Barbara Lee
Re-elect Congressional Representative Barbara Lee to keep CA-13 on the right track.
About the Position
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The President of the United States is the head of the Executive branch of the federal government, and the Commander-in-Chief for all branches of the armed forces. A president has the power to make diplomatic, executive, and judicial appointments, and can sign into law or veto legislation. Presidential administrations are responsible for both foreign and domestic policy priorities. Presidents are limited to serving two four-year terms in office.
As of October 12th, Democratic challenger Vice President Joe Biden is leading Republican incumbent President Donald Trump in the polls by an average national margin of 9.2% (as of 10/24/20). Ten days before Election Day in 2016, Secretary Hillary Clinton held an average 4.9% polling lead over Donald Trump. Vice President Biden’s campaign has raised $952 million (as of 10/14/20) and is not funded by fossil fuel money. While his platform commits to establishing meaningful campaign finance reform, his 2020 campaign has received donations from special interest, corporate PAC, and lobbyist organizations. President Donald Trump has raised $601 million (as of 10/14/20) and has not taken any fundraising pledges. President Trump is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Citizens United, Proud Boys, and a variety of law enforcement organizations.
Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is from Scranton, PA, and moved to Claymont, DE with his family when he was 10 years old. He has been a resident of Wilmington, DE, for most of his adult life. Vice President Biden came of age during the 1960s Civil Rights movement, which he cites as his inspiration for majoring in political science at the University of Delaware before earning his law degree at Syracuse University. His political career began in 1970 when he was elected to the New Castle County Council. Just two years later, at age 29, Vice President Biden ran for the Delaware Senate seat, and became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate. A few weeks after his election, his wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident, and his two sons were badly injured. This personal tragedy shaped Vice President Biden’s public image as an empathetic leader and committed family man.
Vice President Biden spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate. He is often critiqued as being an unremarkable, status quo Democrat, and mid-career votes in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, anti-drug legislation, and the Iraq War reaffirm that characterization. In 1991, Vice President Biden was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas, who had been credibly accused of sexual harassment by a former colleague, Anita Hill. Vice President Biden’s mismanagement of the hearing resulted in a targeted and unfair character assassination of Anita Hill, and remains a reminder of his complicity in the patriarchal and racist systems on which American government is built.
Vice President Biden has also been directly accused of unwanted contact by several women over the course of his career. Most of the accusations came to light as part of the #MeToo movement, and related to invasions of personal space that included the touching of shoulders, caressing of hair, and close whispering. He has apologized publicly for this behavior, and stated an understanding of his responsibility to conform to more modern social norms in his interactions with women.
Vice President Biden launched two unsuccessful campaigns for President during his time in the Senate, in 1988 and 2008. After ending his 2008 campaign, he was chosen by President Barack Obama to join his ticket as Vice President, and they served together for two terms. As Vice President, he was responsible for managing the 2009 economic recovery, helping to expand health care through the Affordable Care Act, and acting as the administration’s liaison to the Senate. In 2015, his oldest son, Beau Biden, lost his battle with brain cancer at the age of 46. Since leaving office in 2016, Vice President Biden has dedicated substantial resources to cancer research.
Although he was rarely a trailblazer, Vice President Biden’s record does demonstrate a consistent liberal evolution on many issues throughout his career. After voting in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, he was the first member of the Obama Administration to advocate for marriage equality in 2012. After presiding over the Anita Hill hearings in 1991, he was the architect of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, and led the Obama Administration’s effort to reduce campus sexual assault through the It’s On Us campaign. After supporting the 1994 Crime Bill and aligning with the racist ‘tough on crime’ approach of that era, his current platform supports criminal justice reform, abolishing private prisons, and decriminalizing marijuana.
Vice President Biden has long been committed to building relationships with colleagues across the aisle, and bridging intra-party policy differences to establish compromise legislation for the American people. This commitment to civility resulted in Vice President Biden maintaining problematic working relationships with segregationist Senators James Eastland and Herman Talmadge during his time in the Senate. During the 2020 primary, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Kamala Harris, both Black candidates running for President, were outward in their critique of what they viewed as Vice President Biden’s defense of the reputations and decency of these segregationists. However, Vice President Biden has not apologized for his continued defense of collaborating with these segregationist colleagues, and maintains broad support in the Black community.
