Today: US Senate, Local House of Representatives & Ballot Measures
The OB Rag and San Diego Free Press are pleased to present part four of our 2018 Primary Election Progressive Voter Guide. As usual, we tried not to let perfect be the enemy of good in our decision making. This year we’re breaking it into parts to make it more digestible.
We endorsed (or didn’t) contests where editors and contributors had some working knowledge of the contests. Generally speaking, we didn’t endorse in non-competitive races with a Democratic incumbent (who you should probably vote for). Candidates with low fundraising totals or no campaign organization were not included.
Endorsements or lack thereof reflect a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which includes: Brent Beltrán, Anna Daniels, Frank Gormlie, Patty Jones, Rich Kacmar, Annie Lane, and Doug Porter.
Democratic Candidates are Blue * Republican Candidates are Red
Many candidates names are linked to their websites.
An asterisk (*) next to a name indicates an incumbent.
A Summary of Our ?Endorsements? for U.S. Senate,
Local House of Representatives Districts, and Ballot Measures
(our endorsements have question marks around their names – why question marks? Because of a glitch in our graphics)
U.S. Senate – Kevin DeLeon
House of Representatives, District 49 – Doug Applegate or Doug Kerr
House of Representatives, District 50 – Amar Campa-Najar
Proposition 68 – Clean Drinking Water and Safe Parks ?YES?
Proposition 69 – Transportation Taxes & Fees Lock Box ?YES?
Proposition 71 – Ballot Measures Effective Date Reform ?YES?
Proposition 72 –End Tax Penalty for Rainwater Capture ?YES?
United States Senate
Top two will face off in November, each name is linked to their Ballotpedia page.
Our Endorsement – ?Kevin de León?
Regardless of the outcome in this contest, de Leon’s candidacy has already paid dividends. Incumbent Dianne Feinstein’s recent shift on marijuana policy is an example of his success in pushing her to take more progressive positions.
Democrats: Dianne Feinstein*, ?Kevin de León,? Adrienne Nicole Edwards, Pat Harris, Alison Hartson, David Hildebrand, Herbert Peters, Douglas Howard Pierce, Gerald Plummer, Donnie Turner
Republicans: Arun Bhumitra, James Bradley, John “Jack” Crew, Erin Cruz, Roque De La Fuente, Jerry Laws, Patrick Little, Kevin Mottus, Mario Nabliba, Tom Palzer, Paul Taylor
Libertarian: Derrick Michael Reid
Peace and Freedom Party: John Thompson Parker
No Party Preference: Colleen Shea Fernald, Rash Bihari Ghosh, Tim Gildersleeve, Michael Fahmy Girgis, Don Grundmann, Jason Hanania, David Moore, Lee Olson, Ling Ling Shi
U.S. Congress -House of Representatives
Clicking on the District name/Number will take you to more information, including a map of the district boundaries.
Doug Applegate
Our Endorsement: A First for us – Split Decision – ?Doug Applegate OR Paul Kerr?
Overview – Incumbent Congressman Darrell Issa saw the handwriting on the wall and opted to retire shortly after 2018 began. There are now 16 candidates running to replace him.
A note on the split decision: The editorial board had the hardest time deciding this race of all those we considered. Applegate, Jacobs & Kerr all had supporters.
Paul Kerr
In the end, the arguments came down to Applegate as the most progressive candidate, Kerr as the candidate making opposition to Trump the centerpiece of his campaign ads, and Jacobs as an alternative to the same old, same old. Those readers who know us personally should not assume who backed each candidate: you would be wrong.
The Democrats in this race are:
?Doug Applegate?
Facebook page | Twitter | Issues Page | Endorsements
Analysis: Doug Applegate has the highest name recognition and is the favorite of many progressive activists, but their enthusiasm has not translated into campaign funding, nor a well-organized voter engagement field strategy.
Sarah Jacobs
Facebook page | Twitter | Issues Page | Endorsements
Analysis: Sarah Jacobs is a fresh face with a progressive leaning agenda, has lots of financial resources (granddaughter of Irwin Jacobs), and the backing of serious movers and shakers who would like to see a woman in the seat. She got into the race late and is fighting an uphill battle for name recognition.
