Sen. Dianne Feinstein had been a positive, progressive force in California politics—for her era. But that era is over.

Don Edwards, who died last week at the age of 100, held a special place in the political prism of Silicon Valley.

Former Marin Assemblyman Bill Bagley is a gregarious and genial man. Those who drive highway 101 just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge might recognize the freeway, named for this Republican, that begins just before the Waldo Tunnel on the Marin side of the structure. Yes, a Republican once represented the now liberal enclave that is Marin County. But Bagley wasn’t the kind of Republican we see all too often today.