Vice President Biden’s commitment to compromise has extended to the left in recent months, and updates to his campaign platform are reflective of his interest in connecting with progressive voters. While he was a more moderate candidate in the larger 2020 field, he has been conscientious about including the popular perspectives of his progressive rivals, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, in his platform. He has recently issued proposals that include middle-class tax cuts, lowering Medicare eligibility to age 60, new benchmarks for greenhouse gas emission limits, free college tuition for families making less than $125,000 annually, and clean energy investments. While these proposals do not embrace the full scope of progressive ideals, they are an important indicator of his capacity for collaboration.
The Biden/Harris campaign is endorsed by many progressive groups in the country. While the Biden/Harris platform is the most progressive platform ever adopted by a major party ticket, we encourage progressive advocates to continue to hold their administration accountable, and work to encourage progressive legislation throughout the country. With consideration to their records in public service, we unequivocally recommend Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
The Vice President is the second-highest office in the Executive branch of the federal government. The officeholder is the first in the line of succession to the presidency and holds legislative authority as the president of the Senate. In this role, the Vice President presides over Senate deliberations and can cast a tie-breaking vote in close decisions. A Vice Presidential candidate is selected directly by a Presidential nominee who has won the democratic primary process. Vice Presidential candidates are elected indirectly as a part of the Presidential ticket in the general election. A Vice President serves four year terms, and there is no term limit for this position.
As of October 12th, Democratic challenger Vice President Joe Biden is leading Republican incumbent President Donald Trump in the polls by an average national margin of 9.2% (as of 10/24/20). Ten days before Election Day in 2016, Secretary Hillary Clinton held an average 4.9% polling lead over Donald Trump. Vice President Biden’s campaign has raised $952 million (as of 10/14/20) and is not funded by fossil fuel money. While his platform commits to establishing meaningful campaign finance reform, his 2020 campaign has received donations from special interest, corporate PAC, and lobbyist organizations. President Donald Trump has raised $601 million (as of 10/14/20) and has not taken any fundraising pledges. President Trump is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Citizens United, Proud Boys, and a variety of law enforcement organizations.
Senator Kamala Harris grew up in Berkeley, CA, and now resides in Los Angeles. She is the daughter of a Jamiacan father and an Indian mother who both emigrated to the Bay Area in the 1960s, and established themselves as activists in the Civil Rights movement in Oakland. Sen. Harris’ interest in justice and equal rights was instilled at a young age when she participated in civil rights protests in Oakland alongside her activist parents, and was further shaped when she was included in the second class of students to be bussed as part of Berkley’s efforts toward school integration. She attended Howard University, one of America’s HBCU institutions, for undergraduate studies, and completed her law degree at the University of California, Hastings.
After working for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for 8 years, Sen. Harris transitioned to a role as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. Sen. Harris’ political career began in 2003 when she won her bid to become District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco. She served two terms in San Francisco before being elected as the Attorney General for the state of California in 2010. She was the first woman and the first person of color to hold this seat. In representing the needs and interests of Californians in each of these roles, Sen. Harris’ record was both progressive for the time and complicated by her moderate approach to policing and criminal justice. She has been criticized for failing to institute comprehensive police accountability measures, for not establishing meaningful prison reform, and for taking a hands-off approach to cases related to police misconduct. However, her lenient approach to policing was often punctuated by decidedly progressive support for social justice issues, including the establishment of an education and workforce reentry program designed to diminish recidivism. Similarly, as Attorney General, she declined to defend Proposition 8, a proposition to make same-sex marriage illegal in California, in court and officiated the first wedding in the state when marriage equality was restored in 2013.
In 2016, Sen. Harris became the first woman of color elected to represent California in the United States Senate. Sen. Harris has sponsored legislation on climate and environmental protections, rental and housing protections, women’s health, and pandemic relief. She was also an original cosponsor of the progressive Green New Deal authored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey. Sen. Harris sits on four committees: Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Budget, Judiciary, and Select Committee on Intelligence. She has been an outspoken opponent of the Trump Administration, and has deftly used her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to question judicial nominees and interrogate the hypocrisy of her Republican colleagues.
