I have some exciting personal news. Today, Governor Newsom appointed me California’s Chief Service Officer. The Chief Service Officer leads California Volunteers, the state office tasked with increasing service opportunities and volunteerism throughout California.

Novato Mayor Josh Fryday said this will be a first-of-its-kind summit for the North Bay, but one he hopes will be repeated in years to come.

The crucial importance of partnerships – public-private, bipartisan, and which include representatives of the entire socio-economic spectrum – in the fight against poverty was the theme of one of the concluding sessions of last week’s Prosperity Now summit.

"There's a saying that you put your money behind your values and in our community we value the environment, we value protecting our children," said Mayor Josh Fryday. In an effort to do so the City of Novato will no longer use the weed killer Roundup or products containing the chemical glyphosate.

The program grew from conversations between Dominican President Mary B. Marcy and Novato Mayor Josh Fryday about the importance of educating students to address and solve social issues at the local level.

EL PASO, Texas >> Standing in front of a detention facility at Texas’ border with Mexico, Novato Mayor Josh Fryday was reminded of his work in Guantanamo Bay as a military lawyer.

A former U.S. Naval officer, Josh Fryday serves as the mayor of the largest city in Marin — Novato — which has a rich military and service heritage.

Josh Fryday has raised $55,000 in the Novato City Council race. The other seven candidates combined have raised about $73,000.

As a judge advocate general (JAG) in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Japan, Josh worked on John Edwards' campaigns for the presidential nomination in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2004 as the national youth and volunteer director and in 2008 as head of the campaign in Northern California. He also traveled with Elizabeth Edwards as an aide during the Iowa primary in 2008.