Beyond the SOP

What happens when the future shows up — and the public doesn’t? In this episode of Beyond the SOP , I reflect on attending a Pinole Planning Commission meeting where she was the only member of the public physically in the room, while young commissioners stepped into leadership roles making long-term decisions in a city sitting directly on the Hayward Fault . Young Commissioners, Old Fault Lines ex...

In this episode, I unpack the parts of emergency management that live in my War Bag — the quiet work, the human moments, and the behind-the-scenes reality most people never see. From late-night shelters and terrible coffee to the woman who looked at me and said, “I don’t know where to go now,” and the helicopter rescue during California’s heavy rains, this is the real side of EM: the steady, human...

Every journey has a starting point. Mine begins with a green Army duffel bag, a plane ticket, and a nineteen-year-old who had no idea what she was walking into. In this episode, I unpack the early years — the military, the training, the fear, the grit, and the quiet moments that stay with you long after the noise stops. If you’ve ever wondered what shapes an emergency manager, a veteran, or a surv...