Sen. Harris formally launched her campaign for President in January 2019 at an Oakland rally with an estimated attendance of 20,000 supporters. As a candidate, she pushed forward a platform that opposed Medicare for All, supported expansion of the Affordable Care Act, sought to expand tax benefits for middle and low-income families, supported citizenship for Dreamers, and favored a ban on assault weapons. She ended her campaign in December 2019, and was tapped to join Vice President Joe Biden’s ticket ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August 2020.
The Biden/Harris campaign is endorsed by many progressive groups in the country. While the Biden/Harris platform is the most progressive platform ever adopted by a major party ticket, we encourage progressive advocates to continue to hold their administration accountable, and work to encourage progressive legislation throughout the country. With consideration to their records in public service, we unequivocally recommend Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
About the Position
The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 53 congressional representatives. There is no term limit for this position.
About the District
California’s 13th Congressional District includes parts of Alameda Counties. Democrats typically hold this district. The most recent election results show CA-13 voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018.
About the Race
In the primary, Democrat Incumbent Representative Barbara Lee led Republican opponent Nikka Piterman by 85.4 percent. Lee has held this seat since 2013, and her campaign has pledged not to accept money from the fossil fuel industry. Piterman’s campaign has not committed to any such pledge and is running a campaign based on strengthening the national security apparatus and extraterrestrial defense concerns. Barbara Lee has raised $1,344,189, while Nikka Piterman has raised $5,635.
About the Candidate
Rep. Barbara Lee is a former member of the California State Assembly and State Senate and has served as a House representative for 22 years. She is originally from El Paso, TX. According to campaign materials, Rep. Lee is running for re-election to promote the arts and culture in California, strengthen civil rights protections, and invest in public education.
Rep. Barbara Lee’s priorities for CA-13 this year include blocking the President from declaring war on Iran, continuing her expansion of HIV/AIDS treatment, and fighting domestic poverty with food-assistance programs. She currently sits on two committees: the House Committee on Appropriations, where she is vice chair of the House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and the House Committee on Budget. This year, Rep. Lee has voted 96 percent of the time with Nancy Pelosi and 96 percent of the time with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Rep. Lee has sponsored 54 bills this year, notably including the expansion of public health care, gun record accountability, increasing CEO tax rates, and tenants’ rights. On January 30, 2020, Rep. Lee’s bill to repeal the 2002 authorization of military force against Iraq was passed into law.
Rep. Barbara Lee is endorsed by many progressive groups in the district. Her record in Congress is staunchly and successfully anti-war, pro–gun control, and anti–death penalty, and she has recently offered her support to Medicare for All. According to our analysis, Rep. Barbara Lee is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
About the Position
State Assembly Members form part of the California State Legislature, and work alongside the governor to establish laws and a state budget. They hold the power to pass bills that affect public policy, set state spending levels, raise and lower taxes, and uphold or override the governor’s vetoes. The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the State Senate and Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 61 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats. One seat is held by an Independent, and one seat is currently vacant.
California's 15th Assembly District includes portions of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Democrats typically hold this district. Democrat incumbent Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has served since 2018, when she was elected. The most recent election results show 87.4 percent of AD-15 voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, and 89.6 percent voted for Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018.
In the primary, Democrat Incumbent Assemblymember Buffy Wicks led Independent challenger Sara Brink by a margin of 75.1 percent. Assemblymember Wicks’s campaign has raised over $559,000 and has pledged to refuse fossil fuel money. According to her campaign website, she has not accepted any corporate money. However, upon further research into her campaign contributions, it was found that she has accepted money from Airbnb, AT&T, Disney, Salesforce.com, and Tesla. Additionally, she has accepted almost $10,000 from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association and the Richmond Police Officers Association. According to Assemblymember Wicks’s campaign website, she said, “I will not accept any donations from charter school advocacy organizations. I have not accepted any such donations and I will not.” However, her campaign contribution records say otherwise. She has accepted $1,500 from the Charter Public Schools PAC. Brink’s campaign contributions have not been recorded with the Secretary of State’s office.