?Paul Kerr?
Facebook page | Twitter | Issues Page
Analysis: Paul Kerr is running as moderate anti-Trump Democrat. He is spending a lot of his own money on tv ads to gain name recognition.
Mike Levin
Facebook page | Twitter | Issues Page | Endorsements
Analysis: Mike Levin is clearly the candidate favored by Democratic Party insiders. He’s well-known to Orange County voters; not so much in San Diego. It should be noted that seven Democratic Clubs in San Diego have rated Levin “Unacceptable” due to the manner in which they perceive his campaign is being run. Please don’t vote for Mike Levin
The Republican Candidates are Rocky Chavez, Kristin Gaspar, Diane Harkey, Brian Maryott, David Medway, Craig Nordal, Mike Schmitt, Joshua Schoonover
Other candidates include: Joshua Hancock (Libertarian), Jordan Mills (Peace & Freedom), Robert Pendleton (No Party Preference), Danielle St. John (Green)
Our Endorsement – ?Amar Campa-Najar?
Overview – Incumbent Duncan Hunter screwed up big time and is facing a Justice Department inquiry into how campaign funds were spent. Republicans (+11) and white people (58.6%) are dominant in a district encompassing the mostly rural east and north parts of San Diego County, along with a sliver of Riverside County. The Republicans running are Duncan Hunter, Shamus Sayed, Bill Wells.
?Ammar Campa-Najar ?
Facebook page | Twitter | Issues Page | Endorsements
Analysis: Progressive Ammar Campa-Najar has run a true grassroots campaign, complete with a good canvassing strategy and an amazing amount of small donor cash.
Josh Butner
Facebook page | Twitter | Issues Page
Endorsements – 4 Ret. Military leaders, 1 politician
Analysis: Josh Butner really, really, really wants you to know he’s an ex-Navy Seal. He really doesn’t want you to know he was a Republican (he fibbed about it on his filing papers) until he wasn’t. Plus, the ratf***ing story about Campa-Hajar’s grandfather (who he never met) could have only come (in my opinion) from somebody with connections to the most odious part of the Democratic party.
Generally speaking, we didn’t endorse in non-competitive races with a Democratic incumbent (who you should probably vote for).
Overview – A safe place for Democratic incumbents, with 145,185 registered Democrats and 49,190 registered Republicans.
Juan Vargas*
Congressional Facebook Page | Congressional Twitter | Issues Page
Republicans: Louis Fuentes, Juan M. Hildago, Jr., Juan Carlos Mercado, John Renison
Overview Not so long ago, the 52nd Congressional District was a true partisan battleground. Now its vulnerability exists only the minds of GOP consultants, along with the half-dozen candidates running against Scott Peters.
Scott Peters*
Facebook Page | Twitter
Republicans: Michael Allman, Omar Qudrat, Dr. James Veltmeyer, Danny Casara, Dr. Jeffrey Cullen, John Horst
Overview With a nearly 2 to 1 Dem to GOP advantage in voter registration, District 53 is deep Blue and Susan Davis is there until she doesn’t want to be.
Susan Davis*
Congressional Facebook Page | Congressional Twitter
Republicans: Shawn “Gino” Kane, Matt Mendoza, Morgan Murtaugh, Brett Goda
No Party Preference: Bryan Kim
Ballot Measures, June 2018
A note about June State Ballot Propositions: All are put there by the legislature; initiatives from the public now are consigned to the statewide November ballot.
Proposition 68 – Clean Drinking Water and Safe Parks ?YES?
Authorizes $4 billion in general obligation bonds for: parks, natural resources protection, climate adaptation, water quality and supply, and flood protection. Fiscal Impact: Increased state bond repayment costs averaging $200 million annually over 40 years. Local government savings for natural resources-related projects, likely averaging several tens of millions of dollars annually over the next few decades.
Analysis: This would upgrade parks and make sure the state’s water supply is clean and protected. as the Sacramento Bee editorialized: “This $4.1 billion bond measure is intelligently constructed and a reasonable ask.”
Proposition 69 – Transportation Taxes & Fees Lock Box ?YES?
