, we’ve created 14 — 13.4 million jobs. More jobs created in — in two — about two years than any president has in four years. (Applause.)

And — and we — together, we rallied the world to confront Russia aggression in Ukraine by holding NATO together and keeping cohesion in their — in the G7.

And we put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown. (Applause.) By the way — and she’s the brightest person on the Court. (Laughter.) Anyway, she’s really first rate. I wish we could — I wish I could bring her along to meet all of you guys.

But — and we passed the biggest investment in history to combat climate change, because I believe climate change is the only existential threat we have. I mean that in a literal sense. Not a joke. If we don’t get it under control, we will have mortgaged not only the next generation, but mortgaged humanity. I believe that with every fiber of my being.

And I especially want to thank — (applause) — and I especially want to thank Kamala for her leadership in so many really important issues. I told her, “Look, when I was vice president, all the tough issues, Barack gave to me.” Well, I gave them all to her. (Laughter.)

But no — but all kidding aside, she’s done a remarkable job in so many issues: protecting women’s freedoms, combatting gun violence, and I could go on all the issues that she’s brought to — she’s fought like hell for.

And we have lunch once a week, and we talk over what more she wants to do. And she’s doing an incredible job.

But, folks, tonight I want to talk about something else. I want to talk about what’s at stake for America. And I mean it sincerely: what’s at stake for America.

You know, when I left the vice presidency at the end of the Obama-Biden administration, I had no intention of running for office again.

Do we need all those fans on? Because — can you hear clearly in the back? (Applause.) Oh, okay. All right.

The — and I had no intention of running again because I had lost my son, the attorney general of Delaware and a decorated war hero out of Iraq. He had a Bronze Star, a Conspicuous Service Medal. And unfortunately, he — his — his — where he slept in his tent was about a hundred yards from a massive burn pit. And he went over one of the healthiest men in his — in his group, and he came back with stage four glioblastoma. It wasn’t if he’d make it; it’s just how long he’d have.

And I was going to write a book. I was going to write a book about foreign policy. I set up an institute at the University of Pennsylvania, where I — I had the foreign policy institute, where they gave me not only professorship but gave me a budget to hire key staff. And the staff included Tony Blinken, who’s now Secretary of State, and many other really serious foreign policy folks.

And I became a professor there. And then I set up an institute of domestic policy at the University of Delaware, my alma mater.

But — but that’s what I did. That’s what I decided to do.

But then along came Charlottesville in Virginia, in August of 2017. You all may remember what happened. I never thought I’d see it in my lifetime. You had hundreds of people marching out of the woods and the fields — not a joke — out of — marching from the fields carrying torches, their veins in their necks bulging in anger, singing the same anti-Semitic bile that was sung on the streets of Germany in 1932 and -3 and -4, and carrying swastikas — carrying swastikas. If you remember, try to think back at the time. Accompanied by the Ku Klux Klan and one of the leaders of the Klan.

And a young woman was killed — a bystander. And I talked with her mom.

After it was over, the President — the then-President was asked — he said, “What — what do you think about what happened?” And I’ll never forget the comment. He said, “There are very fine people on both sides.” “Very fine people on both sides.”

Those words coming out of the mouth of a president in that year just stunned me. It actually stunned me. And, you know, I — making a moral equivalency between that young woman and those racist SOBs — excuse my language — I — I just knew I couldn’t stand by.

Because, you see, I was raised to believe silence is complicity. I mean that sincerely. And so, I would not be silent, so I ran.

And I ran because I thought — I genuinely thought everything this country stood for and believed in, everything that made America “America,” even our democracy, was literally at risk. Again, not hyperbole. I believe that.

And we had no choice. You might remember, I — some thought I was being hyperbolic at the time when I — they said, “Joe, what do you mean democracy is at risk?” or “What do you mean you’re going to restore the soul of America?”

The soul is who we are. It’s who we are. And we were not anything remotely like what was happening.

I come out of the Civil Rights Movement. I thought we could change things when I convinced Strom Thurmond to vote for the Voting Rights Act before he died. I thought we could change things. I was wrong.

