A surprise closet egalitarian surfaces out of the blue
Who knew? Billionaire Vinad Khosla now appears to be portraying himself as what amounts to a man of the people, or something approaching it.
Surely, you remember Khosla. He’s the tech titan who came onto the coastside scene early in the new century and promptly outraged some local folks by shutting down access to a popular beach.
He had purchased prime coastside property that includes Martin’s Beach south of Half Moon Bay and, in the bargain, promptly closed the Highway 1 gate to it.
Although a lower court, citing state coastal rules, has ordered the gate reopened, he is so adamant on the issue he has taken his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
However, there was Khosla last week in the Wall Street Journal pronouncing his deep concern about the looming impact of artificial intelligence (and robotics) on the traditional American workforce and the serious societal responsibilities of business executives in that regard.
Here is a quote from the WSJ interview:
“Capitalism will be by permission of democracy and, hence, capitalism will have to adjust to democracy so people aren’t left behind. But we’ll have enough GDP growth to allow for taking care of people who are left behind. Much more so than just in health care. It’ll be in every aspect.”
In other words, Khosla seems to be morphing into something akin to a closet egalitarian.
Gee, maybe this newfound interest in democracy and the fate of the common man finally will extend to the regular public use of Martin’s Beach. But don’t bet on it. Born-again generosity, when it comes to private coastal property, apparently has its limits.
A look back
When the city of San Mateo decided to “adopt” a unit of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division (known as the Screaming Eagles) in March 1968, the move did not draw an unusual amount of attention.
It was a patriotic gesture at a time when opposition to the ongoing Vietnam War was ramping up. The peninsula, still relatively conservative back then, was changing; a vigorous movement on the left was beginning to be felt, stimulated by the civil rights movement and the concurrent anti-war effort.
But San Mateo County was not a hotbed of anything even remotely connected with radical behavior of any kind. Local newspapers reflected that reality.
Fifty years ago, the concerns on the peninsula, generally speaking, were parochial in nature. A check of the archives of the long-gone Burlingame Advance-Star (a one-year subscription for the three-days-per-week publication was $4) reflects that reality.
Top stories included such matters as a big bond issue for the county’s community college district, arguments about where to locate a potential western terminus for what was dubbed the Southern Crossing, a new bay bridge between San Francisco and Oakland/Alameda, a possible strike by United Airlines pilots, a proposal to tax workers who commute to jobs in San Francisco, and an Otto Preminger movie, “Skidoo,” being filmed, in part, at a home on Vista Hill Road in Hillsborough.
An editorial supported the latest offensive in South Vietnam (Operation Certain Victory) as being “an essential of national prestige.” Within four years, San Mateo would host a military parade and fete its adopted sons.
A half-century after its original declaration, San Mateo, along with several other communities, will honor the Screaming Eagles again this week with a variety of events, including another parade on Saturday along B Street at Baldwin Avenue set for an 11 a.m. start.
Time flies.