The 16th Congressional District debate on NBC Bay Area/KNTV, Telemundo 48/KSTS, and KQED had been scheduled for Oct. 3, but it was canceled when Liccardo withdrew less than seven hours before the event, citing laryngitis.

Congressman Mike Honda is no stranger to falling asleep in meetings and missing votes. But it appears that absenteeism has carried over to his re-election campaign.

Public safety has been the number one issue on everyone’s mind during this critical election year. That myopic obsession has effectively forced other important issues off the radar. Luckily, we have a series of opportunities in the week ahead to shift the focus.

Ken Scudder, Congressman Mike Honda's communications director, reassured Fly this week that his boss is committed to keeping constituents informed about what he does in Congress. But for all the partisan sparring going on D.C., Honda seems awfully nervous to take off the gloves and discuss the issues here at home.