You can never defeat hate. Hate just hides under a rock, and when a little oxygen is breathed under that rock, it comes out — it comes back out. That was happening. It was happening.

And, look, the fact of the matter is I don’t think anyone today doubts democracy was at risk that last election and — in 2020. And thank God, because of people like you, Kamala and I won.

And I might add, we won con- — (applause) — and I might add, notwithstanding what’s even being bandied about now, we won convincingly, without question, by a margin of 7 million votes — more votes cast for a president than at any time in American history. (Applause.)

The victory — but here’s the thing: A victory that has not only withstood 60 court challenges, all the way to the Supreme Court, but an insurrection on January the 6th — an insurrection.

I walk into that little dining room off my office where the President sat while that was going on, and think to myself, “How could you sit there? How could you sit there and watch what was happening?”

I told someone earlier tonight that, you know, when I made the first visit as chair — as President of the United States over to England, to the G7, to the European leaders, I sat down and I said, “America is back.” And Macron looked at me and he said, “For how long?” And then the Chancellor of Germany said, “What would you think, Mr. President, if you read tomorrow in the morning paper here in London that a group of a thousand people stormed the Parliament…” — think about this in the literal sense — “…stormed the Parliament, broke down the doors of the House of Commons, killed two bobbies in the process in order to overthrow an election? What would you think about England? What would you think about anyone?”

And, you know, I never quite thought about it as profoundly as that. What would we think if we picked up the paper and read that about the Chancellor — about Germany or France or England now?

And so, folks, you know, democracy was at stake. And notwithstanding the fact that we have in this posi- — in the position that we have moved to rebuild this country in a way that we now have the strongest economy in the world.

We have more to do. I’m not suggesting it’s over. We have more to do, but we have the strongest economy in the world.

But guess what? I’m now running again because we made progress but because our democracy, in my view, is still at stake. I mean that sincerely.

We’re running because our most important freedoms — the right to choose, the right to vote, the right to be who you are, to love who you love — is being attacked and shredded. Literally, think about it: It’s a constant attack.

We’re running because our children should have the right to go to school without fear of being gunned down by a weapon of war. More children in America die every year in America from gun violence than any other cause — any other cause: car accidents, anything. More children die in the United States of America.

Did any of you think as parents that you’d ever see your children having duck-and-cover drills in school?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, you know, I’m running also because it’s still too often that you can be attacked walking down a street just because you’re Black or because of the symbol of your religion you may be wearing.

I’m running because — no, I’m not on the side of dictators like Putin. I know Putin better than anybody who’s held this office. I met with him many, many times over the years.

But maybe Trump and his MAGA friends know how to deal and praise Putin, but I will not. I think it’s outrageous what they say — outrageous and undermines all of our interest. And by — I’m going to stand up to him, and we always will.

Look, Kamala and I are running because we hear this: We want the entire nation to join us in sending the strongest, clearest, most powerful message possible that political violence in America is never, never, never, never acceptable. Never acceptable (inaudible). (Applause.)

And we’re running because democracy is still at stake in 2024, and democracy is on the ballot.

And let there be no question: Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are determined to destroy American democracy because they want to break down the institutional structures that allow it to happen.

We are — we are the most unique nation in the world. That sounds like the usual American chauvinism, but we are. We’re the only nation in the world that is not based on ethnicity, religion, or any — we’re the only nation in the world based on an idea — not a joke — an idea: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, endowed by…” and the list goes on.

We’ve never lived fully up to that, but we’ve never walked away from it. But we’ve been walking away from it of late.

And those of you — you’re all successful business women and men. I lay eight to five, Madam Ambassador, if you went back to Hungary, they’d be asking you, “What’s going on? What’s going on?” Whether they are — no matter who they are, there’s a great concern about: Is America still the beacon of democracy and liberty in the world?

Well, we are.

But here’s the deal: You know, the country we lieve [live] in is — in my view, is — is special. But there are those in Congress who are sowing such division, they’re willing to shut down this government right now.

