Today was veteran Chronicle political writer John Wildermuth’s final day, prompting Mayor Gavin Newsom to declare May 22 as “John Wildermuth Day.” Colleague Carla Marinucci says that Wildermuth got a letter from Gov. Schwarzenegger that said in part, “You have probably reported on every topic under the sun … But it was your political coverage that had the biggest impact on our state…you will be missed.” State Sen. Mark Leno also issued a resolution in honor of Wildermuth. Marinucci writes:

“t’s a cliche to say “end of an era,” but this time, it’s the real deal: John Wildermuth has witnessed a generation of upheaval and change in the world of journalism, a profession he jumped into back in the era of typewriters and cut-and-paste — and ended with You Tube, Twitter and Facebook. The “big guy” did it all with class. He may go on to other things — but he’ll always represent the very best of the news business.