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Pam Bondi leaves a catastrophic legacy. The Department of Justice no longer functions as an effective law enforcement agency. The president’s special interests and skewed priorities now control the department’s work. And thousands of honorable employees who have refused to accept what was taking place have resigned. Even taking the most optimistic view of a future after Donald Trump, it will likely take decades for DOJ to fully recover.

In mid-February, despite heavy snow and storm warnings, thousands of people flocked to Yosemite National Park to witness the annual Firefall display at Horsetail Fall on mighty El Capitan. 

This year, however, the Trump administration scrapped the park’s reservation system, which was put in place to help manage crowds and to protect the park’s natural beauty. The predictable free-for-all that ensued resulted in scenes of gridlock, parking shortages and excessive wait times. 

Yosemite photographer John Harrison, who entered the park on Feb. 19, wrote on his blog about “full parking lots, heavy congestion, and long lines.” Traffic management had been rendered “reactive rather than preventative.”

According to a Chronicle analysis, Mahan is the preferred candidate of the state’s billionaire class. So, how does he think that plays with those who are less fortunate?

“As the mayor of the capital of Silicon Valley,” he responds, “they have seen what accountable leadership looks like, and they, like many other Californians, want a government that is more responsive, more efficient.”

So what about the very rich? Shouldn’t they be held accountable, too? 

“I think billionaires need to be held accountable for paying their fair share, and there are a number of things that I will do … as governor and advocate for, to level the playing field,” Mahan said. 

One of the things Mahan won’t do, however, is advocate on behalf of passing a one-time excise tax on billionaires to pay for health care and education. 

“This isn’t going to work. You’ve had 12 European countries try it. Nine have rolled it back,” he said, adding, “Here’s the dirty secret. It isn’t the billionaires who are going to pay this. They’re going to leave and find tax shelter.” Instead, he believes, “It’s going to be the middle class of California (who will pay).”

Diablo Canyon, California’s last remaining nuclear facility, currently provides 17% of California’s clean, carbon-free electricity. That’s enough to meet the needs of 4 million residents every day. Last year, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that the plant, which went online in the mid-1980s, had met the safety and environmental requirements to operate for another 20 years.