You know, just a few months ago after a long negotiation between myself and the Speaker of the House, we agreed to — on spending levels for the government that — to fund essential domestic and national security priorities while still cutting more than $1 trillion over the next decade. We shook hands on it. We agreed.

Well, only a couple months later, they’re changing the whole deal. They’re rejecting — they’re trying to go back and take away everything that we fought for, including people going without pay in the military.

I could go on. I won’t start. I’ll get just angry a little bit.

But now a small group of these extreme Republicans don’t want that deal anymore, and so now everyone in America could face a significant price to pay.

Funding the government is one of the most basic responsibilities of the Congress. And it’s time for the Republicans in the House of Representatives to stand up and do their job because the Republicans in the Senate, including the Senate leadership from Kentucky, are ready to stand up and work with a bipartisan agreement.

America elected them as well.

You know, Kamala and I don’t believe America is dark or a negative nation, not a — not a nation of carnage driven by anger, fear, as well as the sense of revenge.

You hear the — the former president saying, you know, he will seek revenge for what has happened. The president of the United States will seek revenge for what’s happened.

I mean, I could go on. I won’t — you know all the assertions he’s made.

Ladies and gentlemen, Donald Trump does believe we are a nation driven by anger and fear and playing on it. To his supporters, he says, “I am your retribution.” He says we’re a failing nation. “Either…” — I’m quoting — “Either they win, or we win. And if they win, we no longer have a country.”

Did you ever think you’d hear a president or former president of the United States say those kinds of things? But it’s constant.

And he has some significant support among the — what I call the MAGA Republicans. It’s probably only — it makes up 25 percent of the population. But it’s real, and it’s serious.

I believe we are a hopeful, optimistic nation — I really do — driven by a simple proposition that everyone deserves just a shot — just a free shot. We can disagree on detail of what we should — how we should govern, what we should do, what before — but everyone deserves a shot.

Folks, that’s what at stake in my view. And Kamala and I, we need you. We genuinely need you. Not a joke.

You know, instead, we need every Americ- — indeed, we need every American who loves this country to step up and vote in 2024. If we do that, we’re going to do something few generations will be able to say. We’re going to be able to say we’ve — we’ve saved democracy and we’ve buried this ugly hate again, until someone else tries to come along and breathe hate into it.

Folks, I mean this sincerely. I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s chances in the world than I am today.

And I know I don’t look it, but I’m 180 years old. (Laughter.) I’ve been around a long time. But I mean it. Think about it.

What we’ve done internationally: We’ve put the alliances — we pulled together; the idea we’re going to unite Israel and Saudi Arabia, for God’s sake; the idea that we have the North — South — South Korea and Japan in alliances working with us to defend Ukraine. I mean, just — the list goes on.

Or domestically, we’re really actually moving, making significant progress.

But if we — if we do what we need to do, we’ll be able to say we’ve not only saved democracy, but we’ve generated a new economic growth and political reality in the United States of America.

We have to remember — and that’s the best way to say it. We have to remember who are, for God’s sake. We are the United States of America — the Unites States of America.

There is nothing we’ve ever set our mind to as a nation that when we’ve joined together to get it done, we failed. Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. And that’s not hyperbole.

We’ve come out of ever crisis stronger than when we went in. That’s America. That’s who we are. (Applause.)

And, folks, we’ve just got to remember, we are the United States of America. There is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity.

May God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.

Thank you. (Applause.)

5:43 P.M. PDT

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Fairmont San Francisco Hotel
San Francisco, California

12:13 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT:  This is a 14-hour meeting.  (Laughter.)

Look, let me begin by saying that one of the things that disturbed me — being involved in elective office for a long time — is how, over the last 30 years, the federal government has paid less and less attention to investments in science and technology. 

And we’re in a situation where we used to have a significant portion of our GDP going into research and development.  And it got down to 0.7 percent from 2 percent.  We used to lead the world.

