A woman I know sent me a note the other day. I was surprised, but happy to hear from her as we don’t know each other well.

In the note, she explained that she had woken up last Monday morning to the news of the Las Vegas shootings. While preparing lunches for her boys to take to school, she wondered whether to tell them what had happened before they started their day. She decided to tell them — better to hear it from her than in the school hallways.

Maine ranked choice voting (Question 5) was approved in November with the second-largest referendum victory in state history. Voters sent a clear message to their legislators and Maine officials: they wanted a new, better way to conduct elections.

On the same day NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement asking all players, owners and coaches to not kneel for the national anthem before games, 16 people took a knee for the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the San Diego City Council meeting on Tuesday.

The protest elicited no comment from councilmembers.

Following an emergency declaration from Governor Jerry Brown, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has sent two strike teams to Northern California to assist in battling the wildland brush fires that are devastating the region.

Monica Munoz, spokeswoman for the department said, "We received a request to send two Strike teams to Napa. They will leave today (Monday). We backfill their work shifts with overtime staff so there is no change to the level of service for San Diegans."

San Diego Cal Fire resources are also loading up to deploy.

DENVER, COLO. –– The Centrist Project announced today its endorsement of incumbent independent Governor Bill Walker of Alaska, who is running for re-election in the 2018 election.

“Governor Walker represents the very best of what it means to be an independent by consistently putting the long-term interests of his state ahead of any partisan or special interest,” said Nick Troiano, Executive Director of the Centrist Project.

We, the People are wiser than warfare. Acting on that wisdom requires specific, coordinated action. Our choice as a nation and for our shared planet starkly confronts us with a future of eternal warfare or an age of peacebuilding.

I approach the topic of conflict resolution as The Government Mechanic -- a strategic planner diving into complex problems to find the vision and strategies for a solution, the roadmap and timelines for change, enduring mechanisms of coordination, and the right measurements to track real progress.

American politics is self-evidently in a state of crisis. The nation is producing terrible political leadership. Government is paralyzed. Political polarization is ripping American society into two warring camps.

The above assertions will be almost universally recognized as the truth.

But when we ask about the source of the crisis, that’s when the agreement breaks down. That’s when we fall back into our states of partisan rage and blame the other side.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (R) begins the 2018 election cycle with lukewarm political standing and may be vulnerable to a strong challenge from an independent candidate.

According to a recent survey of likely voters in next year’s election -- commissioned by independent gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Bob Krist's campaign -- more voters are inclined to support someone new for governor than say they would re-elect the incumbent.

The horrific Las Vegas shooting will undoubtedly be recorded in the history textbooks as one of the most tragic events in early 21st century history. Any loss of life for any reason is tragic, regardless of the cause.

Yet, the manner in which this occurred, the senselessness of it, and the apparent trend this type of killing has become leads us to question multiple aspects in our society.  The most prevalent of these is, “should there be greater control?”

However, while we can all agree on a certain amount of regulation, it may not be the right question.

While San Diego is known as “America’s Finest City,” it’s also is home to the fourth highest homeless population in the nation, including the second-largest population of homeless veterans in the United States at 1,156 people.