So in many ways, this new position is come full circle. And I am excited to see what it brings.

My husband Bryon has reminded me for years that I was most happy at T.H.C., organizing low-income tenants. He even built “Paul’s wall” in our apartment with framed newspaper articles — to remind me of everything I have accomplished.

For two months, I worked as a Housing Attorney at Legal Aid of Marin. What I learned during that brief period was how much I really enjoy representing tenants in their landlord problems. And it reignited my passion for becoming a tenants' rights lawyer.

I finally landed a short-term gig on the Kamala Harris campaign. That was a great experience, until the end of course. When I came home after November, I started to look around at another permanent career shift. I want to help nonprofit communities build their base, and I also have a law degree.

Exactly a year ago today, Daily Kos laid me off after 11 years. At the time, I was determined to stay in digital political organizing and never dreamed I would go back to law. We had a crucial election in 2024, and we need to build progressive infrastructure long-term.

In 2010, I got a lawyer position at T.H.C.- but on the property management side in our supportive housing buildings. I’m grateful that it gave me litigation experience, before I left for a career change: working in digital political organizing.

I have a long history with the organization. T.H.C. was my first job out of college 25 years ago, when I came to work as a tenant organizer. Back then, I saw what lawyers Steve Collier, Raquel Fox & Dean Preston did every day, and it inspired me to go to law school.

Guess we’ll be visiting all 3 of these churches!

My great-great-great grandparents married in 1821 at St. Denis du Saint Sacrement (also in the old 6th and new 3rd), but my 4x greats married on the Left Bank in 1794 at St. Jacques de Haut Pas - a few blocks from Aux Trois Mailletzs, the famed piano bar that’s a lot like Martuni’s.

In the pre-1860 map, arrondissements #1-9 were all on the Right Bank - while #10-12 were on the Left Bank. Very different from today!

What *used* to be the 6th arrondissement (from 1795-1860) is actually on the Right Bank, so the St. Elisabeth church in the 3rd *is* in fact where my great-great grandparents married in 1859.

In 1860 under Emperor Napoleon 3rd and Baron Von Haussmann, the city of Paris was re-organized.

Suburbs were absorbed into the city, and the number of arrondisements grew from 12 to 20. And the numbers were totally re-assigned, which means a record from 1859 is totally unhelpful.

There’s a St. Elisabeth in the 3rd on the Right Bank, but I figured that could not be it.

That’s when we discovered something.

My great-great-grandparents were married in 1859 at the Church of St. Elisabeth - which according to the marriage records, is in the 6th arrondissement.

But I couldn’t for the life of me find that church in the 6th - which all Parisians know is on the Left Bank.

Tonight, my mom took out some papers that traces our Parisian ancestry back to 1711 - so I wanted to find more churches & discover other parts of Paris where my family has lived.

Here’s where we ran into a problem.

On past trips, I have taken him to St. Francois-Xavier on the Left Bank (where my parents married in 1968), and St. Augustin on the Right Bank (where my grandparents & great-grandparents married in 1929 & 1891, respectively.)

We could have had a Build Back Better Act with funds for affordable housing & paid family leave. We could have passed Freedom to Vote Act to end GOP gerrymandering - which would mean a Democratic House. But because of these two, we failed to accomplish enough & are now stuck with Donald Trump.