And I don’t know how we can be the safest, most secure, and healthiest nation in the world without significant investment in — in science and technology, and I mean that.  And so, you’ve all really stepped up.

And one of the things that I also — it doesn’t directly relate today, but Arati and I talked a little bit about it earlier this morning — is that: What leaders say matter, in terms of people’s confidence in things they’re not sure about. 

And one of those areas — you saw what happened with regard to the crisis — health crisis that we had that cost us — we lost well over a million people.  And as time began to move on, you had more and more voices saying, “No, no, no.  You don’t need to get that shot.  You don’t need to be — get — you don’t need to.” 

And we have a new strain of COVID now, and we have answers for it.  But I just would urge those in public life and both political parties or no political party to be cautious about the ac- — the sometimes inflammatory things you say about this, because people’s lives are at stake. 

And the last piece was: When I was vice president, for a slightly different reason, I spent a lot of time going between rural areas and urban areas.  And one of the things that we — you’re going to talk about here is the — the healthcare workers reflecting the community.  We need not only to have more focus on rural communities and rural hospitals in order to get the kind of care and — and attention they need, but we need to have people from those communities to be the ones who are trained and engaged in that effort.  And I think that — again, Arati raised that with me this morning. 

I — I can’t tell you how certain I am that that is necessary, and I’m not a scientist.  It matters.  It matters who you go to and do you trust what they’re doing.  Do you think they know what they’re talking about?

And so, Dr. Zuber, thank you.  I’m really looking forward to this discussion.

And this group represents some of the top minds in America.  And that’s, again, not hyperbole.  That’s a fact.

I’ve often said, America is the only nation in the world  that can be defined by one word.  I spent a lot of time with Xi Jinping when I was vice president and subsequent to that.  And he once asked me, on the Tibetan Plateau, could I define America for him?  And I mean this sincerely — not a joke.  I said, “Yes.  One word: possibilities.”

We’ve always believed that anything is possible if we set our mind to it.  Possibilities.

And science and technology is allowing us to unlock the potential as a nation and meet the challenges of our time with some sense of urgency and purpose.  I can’t emphasize the word “urgency” too much. 

I’d hate like hell if three generations from now, them to look back on this period where we had the potential tools to explore and increase significantly our ability to help, and we somehow mes- — messed it up.  No, no, I mean it sincerely.  I’m sorry to talk so plainly, but I think that’s what it gets down to in many cases.

So, I’m looking forward to discussing actions that we’re taking on two priorities: AI — artificial intelligence — and expanding high-quality healthcare for every American no matter where they’re quartered, where they live, what their background is.

You know, as we just heard, AI has the potential to transform research, and I’m looking forward to learning much more today.

And, by the way, I’m not joking.  My latest two trips around the world — and not figuratively; literally around the world — to meet with other world leaders, ev- — well, I wouldn’t say “everyone.”  I can think of — I can’t think of anybody who didn’t, but I’m sure I will — there was some world leader who didn’t ask me. 

They wanted to talk about our leadership on artificial intelligence and what the meetings — what we — I’ve conducted already around tables similar to this with the 10, 12 major, major initiators within AI — and the vast differences that exist among them in terms of what potential it has, what dangers there are. 

And so, you know, I’ve been keen — I have a keen interest in AI and convened key experts on how to harness the power of artificial intelligence for good while protecting people from the profound risk it also presents — we can’t kid ourselves — the profound risk if we don’t do it well. 

And the United States is committed to that goal.  And we’re going to work with world leaders to achieve it, including British Prime Minister Su- — Sunak and others that I’ve been — they want to do more together with us.  

And I want to thank — thanks to our administrations, 15 American technology companies have already begun to implement voluntary commitments to help ensure that AI technology is safe, secure, and trustworthy before it’s released to the public.  That includes extensive independent safety testing.  That includes watermarking and identifying images that have been generated by AI. 

And — and to state the obvious: AI — AI extends beyond health and security issues.  I applaud the tentative resolution from the writers strike, for example, here — not here — in California, in Los Angeles, including insurances on how the use of AI will occur. 

