Daily Hartmeier

My ride home from work at the City of Berkeley Transfer Station started out as usual, with me biking the wrong way down a one-way street, but nothing about my destination was normal. I was not headed 4 miles uphill to my sorority house on Bancroft Way. Instead, I was headed down to the Berkeley Marina to sit in the car of a nutritionist/counselor woman who my mom had found on the internet to talk about my lifelong overeating and mommy issues.

When I was 14, I would walk three miles home every day, carrying my lunch box, my clarinet and my backpack. Before I started each walk, I’d open up the Pandora app on my phone, pop my earphones in and sing to myself as I slumped down the hill all the way to my house. What I loved about Pandora was that it mixed up the playlists for me, throwing in new songs that I’d never heard before. One day, as I walked home, I found myself absolutely in love with one song: “Cough Syrup” by Young the Giant.

For some on the ballot, this primary season is one of many; for others, it’s their first time running for an elected office. Regardless, candidates have brought to the table ideas and promises that are close to the hearts of many Californians.