Maybe it’s just coincidental that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association has endorsed Jerry Brown for governor. Brown, you may have heard, one of the Golden State’s more independent minded governors in the past, is running against billionaire Meg Whitman, and while the former Ebay CEO has outspent her opponent 100-1, as in $100 million to Brown’s $1M, he still has a good chance of carrying the race.

What that says about either candidate is anyone’s guess, but I remember Brown fondly for his more idiosyncratic policies and associates. He brought Whole Earth Catalog editor Stewart Brand into his administration as a “special advisor” in the seventies and had his mysterious French Zen buddy Jacques Barzaghi (he of the black beret and chrome dome) tour a troubled state prison. Asked his impression afterwards he replied, “We are all prisoners.”

My brother Ethan has been teaching meditation to the inmates of the SF jail lately, part of an prison outreach program that the SF Zen Center participates in. It’s a captive audience no doubt, and he says the classes are always well attended. I recently sent him a link to a story I did on Dharma Punx’ Noah Levine, who has been teaching those kinds of classes for years now. Not that I think Ethan needs any pointers.

He was explaining his practice to some gang girl a few weeks ago when she paid him what he said was probably the ultimate compliment. “Is that why you so chill like that?” she said.

“Well, it’s why I’m so chill like that now,” he said. “But a few hours ago, when I was fighting with my wife and screaming at my daughter, I wasn’t feeling so cool.”

And she got it, he said. He didn’t have to explain any more.