This fall, I’m going to take executive action, and my administration is going to continue to work with bipartisan legislation so America leads the way toward responsible AI innovation. 

We’re also taking action to ensure our loved ones have access to high-quality healthcare, starting with the PCAST release — report you released on strengthening patient safety.  I made very brief reference to it at the beginning, but it is really, really critical. 

And today, I’m announcing major investments in patient safety from ARPA-H to develop antibiotics and to fight deadly drug-resistant bacteria and save lives.  Think of that.  We’re talking about the potential for antibiotics to be used to deal with ca- — anyway, it just — 

When I start reading your reports, I think to myself, “My, Lord, what an incredible era we’re about to go through.”  But it has to be done well. 

And so, finding and implementing solutions to reduce medical errors and other problems for patients’ experiences when hospitalized is going to improve health outcomes and protect our loved ones as well. 

And Joe Kiani knows a lot about that — been working with it a long, long time. 

My administration is committed to ensuring every American receives high-quality care they deserve in every community — urban, rural, suburban, Tribal — I — and — and it varies as to who — think about your — I — I say to the public who may be listening: Think about whether or not — who you go to and how much you trust that doc is going to impact on whether you follow the instructions.  No, I — I mean it.  It is a very basic human nature element.  And that’s why having people from, quote, “the neighborhood” makes a big difference, I think. 

And — and so, it’s going to reduce medical errors and other problems patient fac- — face when they’re hospitalized.  And I believe it’s going to improve outcomes and protect the people we love. 

My administration is committed to ensuring every American receives high-quality care they deserve in every community, as I said.  And ultimately, it’s all about dignity — it’s all about dignity. 

The actions we take together are going to help protect people’s health.  They’re going to promote innovation.  And we’re going to win the economic competition of the 21st century, in my humble opinion. 

And I’ll just say: If we have a government shutdown, a lot of vital work in science and health could be impacted, from cancer research to food safety.  So, the American people need our Republican friends in the House of Representatives to do their job: fund the government. 

We’ve got a lot to discuss, so let’s get this meeting started.  I’d rather hear from you than me.  Thank you.

Q    Mr. President, do you think the government shutdown is inevitable at this point?  Over here, sir.  Do you —

THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t think anything is inevitable in politics.

Q    What — what can be done now to make — to make sure it doesn’t happen?

THE PRESIDENT:  If I knew that, I would have done it already.  (Laughter.)

12:22 P.M. PDT

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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is contemplating a bid for the GOP presidential nomination, The Washington Post reports, and is so serious about the prospect that he “is already filming television ads” for his nascent presidential campaign. That might be something of a surprise: Burgum’s name has not often been listed among the likely candidates as the 2024 presidential race gears up.

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Even North Dakotans might be surprised by their governor’s ambitions. One local journalist, a columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, spotted the possibility ahead of just about everybody else. Columnist Rob Port writes he “happened to notice, back in March, a few stray social media posts indicating that North Dakota’s governor had made the sort of trip to Iowa that presidential candidates make.” Until this month, though, there were few other public clues that Burgum would actually run. Who is Doug Burgum? What is his agenda for higher office? And what are his chances?

Who is Doug Burgum?

He’s a former chimney sweep. Really. As a senior at North Dakota State University “I had started a business sweeping chimneys,” Burgum told Forbes in 2017. That proved a launching pad to greater success: A story about his business hit the wire services, Burgum said, which helped get him a slot at Stanford University, where he earned an MBA. “I was later told it caused quite a stir in the Stanford admissions office,” Burgum said. “‘Hey, there’s a chimney sweep from North Dakota who’s applied.'”

The 66-year-old governor went on to become a software executive who hit big: He sold his company to Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 2001. He “first ran for governor in 2016 as a political neophyte with no party endorsements and only 10 percent support in local polls,” CBS News reports. He took on the establishment GOP candidate, then-North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, and beat him for the nomination by 20 points. Two things that helped Burgum in that race: He was an outsider during the same cycle that elected Donald Trump to the presidency, and he largely self-funded his campaign.