Assemblymember Wicks, a lifelong grassroots activist, is from Oakland, CA. Prior to her election to the State Assembly, she organized against the Iraq War, worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, served as his deputy director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, and served as executive director of super PAC Priorities USA Action in support of Hillary Clinton for president. She is a longtime supporter of policies that improve the welfare of women and children. According to campaign materials, Assemblymember Wicks is running for re-election to join the fight on the most challenging issues, including solving the housing and homelessness crisis, protecting communities from gun violence, increasing funding for food and health-care programs, and ensuring high-quality education across the state.
Assemblymember Wicks’ priorities for AD-15 this year include education, housing, and health care. She currently sits on six standing committees: Banking and Finance, Budget, Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration, Privacy and Consumer Protection, Public Safety, and Rules. She also serves as chair on the Select Committee on Youth Mental Health. She has sponsored 45 bills about housing, education, health care, and transportation this year, of which eight have successfully been chaptered. She scores a perfect lifetime score of 100 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assemblymember Wicks has supported all progressive bills that made it to a vote.
Assenblymember Wicks is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district, such as Planned Parenthood Northern CA Action Fund, Moms Demand Action, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, East Bay for Everyone, and Evolve CA. However, she is also endorsed by Berkeley Police Commissioner George Perezvelez. Independent challenger Brink’s campaign website has made it clear that she is not expecting to win, and instead, she is using the platform to address several issues within the current two-party system and urges voters to elect progressive candidates.
Independent challenger Brink’s lack of a running platform greatly outweighs Assemblymember Wicks’s problematic endorsements and lack of consistency in campaign finance pledges. According to our analysis, Assemblymember Wicks is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
State Assembly Members form part of the California State Legislature, and work alongside the governor to establish laws and a state budget. They hold the power to pass bills that affect public policy, set state spending levels, raise and lower taxes, and uphold or override the governor’s vetoes. The California State Assembly has 80 districts. Each represents a population of at least 465,000 Californians. Representatives are elected to the Assembly for a two-year term. Every two years, all 80 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to three two-year terms (six years) in the Assembly. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the State Senate and Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 61 seats in the California State Assembly, while Republicans hold 17 seats. One seat is held by an Independent, and one seat is currently vacant.
California's 15th Assembly District includes portions of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Democrats typically hold this district. Democrat incumbent Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has served since 2018, when she was elected. The most recent election results show 87.4 percent of AD-15 voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, and 89.6 percent voted for Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018.
In the primary, Democrat Incumbent Assemblymember Buffy Wicks led Independent challenger Sara Brink by a margin of 75.1 percent. Assemblymember Wicks’s campaign has raised over $559,000 and has pledged to refuse fossil fuel money. According to her campaign website, she has not accepted any corporate money. However, upon further research into her campaign contributions, it was found that she has accepted money from Airbnb, AT&T, Disney, Salesforce.com, and Tesla. Additionally, she has accepted almost $10,000 from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association and the Richmond Police Officers Association. According to Assemblymember Wicks’s campaign website, she said, “I will not accept any donations from charter school advocacy organizations. I have not accepted any such donations and I will not.” However, her campaign contribution records say otherwise. She has accepted $1,500 from the Charter Public Schools PAC. Brink’s campaign contributions have not been recorded with the Secretary of State’s office.
Assemblymember Wicks, a lifelong grassroots activist, is from Oakland, CA. Prior to her election to the State Assembly, she organized against the Iraq War, worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, served as his deputy director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, and served as executive director of super PAC Priorities USA Action in support of Hillary Clinton for president. She is a longtime supporter of policies that improve the welfare of women and children. According to campaign materials, Assemblymember Wicks is running for re-election to join the fight on the most challenging issues, including solving the housing and homelessness crisis, protecting communities from gun violence, increasing funding for food and health-care programs, and ensuring high-quality education across the state.
Assemblymember Wicks’ priorities for AD-15 this year include education, housing, and health care. She currently sits on six standing committees: Banking and Finance, Budget, Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration, Privacy and Consumer Protection, Public Safety, and Rules. She also serves as chair on the Select Committee on Youth Mental Health. She has sponsored 45 bills about housing, education, health care, and transportation this year, of which eight have successfully been chaptered. She scores a perfect lifetime score of 100 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Assemblymember Wicks has supported all progressive bills that made it to a vote.
