This morning the Sacramento Bee and Calbuzz carry obituaries of Bill Cavala. Bill was a legendary Democrat professional and activist who, among other things, worked for decades at 
the side of former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, Jr, helping him to secure innumerable political victories.
Needless to say, Bill and I had little in common in terms of ideology or issues. Despite this, over the past decade, and especially since I launched this website in 2005, Bill and I became friends. We have a string of emails going back and forth that must number in the hundreds. We joked, shared analysis — and regularly called each other out if our rhetoric overshot reality (ok, that was mainly him schooling me).
Bill and I both began our road down the path to politics in high school as members of the Junior Statesmen of America (where I now serve as a Trustee). That common start is what brought us together.
In my typical "artful" manner, I will say that while Californians are probably worse off for the political and policy victories of the left orchestrated by Bill, I am better off personally for having had him as a friend. Bill was smart, committed, and free with his heartfelt advice, even to a blogger with whom he seldom agreed on the issues. Requiescat in pace – rest in peace.