Brentwood resident Kamala Harris is running for president. Soon we’ll know if she wins or not.
The Brentwood News is officially neutral when it comes to politics, so we’re not pushing for one outcome over another.
But Kamala lives right here, with her husband Doug Emhoff, and if she wins, I think we can anticipate:
- More traffic slowdowns whenever she visits;
- More interest in Brentwood from the national press; and
- An increase in local pride. After all, a president comes from here!
Let’s start with traffic.
I was walking near Sunset one day when several imposing big black vehicles drove by. It was Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, and probably a few staffers and security professionals.
The police cars drove in front and behind the entourage, with lights flashing. Crossing traffic all around was stopped by motorcycle cops to keep the path clear for Kamala.
If she becomes president, this will become a bigger deal, with more vehicles, and more security. It’s likely Marine One, the presidential helicopter, will land at and take off from the VA.
When presidents Obama, Biden, and Clinton visited Brentwood, the place practically shut down.
Of course, there’s no way to know how often Kamala will visit.
If you ever drive by her house when she’s in town, it’s quite a scene. Secret Service agents have set up a huge canopy tent and only let you through if you live in the immediate vicinity (or if you are going to Doug and Kamala’s house).
If you are driving past that block, you are re-routed by a couple of blocks. Security will only become tighter if she’s elected.
Now let’s talk about the press.
A recent article revealed Doug and Kamala like El Cholo in Santa Monica. If Kamala becomes president, I think we can expect paparazzi to be hanging out all over the place, hoping for a good camera angle.
Reporters will try and find out where Kamala and Doug and their kids hang out, and local residents will be asked what their interactions with Kamala and Doug have been like. Kamala likes to cook at home, we hear, so maybe she won’t be out and about that much.
And finally: Will a President Harris – from Brentwood – make us proud?
Of course!
Kansas City, Missouri loves Harry Truman. Boston loves the Kennedys. Texas and Maine love the Bushes. Yorba Linda brags about Richard Nixon. It’s only natural to brag about a president from one’s hometown.
Marilyn Monroe, Richard Nixon, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Richard Riordan, and Tom Brady all lived – or still live – here.
Same with LeBron James, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Karl Malden, Roseanne Barr, and Jim Carrey.
Ditto Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow. All kinds of TV and movie stars call or have called, Brentwood home.
Same goes for several known CEOs, authors, inventors, and lawyers. Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the LA Times, lives here. Leonard Kleinrock, who helped invent the Internet at UCLA in 1969, lives here.
All these people – who could live anywhere – live right here in Brentwood. Brentwood is obviously special; we all know this to be true.
And if a president comes from Brentwood, that makes Brentwood even more special.
Looking way ahead, once President Harris is out of office – assuming she gets elected in the first place – there will be a need to find a place to house a presidential library.
That’s a big deal that will draw in tourists.
Oakland – where Kamala Harris grew up – might be the logical choice for a location. Plus Oakland could use a boost. A presidential library would provide that.
Or maybe San Francisco, where Kamala got her start in politics.
But if Kamala Harris is elected, I think we should at least be thinking about where a library could go in our neck of the woods, should that be Kamala’s wish.
Could The Getty, The Skirball, and the proposed Berggruen Institute squeeze in a presidential library up in that corner of Brentwood?
I know many don’t like the idea of any development in the hills, but I’ve been around long enough to remember when many opposed the arrival of The Getty.
The Getty is now a source of huge local pride – one of the first stops for our out-of-town guests. It would be the same for a presidential library.
If something up in the hills is deemed unacceptable, maybe a presidential library could be built on the VA property. It’s already federal land and there’s plenty of it.
But then there will be all the “Is this facility really for veterans?” issues to overcome. Harris never served in the military, but, as commander-in-chief, she will surely oversee difficult military issues during her tenure, should she be elected. Maybe UCLA would be interested in accommodating a library.
I think we’d all agree: the Munger property would be a terrible location for a presidential library because of traffic.
As stated above, there’s always Oakland. Or San Francisco.
Those who make decisions like locating a presidential library have plenty of time to noodle this. And there will be nothing to noodle if Kamala doesn’t win in November.
Whoever your candidate, be sure to vote!