Assenblymember Wicks is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district, such as Planned Parenthood Northern CA Action Fund, Moms Demand Action, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, East Bay for Everyone, and Evolve CA. However, she is also endorsed by Berkeley Police Commissioner George Perezvelez. Independent challenger Brink’s campaign website has made it clear that she is not expecting to win, and instead, she is using the platform to address several issues within the current two-party system and urges voters to elect progressive candidates.
Independent challenger Brink’s lack of a running platform greatly outweighs Assemblymember Wicks’s problematic endorsements and lack of consistency in campaign finance pledges. According to our analysis, Assemblymember Wicks is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
State senators represent and advocate for the needs of their district at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating legislation that addresses issues within their district, as well as voting and debating on preexisting laws. The California State Senate has 40 congressional districts. Each represents a population of about 930,000 people. Representatives are elected to the Senate for a four-year term. Every two years, half of the Senate's 40 seats are subject to election. Members elected before 2012 are restricted to two four-year terms (eight years) in the Senate. Those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years total across both the State Senate or Assembly. This term, Democrats currently hold a two-thirds supermajority of 29 seats in the California State Senate, while Republicans hold 11 seats.
State senators represent and advocate the needs of their district at the California State Capitol. They are responsible for creating legislation that addresses issues within their district, as well as voting and debating on preexisting laws.
California’s 9th Senate District includes parts of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Notable cities include Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, San Leandro, and Richmond. Democrats typically hold this district. The most recent elections show SD-09 voted for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018, both with large victory margins. The district encompasses a significant Black, Latino, and Asian population (62 percent) and has a notable liberal history dating back to World War II and the Free Speech Movement. However, recently, there has been a decline in minority populations, specifically African-Americans, due to gentrification. It is a major urban and commercial hot spot and includes the Port of Oakland and Bay Bridge. State Senate District 9 is considered one of the safest of Democratic districts.
In the primary, Democrat incumbent Nancy Skinner led Libertarian challenger Jamie Dluzak by a margin of nearly 100 percent. Sen. Skinner’s campaign has raised over $130,000, and has received funding from corporate donations. Her campaign has also received fossil fuel and law-enforcement money, although not a significant amount, compared to other State Senate candidates. Sen. Skinner’s campaign has also received donations from multiple clean-energy corporations, and notable progressive associations, such as the California Nurses Association PAC.
Nancy Skinner was born in San Francisco, and has lived in Berkeley, CA, for over 40 years. According to campaign materials, Skinner is running for re-election to continue fighting for criminal-justice reform, environmental protections, affordable housing, and public safety. Prior to her election to the State Senate, Skinner served three terms in the State Assembly, was the first student to be elected to the Berkeley City Council, and served as the executive director of ICLEI’s United States office, which worked with international cities to stop climate change. As a graduate student at Berkeley, Skinner co-founded the labor union that represents graduate student instructors.
Skinner is the incumbent State Senator in District 9, having served in the position since 2017. She currently serves as the chair for Senate Public Safety and Senate Subcommittee No. 5 on Corrections, Public Safety, and the Judiciary, and is a member of an additional nine committees. Sen. Skinner has authored legislation to improve California’s affordable-housing shortage, and to protect the environment through the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions. During her term, she has supported legislation for renewable energy and police reform. In the State Senate, Skinner authored two significant criminal-justice reform bills to increase police accountability and overhaul the felony murder rule. Skinner has voted on 11 bills this year that address issues pertaining to COVID-19 relief, affirmative action, and paid family leave.
Nancy Skinner is a Courage California all-star, with a lifetime 97 out of 100 Courage Score, our annual analysis of legislators’ progressive voting records. Additionally, Skinner has received endorsements from notable progressive organizations, including United Domestic Workers, United Farm Workers, and California Democratic Party. In 2019, she received 100 percent ratings from AFSCME, California Labor Federation, CA Federation of Teachers, Equality CA, Health Access, Planned Parenthood of CA, and Sierra Club CA. Based on our analysis, Skinner has consistently shown great courage by advocating for the needs of constituents and facing down corporate lobbyists and interest groups that exploit Californians.
