I was chatting the other day with a friend. We’re not “friends” in the sense of hanging out together, but I’ve patronized his business for decades, I know his family, and I like and respect him quite a bit. So I call him my friend.

Today’s post is dedicated to the memory of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a great American. I didn’t always agree with him. But he had enormous influence on American politics and was a grand inspiration for many of us. I voted for him for President in the 1984 California Democratic primary, and actually heard him speak when he visited San Francisco State University to give an electrifying speech. Thank you, Rev. Jackson. Rest in peace.

We have a mayor’s race coming up this November, believe it or not. Most of the pundits I follow have agreed there are four main candidates. Today, I discuss two of them, Mindy Pechenuk and Seneca Scott. Tomorrow I’ll deal with Brenda Grisham and Barbara Lee.

There they go again, the parcel tax crowd. Not content with already having imposed the highest property taxes in the Bay Area, the union-dominated lefties of Oakland are now proposing massively higher parcel taxes on homeowners. The June ballot is likely to raise parcel taxes by an additional $150-$220 a year per property, according to Oaklandside, which stresses that “the idea dates back to the budget proposed by then-Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins earlier this year and approved by the City Council in the spring.”

Once again, I’m reading a silly book so you don’t have to. It’s called “Beyond Policing,” subtitled, “What better way to make the case for a police-free world than to show a world where it’s possible?”