Monday, Aug. 25, 2 p.m.Mary Fierro from Fresno was elected as a Hillary delegate to the national convention, and is not budging.

Sporting a green "Give 'em Hell Hillary" button in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel where the California delegation is bedding down, Fierro was adamant in holding out for her hero. When pressed, “At what point will you come over and support the presumptive nominee of your party,” she said emphatically, “Never!” 

Taken aback by her strong response, I asked, “Have you received any pressure, threats, from your fellow delegates to come on over?” The fiery Fierro, a 60-looking kindergarten teacher said, “I was elected to do a job and that’s what I intend to do. Hillary won California, and I don’t appreciate the arrogance of the Obama camp. Just who do they think they are treating the Clintons so shabbily. They bullied their way with an attitude to get where they are now, and did not even have the decency to vet Hillary as a vice presidential running mate. Obama is simply not ready to be our president.”

“That’s all in the past now,” I reacted, “Your choice is simply Barack Obama or John McCain, certainly you’ll not vote for the Republican. Is there anything camp Obama can do to win you over?”

“No, I will vote for McCain or not vote at all. I am here to honor the vote of the people who sent me here.”

Not so SF Mayor Gavin Newsom, who was checking into the Sheraton, clutching his brand new wife, Jennifer, whose diamond ring is the size of a Hershey kiss and as glittery as Gavin’s teeth.

The couple beamed as if their Montana “Out of Africa”-themed wedding was yesterday. I asked if Willie Brown approved of his wedding suit, to which he joked, “I’m very upset with Willie, how dare he show me up in his $10,000 Brioni.” 

Thinking of Mary Fierro, I asked the Mayor, whom Time Magazine featured as one of five young up-and-coming “Hotshots to Watch”, “Hillary won California; is the delegation holding together?”

“We must win in November and I will do whatever it takes to help elect Obama. It sounds like a cliché Henry, but this election IS the most important in a generation, one that will define our nation for years to come. We have to pull together to win.”   

I asked him what percentage of California’s huge delegation he thought was still holding out for Hillary. He estimated the number at about 10 percent, but lamented, “They are an influential bunch who have not budged they are still waiting to hear what Bill and Hillary have to say in the next few days, but may never come over. They are hard-core,” he said emphatically, “but eventually I think they will come over.” 

The Mayor was visibly relieved, thrilled to leave questions of politics behind; animated in discussing one of his favorite subjects: Napa!  “We just opened a new restaurant, Cade, near Angwin. Jennifer and I love the Napa Valley and get there as often as we can. You live in Paradise, but are, after all, part of the Bay Area, ABAG, and I especially love working with Supervisor Bill Dodd, a hard working civic-minded leader who takes transportation and land management issues quite seriously.” The three of us had our pictures snapped, the happy couple gleaming with hope.

Other tidbits: 

-- Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, who heads a powerful educational organization, said at a private house party in Englewood, “I have been working with the Congress all of my adult life, and I know politics. You know, poly means many, and tics are blood suckers.” I reached for a slab of smoked salmon.

-- Later that afternoon at the Auraria Campus of the University of Colorado, I ran into Charlie Wilson from Texas, the very one portrayed by Tom Hanks in the film, Charlie Wilson’s War. I asked him if the film was an accurate portrayal of his deeds, to which the tall white-haired Texan, looking every bit the hand-grasping politician, loudly responded so as to be heard over the ubiquitous dim of the black helicopters working the skies of Denver, “Very accurate, right on the money my friend, a great film.”  An attractive young lady wearing three homemade Obama buttons overheard the remark, and took me aside to explain that, “the man is full of s..., and that he made a ton of money off the Afghans.  He is so full of himself; the only thing real about the film was the booze and hot-tubs.”

I reached for another slice of smoked salmon and a cold beer.