What is he known for?

“Sources close to Burgum say the governor would likely focus a presidential campaign on two issues — the economy and energy,” Fox News reports. As governor, he recently signed a bill that bans abortion after six weeks and another that restricts gender-affirming care for transgender minors. He did make national headlines during the early days of the COVID pandemic in 2020, making a case against the left-right ideological divide over masking. “If someone is wearing a mask, they’re not doing it to represent what political party they’re in or what candidates they support,” he said, adding: “If somebody wants to wear a mask, there should be no mask shaming.” Later that year, North Dakota imposed a short-lived mask requirement.

Why might he run for president?

He appears really interested in energy policy. (The oil and gas industry in North Dakota employs more than 50,000 people and provided the state with $3.8 billion in tax revenues in 2021.) The Forum points out that as governor, Burgum has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 — but perhaps not in the way you might think: He has focused not on restricting fossil fuel use, but on “exploiting research in North Dakota to harness underground geological formations to store carbon.” He told the paper’s editorial board that he prefers innovation to regulation on energy and climate issues, and that is the approach he wants to see from the GOP’s eventual presidential nominee. “Energy policy drives America,” Burgum told the paper.

What are his odds?

Probably not great: As of mid-May, Burgum wasn’t even listed as a “long shot” in Politico’s overview of the GOP field of declared and likely candidates — that’s how out-of-nowhere his candidacy appears to be. A recent Morning Consult poll clocked the support for 10 of the contenders, including former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, but Burgum’s name was not on the list. 

But Burgum apparently sees a path: After all, he was similarly unknown when he started his campaign for governor. “All the engagement right now is occurring on the edge,” he told The Forum. “There’s definitely a yearning for some alternatives right now.”

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The South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce recently proudly announced the appointment of Olga García as its newest Board President, marking a historic moment as she becomes the first Latina President in the Chamber’s 110-year history. This significant milestone reflects the Chamber’s commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and embracing the rich cultural tapestry of the South San Francisco community.

Olga García

García is an accomplished leader and highly respected Manager at CG Moving Co., where she has been delivering comprehensive office and residential relocation and storage solutions since 2013. With extensive experience in the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors, Olga’s expertise has solidified her reputation as a trusted leader in the industry.

At CG Moving Co., García oversees every aspect of customer interaction, ensuring seamless coordination and exceptional service from start to finish. Her unwavering commitment to client satisfaction and her ability to navigate diverse needs and cultural nuances have earned her the trust and admiration of her clientele.

Beyond her professional achievements, García actively engages in industry associations and community organizations, demonstrating her dedication to making a positive impact. She co-presides over the Northern Region Chapter of the California Moving and Storage Association, spearheading initiatives that promote collaboration and excellence within the moving industry. She is also the co-founder of the renowned “Women on the Move” series and conferences, empowering women in leadership and professional development within the moving industry.

In addition to her industry involvement, García holds influential positions in various business and trade associations. She is a board member of the Golden Gate Business Association, the nation’s first LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce. Now, as the Board President of the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, she continues to drive local business support and community development initiatives.

Olga García (second from right) networking, mixing and mingling with colleagues at a Divas & Drinks event co-produced by The Academy SF
and the San Francisco Bay Times

García’s exceptional managerial acumen, industry leadership, and commitment to advocacy have garnered her recognition and respect within the moving industry and the communities she serves. She holds a B.A. in Latino/Latina Studies from San Francisco State University. As the first Latina Immigrant President of the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, she embodies the spirit of diversity, representation, and inclusive leadership, inspiring others to achieve their full potential.

Established in 1913, the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is a prominent business organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for local businesses. With a membership representing diverse industries, the Chamber strives to foster economic growth, provide valuable resources, and promote a thriving business environment in South San Francisco.

CG Moving Co.: https://cgmovingcompany.com/

South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce: https://www.ssfchamber.com/

Published on July 27, 2023

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