Requires that certain revenues generated by a 2017 transportation funding law be used only for transportation purposes and generally prohibits Legislature from diverting funds to other purposes. Fiscal Impact: No direct effect on the amount of state and local revenues or costs but could affect how some monies are spent.
Analysis: The measure would require new revenues arising from SB1 go into special accounts that could be spent exclusively on transportation. from the Los Angeles Times: “California leaders have wisely decided to invest again in building and maintaining the state’s transportation infrastructure. Proposition 69 will help ensure the work gets done.” PLUS– The campaign against 69 by the Republicans (pun intended) is an attempt to enable passage of their attempt to repeal SB1 in November by saying the monies could be misused.
Proposition 70 – Greenhouse Gas Reserve Gridlock >>>>NO!
Beginning in 2024, requires that cap-and-trade revenues accumulate in a reserve fund until the Legislature, by a two-thirds majority, authorizes use of the revenues. Fiscal Impact: Beginning in 2024, potential temporary increase in state sales tax revenue, ranging from none to a few hundred million dollars annually, and possible changes in how revenue from sale of greenhouse gas emission permits is spent.
Analysis: Currently, a simple majority of the Legislature determines how cap-and-trade revenues are spent. Prop. 70 would increase that threshold to two-thirds. Haven’t we had enough of the 2/3’s crap already? And why is the dirty energy lobby supporting this proposition? From the Mercury News: “Prop. 70’s two-thirds approval requirement would, if anything, give more power and money to special interests seeking their pieces of the revenue pie. In sum, there’s nothing to be gained from Prop. 70. It’s bad public policy and a waste of voters’ time. Vote no.”
Proposition 71 – Ballot Measures Effective Date Reform ?YES?
Provides that ballot measures approved by a majority of voters shall take effect five days after the Secretary of State certifies the results of the election. Fiscal Impact: Likely little or no effect on state and local finances.
Analysis: There’s no need to say anything more than what the League of Women Voters had to say: “Currently, an initiative that is approved takes effect the day after the election unless the measure provides otherwise. Election results are not officially certified until five weeks after the election. While most election results are clear shortly after election day, that is not always the case. Prop 71 would provide that an initiative would take effect 5 days after the Secretary of State certifies the election results. This is a common-sense measure, ensuring clarity about what is – and is not – California law.”
Proposition 72 – End Tax Penalty for Rainwater Capture ?YES?
Permits Legislature to allow construction of rain-capture systems, completed on or after January 1, 2019, without requiring property-tax reassessment. Fiscal Impact: Probably minor reduction in annual property tax revenues to local governments.
Analysis: This is simple. If you build (or add) a rainwater collection system on your property, it cannot be used to increase your property tax assessment.
Already Published:
Progressive Voter Guide for County of San Diego Elected Offices
A Summary of Our County ?Endorsements?
Judicial Office #37– Victor Torres
Assessor/Recorder/Clerk – Matt Strabone
Sheriff – Dave Myers
District Attorney – Geneviéve Jones-Wright
Board of Supervisors District 4 – Omar Passons
Board of Supervisors District 5 – Michelle Gomez
Community College Board – Maria Nieto Senour, Craig Milgrim, Rafael Perez
SD County Board of Education – Alicia Munoz, Rick Shea
San Diego City Council | Progressive Voter Guide 2018
A Summary of Our San Diego City Council ?Endorsements?
City Council District 2 – No Endorsement
City Council District 4 – Monica Montgomery
City Council District 6 – No Endorsement
City Council District 8 – Christian Ramirez
California Statewide Offices & Local Legislative Seats
A Summary of Our ?Endorsements? in These Races
Governor – John Chiang
Attorney General – Xavier Becerra
Controller – Betty Yee
Treasurer – Fiona Ma
Secretary of State –Ruben Major
Insurance Commissioner –Ricardo Lara
Superintendent of Public Instruction –Tony Thurmond
Senate District 36 – Marggie Castellano
Senate District 38 – Jeff Griffith
Assembly District 71 – James Elia
Assembly District 75 – Alan Geraci
Assembly District 76 – Tasha Boerner Horvath
Assembly District 77 – Sunday Gover
Upcoming:
Tuesday: Voter Guide Crib Sheet (All Contests)
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Gracias, I’m waiting for the crib sheet. Will it be detachable?