"Do Something" with Jeff & Kim

Action is the best antidote to anxiety. That's why Jeff & Kim are hosting an election-related party: to influence the election, inform how we each vote, and be in community together to nourish our democracy. 

• Saturday, October 26th, 12:30 - 6:30pm (see below for what will happen when)
• Location in Berkeley will be provided after you RSVP

PLEASE RSVP at this link (it'll help if you read the rest of this post first). We need a good estimate of #s by Thu Oct 24th, so we make sure to have enough materials + refreshments.

My Birthday Present

I gave myself a birthday present this past weekend: I went back up to Reno for a 3-day weekend of canvassing for Kamala Harris & Tim Walz (plus Jacky Rosen for U.S. Senate). I joined 98 other canvassers to knock on over 7,000 doors and have nearly 1,700 substantive conversations with voters. And I LOVED IT!

If you haven't read Kim & my post from our first trip (Sep 7-8), check it out here. 

Jeff & Kim Canvass Reno with Seed the Vote

Kim and I spent last weekend (Sep 7-8) in Reno, canvassing to support Kamala Harris for President and Jacky Rosen for US Senate, as volunteers with Seed the Vote. We came away from the weekend inspired, energized, and committed to make a difference in this election. This post tells our story and at the end tells how you can support this work or be a canvasser too!

March 2024 Primary

 Here's how I'm voting on the races on my ballot (Democratic Party):

President: Joe Biden

US Senator (both races): Barbara Lee

US Congress, 12th District: Lateefah Simon

CA Senate, 7th District: Jesse Arreguin

CA Assembly, 14th District: Buffy Wicks

Democratic Party, Alameda County Central Committee, 14th Assembly District:  Terry Taplin, Andy Kelley, Aaron Tiedemann, Dyana Delfin Polk, Elizabeth Echols, Ana Vasudeo, Alfred Twu

Alameda County Superior Court Judge, Office #12: Michael P. Johnson

Alameda County Supervisor: John Bauters

CA Proposition 1: YES for Treatment not Tents

Alameda County Measure A: Yes to modernize civil service exam requirements

Alameda County Measure B: Yes to make recall process consistent w/state requirements

Berkeley Measure H: Yes to keep funding Berkeley schools

I didn't write detailed recommendations this year -- I'm spending too much time in front of my computer. If you're interested in more detailed thoughts, I encourage you to see writeups from three people I trust:

• Lori Droste -- Lori is a former Berkeley City Councilmember and local politics wonk who I respect as a pragmatic progressive
• Edie and Janet’s 2024 Primary Election East Bay Voter Guide -- Edie is a current and former colleague and someone I've known in East Bay environmental + justice circles for 15 years; she and her mom write their recommendations together
• Landau's Guide - from Nathan Landau, Berkeley resident, AC Transit planner, and fellow local elections nerd; he sends this directly via email, so this is my PDF of his guide -- hope that's OK, Nathan!

If you have questions/comments about an individual race, please put a note in the blog's comments or email me directly.  

November 2022 State Measures + Fed/State Electeds

This time, just a summary plus a link to someone else's writeup:

State Propositions:

• 1: Yes for a Constitutional Right to Reproductive Freedom
• 26: No to Sports Gambling on Tribal Lands
• 27: No to Online Sports Gambling
• 28: Yes to Fund Arts & Music Education in Public Schools, K-12
• 29: No to Complicated Kidney Dialysis Clinic proposition
• 30: Yes to Reduce Air Pollution & Prevent Wildfires by Taxing People making over $2 million/year
• 31: Yes to Approve Law Prohibiting Sale of Flavored Tobacco

For details on all of these, see the writeup by my friend & colleague in Edie and Janet's November 2022 East Bay Voter Guide. I agree with them on all of these, and I agree with their rationales too. If you have a specific question, post a comment in the blog and I'll reply. 

Federal & State Elected Officials:

I'm voting the straight Democratic ticket. Not all of them are my favorites (looking at you, Ricardo Lara), but they're all better than the alternative. 

• US Senate: Alex Padilla (twice!)
• Congress District 13: Barbara Lee
• Governor: Gavin Newsom
• Lieutenant Governor: Elena Kounalakis
• Secretary of State: Shirley Weber
• Controller: Malia Cohen
• Treasurer: Fiona Ma
• Attorney General: Rob Bonta
• Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara
• Member, State Board of Equalization District 2: Sally Lieber
• State Superintendent of Public Instruction (non-partisan): Tony Thurmond

Nov 2022: Alameda County Measures, Judges, & Elected Officials

Here are my recommendations on measures, judges, and elected officials I vote on in Alameda County (plus one I don't).

Alameda County Measure

Measure D: Yes for Regulation of Ag Land near Livermore

Judges: Just say Yes!

Alameda County Elected Officials 

District Attorney: Pamela Price

Special Districts 

AC Transit At-Large: Alfred Twu

AC Transit Ward 3: Sarah Syed

Elected Officials

AC Transit At-Large: Alfred Twu

AC Transit Ward 3: Sarah Syed

Plus (for all of you who ask me about Oakland every year), see Edie's recommendations. 

For details, read on ...

Nov 2022: Berkeley + Elected Officials + Measures

Here are my recommendations on Berkeley’s measures and elected officials:

Berkeley Measures

L - Yes to Affordable Housing, Street Repair, + Other Good Stuff Bond

M - Yes to Vacant Units Tax

N - Yes to continue to allow affordable housing

Berkeley Elected Officials

Rent Stabilization Board: Carole Marasovic, Stefan Elgstrand, Soli Alpert, Nathan Mizell, and toss-up for 5th spot among Hood, Marrero, & Mosaed 

School Board: Brown, Chang, & Lee 

City Council, District 1: Rashi Kesarwani

City Council, District 8: Mark Humbert  

City Auditor: Jenny Wong (running unopposed)

For details, read on ...