Despite the statewide landslide victory of big business interests in the re-election of the governor and the defeat of Props 86, 87 and 89, San Francisco again stood out as the nation's so-called left coast. In addition to the passage of a sorely needed $450 million school bond measure by a whopping 74%, and the strong passage Prop F [the historic paid sick leave measure] and Prop H [tenant relocation assistance measure] grassroots coalitions came together to support progressive candidates and other races too.
Summarizing the meaning of the SF Vote Bay Guardian Editor Tim Redmond blogged:
The big news of the night is that Mayor Gavin Newsom is taking a serious beating. The two candidates he invested the most time and political capital in -- Rob Black and Doug Chan -- are both going down to a clear defeat. In District 4, Chan has pretty much dropped off the map, with Ed Jew, Ron Dudum and Jaynry Mak locked in a close struggle for first place. This race will almost certainly come down to the IRV [instant runoff voting] runoff.New Day on the School Board - 3 Women of Color Win Races!
San Francisco Schools will be changed for the better as 3 new strong women of color will join our board once they are sworn in at our first meeting in January 2007.
Congratulations to Jane Kim, Kimshree Maufus and Hydra Mendoza and their campaigns for their elections today.
Thanks so much also to outgoing school board members Dr. Dan Kelly who has served our schools for many years, and to my close progressive colleague teacher Sarah Lipson and longtime Chinese community activist Eddie Chin. Both Chin and Lipson did not run for re-election.
The election of Kim, Maufus and Mendoza, 3 new strong progressive women of color, to the board will strengthen our progressive voice in support of equity, immigrant and language rights, and educational justice.
Kimshree becomes the first African American women board member since 1990. She and Hydra will bring a much stronger and experienced grassroots parent voice to the board.
Jane Kim becomes the first Korean American on the board, and the first Asian American woman since Angie Fa's term in the early 90's. Jane is also the second Green Party member elected to a citywide office since Sarah Lipson's election to the school board in 2002.
Mendoza is the first Filipina elected to the Board and the first Filipino American in some 20 years. United Educators of San Francisco strongly backed Maufus and Mendoza. Progressives like fellow School Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez and I and Teachers for Social Justice and the SF Bay Guardian rallied behind Kim and Maufus.
The GOTV [get out the vote] work today was grueling, but I go to sleep tonight knowing that our San Francisco values won out over the right-wing drift of the state's politics.
2 comments:
In relation to the first paragraph about San Francisco being CA's 'left coast,' it does once again seem that way. I am a former Bay Area resident who now lives in conservative Orange County, so I've seen both extremes of the state. Those with a more progressive agenda are going to have to find ways of compromising with thier neighbors elsewhere in the state. Here's a perfect example: Prop 87 failed because of a perception of being another 'government bureaucracy.'
But check out another very similar plan that is GAINING momentum at www.nu-nrg.org. This guy is a Bay Area resident as well, but is finding a way to work with big business, even while pushing a progressive idea.
In relation to the first paragraph about San Francisco being CA's 'left coast,' it does once again seem that way. I am a former Bay Area resident who now lives in conservative Orange County, so I've seen both extremes of the state. Those with a more progressive agenda are going to have to find ways of compromising with their neighbors elsewhere in the state. Here's a perfect example: Prop 87 failed because of a perception of being another 'government bureaucracy.'
But check out another very similar plan that is GAINING momentum at www.nu-nrg.org. This guy is a Bay Area resident as well, but is finding a way to work with big business, even while pushing a progressive idea.
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