According to our analysis, Nancy Skinner is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
State senators represent and advocate for the needs of their district at the California State Capitol.
Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50 percent), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.
California has 58 trial courts, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, small claims, traffic, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts.
The Superior Court of Alameda County comprises civil, small claims, family law, probate, juvenile, criminal, and traffic courts. The County’s public defenders see 50,000 cases per year. As of 2016, Alameda County’s incarceration rate was 305 per 100,000 adults aged 18–69, slightly lower than California’s overall 486 per 100,000 average.
In the primary, Elena Condes led challenger Mark Fickes by a margin of 3 percent. Condes’s campaign has raised $147,196.68 and is primarily funded by individual donors, with about 10 percent from labor unions and 7 percent self-funded. Condes’s campaign has not signed on to any pledges to avoid money from fossil fuels or police unions, but has not taken funding from either source, or from corporate PACs. Fickes’s campaign has raised $131,476 and is 57 percent self-funded. Fickes’s campaign also has not committed to sign on to any pledges to avoid money from fossil fuels or police unions, but has also not taken any funding from either source or from corporate PACs.
Elena Condes, a criminal defense attorney with more than 25 years of courtroom experience, has lived in the East Bay for her entire professional career. According to campaign materials, Condes is running for election to increase access to the justice system, expand and support alternatives to incarceration, and support and mentor youth to increase diversity. If elected, Condes would become the third Latina on the Alameda County bench in a county that is 22.4 percent Latinx or Hispanic.
As a criminal defense attorney, Elena Condes started her own practice based on the premise that every person deserves respect and justice. She has worked as a judge pro tem for Alameda County and on the executive committee for the Court Appointed Attorneys Program. Condes is a recipient of the Minority Bar Coalition Unity Award for her dedication to working to advance the cause of diversity in the legal profession. Elena Condes has also served as president and treasurer of the East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association for 20 years with the aim to support Latinx law students in the Bay Area. Condes has also served on the board of Women Defenders, a professional association of criminal defense attorneys. Committed to education and the importance of ensuring that youth have access to the resources they need, Elena Condes served on the PTA of Washington Elementary School in Berkeley and helped create the Educational Equality Alliance, raising money for one-on-one tutoring for those not proficient in English, and purchasing bilingual books for students and families.
Elena Condes is endorsed by a strong majority of local progressive groups in the district. Her opponent, Mark Fickes, is endorsed by more moderate Democatic Party members or party-aligned groups. According to our analysis, Elena Condes is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person board of supervisors. A board of supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by Boards of Supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities, which are administered by their own city councils and unincorporated areas, which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically limited to three terms, or 12 years in office total.
Alameda is California's 7th most populous county. Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors oversees the needs of 1.53 million people and manages an estimated budget of $3.5 billion annually. According to the County Charter, Alameda County is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors directly elected by voters in their respective districts. District 1 includes the cities of Fremont, Livermore, and Dublin.
In the primary, challenger Vinnie Bacon led challenger David Haubert by a margin of 1.3 percent. Bacon’s campaign has pledged to refuse corporate PAC and fossil fuel money, but has yet to pledge to refuse police money. Haubert’s campaign has not pledged to refuse corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or police money. Neither campaign has made any campaign finance filings.
Vinnie Bacon, an environmental engineer with experience in city planning, has lived in Fremont for more than 20 years. Bacon has served as Fremont City Councilmember since 2016. According to campaign materials, Vinnie Bacon is running to bring integrity, independence, and representation to the district.
Vinnie Bacon’s priorities for Alameda County this term include the construction of affordable housing, to push for a Green New Deal, and to bring smart traffic and transit planning to the county. His campaign emphasizes clean money and not bowing to deep pockets and special interests. According to campaign materials, Bacon is the only candidate in this election who stands up unambiguously for LGBTQIA+ equality and a woman’s right to choose.
Councilmember Vinnie Bacon grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and worked as an environmental engineer after college. After moving to Fremont, Bacon worked as transportation planner for several years. Before becoming councilmember, Bacon served on the City of Fremont’s Economic Development Advisory Commission. Councilmember Bacon serves on the Sierra Club’s San Francisco Bay Chapter Executive Committee. As Fremont City Councilmember, Bacon has fought for affordable housing, opposed encroachment on open spaces, demanded an acceleration of the $15 minimum wage, and stood up for DACA recipients against the bigotry of the Trump administration.
Vinnie Bacon is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district. According to our analysis, Vinnie Bacon is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Each of the 58 counties in California is governed by a five-person board of supervisors. A board of supervisors has legislative and executive power to manage county services and resources, including courts, jails, public health, and public lands. They also have quasi-judicial powers, which gives them the right to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and make decisions in a manner similar to judicial courts. Laws passed by Boards of Supervisors are generally called ordinances. Because counties include both incorporated cities, which are administered by their own city councils and unincorporated areas, which are directly administered by the county, ordinances may or may not apply in different areas of the county. Supervisors are typically limited to three terms, or 12 years in office total.
Alameda is California's 7th most populous county. Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors oversees the needs of 1.53 million people and manages an estimated budget of $3.5 billion annually. According to the County Charter, Alameda County is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors directly elected by voters in their respective districts. District 1 includes the cities of Fremont, Livermore, and Dublin.
In the primary, challenger Vinnie Bacon led challenger David Haubert by a margin of 1.3 percent. Bacon’s campaign has pledged to refuse corporate PAC and fossil fuel money, but has yet to pledge to refuse police money. Haubert’s campaign has not pledged to refuse corporate PAC, fossil fuel, or police money. Neither campaign has made any campaign finance filings.
Vinnie Bacon, an environmental engineer with experience in city planning, has lived in Fremont for more than 20 years. Bacon has served as Fremont City Councilmember since 2016. According to campaign materials, Vinnie Bacon is running to bring integrity, independence, and representation to the district.
Vinnie Bacon’s priorities for Alameda County this term include the construction of affordable housing, to push for a Green New Deal, and to bring smart traffic and transit planning to the county. His campaign emphasizes clean money and not bowing to deep pockets and special interests. According to campaign materials, Bacon is the only candidate in this election who stands up unambiguously for LGBTQIA+ equality and a woman’s right to choose.
Councilmember Vinnie Bacon grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and worked as an environmental engineer after college. After moving to Fremont, Bacon worked as transportation planner for several years. Before becoming councilmember, Bacon served on the City of Fremont’s Economic Development Advisory Commission. Councilmember Bacon serves on the Sierra Club’s San Francisco Bay Chapter Executive Committee. As Fremont City Councilmember, Bacon has fought for affordable housing, opposed encroachment on open spaces, demanded an acceleration of the $15 minimum wage, and stood up for DACA recipients against the bigotry of the Trump administration.
Vinnie Bacon is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district. According to our analysis, Vinnie Bacon is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Proposition 14 asks voters to authorize a total of $5.5 billion in state general obligation bonds to continue the California stem cell agency that funds research, therapy, and grants to educational, nonprofit, and private entities for Alzheimer’s, Parkison’s, epilepsy, strokes, and other central nervous system and brain conditions and diseases. Prop 14 is an extension of Prop 71, which created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in 2004. The CIRM ran out of the original Prop 71 funds in 2019 and has not been funding new projects since then.
Vote YES to continue the CIRM, a state agency that has distributed a significant source of funding to scientific research programs and enterprises across the state, both nonprofit and for-profit.
Vote NO to not authorize the sale of $5.5 billion in state bonds for the CIRM and eliminate a financially burdensome stem cell research program that no longer has significant impact on medical research.
Robert N. Klein II, a Silicon Valley real estate developer and the top donor for Prop 14, was also the chief author of Proposition 71, which authorized $3 billion in bonds to create and maintain the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in 2004. There is no registered financial opposition.
There is no notable misinformation about Proposition 14.
Proposition 15 asks California voters to raise an estimated $6.4 billion to $11.5 billion in funding for local schools and governments by increasing property taxes on commercial and industrial properties based on current market value instead of the price they were purchased for. Based on the most recent report by Blue Sky Consulting Group, 10% of the biggest corporate property owners will pay 92% of the funding and more than 75% of total revenues will come from properties that have not been reassessed since prior to 1990 -- just 2% of all commercial and industrial properties! Proposition 15 will maintain the existing commercial and industrial property tax at a 1% limit and will also maintain existing exemptions for small businesses, homeowners, agricultural lands, and renters.
Prop 15’s main opponents include realty and industrial property owners, while the California Teachers Association and SEIU California State Council are main supporters.
Proposition 15 asks California voters to raise an estimated $6.4 billion to $11.5 billion in funding for local schools and governments
Proposition 16 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to repeal Prop 209’s restrictions on local and state governments from considering race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, and contracting. If passed, Prop 16 will permit governments to consider those protected categories in order to promote inclusive hiring and admissions programs in California’s public universities, government, and public agencies.
Proposition 16 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to repeal Prop 209’s restrictions on local and state governments from considering race, sex, color,
Proposition 17 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to restore voting rights to persons who have been disqualified from voting while on parole. If passed, Prop 17 will restore voting rights to approximately 50,000 Californians currently on parole.
There are no contributions recorded for support or opposition to Prop 17.
Proposition 17 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to restore voting rights to persons who have been disqualified from voting while on parole.
Proposition 18 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election if they will turn 18 by the following general election. At the age of 18, Californians are technically given the right to vote in all elections. However, those who are not 18 by the time of the primary are not able to have input on who would or would not appear on their ballot in the general election. A YES vote on Prop 18 solves this problem.
There are no recorded contributions in support of or opposition to Prop 18.
There is no prominent misinformation about Prop 18.
Proposition 18 asks California voters to amend the Constitution of California to allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election if they
Proposition 19 asks voters to amend sections of 1978’s Proposition 13 to increase the number of times a property tax base can be transferred to three times for longtime homeowners. Prop 19 is almost exactly the same as Proposition 5, which was on the 2018 California ballot and overwhelmingly defeated by voters, with 60 percent having voted against the proposition. The main difference in the proposition this year is that Prop 19 includes an additional amendment to Prop 13 that narrows an existing inheritance property tax break and promises to distribute any revenue generated from that amendment toward fire protection agencies and schools.
Realtor associations have contributed $36,270,000 in support of Prop 19. There is no registered financial opposition.
There is no prominent misinformation about Proposition 19.
Proposition 19 asks voters to amend sections of 1978’s Proposition 13 to increase the number of times a property tax base can be transferred to three times for long
If passed, Prop 20 increases penalties for low-level offenses and would create a state database that collects DNA samples from persons convicted of specified misdemeanors for use in cold cases by repealing parts of Props 47 and 57. Prop 20 would expand the list of offenses that disqualify inmates from a parole program, consider an individual’s collective criminal history and not just their most recent offense, and impose stronger restrictions for a nonviolent offender’s parole program. Additionally, Prop 20 would reclassify theft between $250 and $950 as a felony.
If passed, Prop 20 increases penalties for low-level offenses and would create a state database that collects DNA samples from persons convicted of specified misdemeanors for us
Proposition 21 asks voters to amend state law in order to allow (not require) local governments at the city and county levels to establish and regulate rent control on residential properties. This proposition would affect residential properties over 15 years old and exempts individuals who own up to two residential properties. Additionally, Prop 21 would allow rent in rent-controlled properties to increase up to 15 percent over a period of three years with the start of a new tenancy. Prop 21 is more or less the same proposition voters rejected in 2018.
California has the highest rate of homelessness in the nation, which can be attributed to the overwhelmingly high median rates for rent throughout the state forcing residents to pay 50 percent of their income just toward rent.
The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act prohibits rent control on residential properties built after February 1, 1995. Since then, housing built in California has become accessible only to those who can afford uncontrolled rent increases, and low-income families have largely been shut out from newer housing developments.
According to a Stanford study, those who lived in rent-controlled properties when Costa-Hawkins passed ended up saving a cumulative total of $7 billion over 18 years, which confirms that rent control is an effective way to prevent displacement from the city.
Proposition 21 asks voters to amend state law in order to allow (not require) local governments at the city and county levels to establish and regulate rent control on residential p
Proposition 22 asks voters to exempt companies like Lyft, Postmates, Uber, DoorDash, and others from a recently implemented state worker protection law, Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), so they can classify gig economy drivers from ride-share and delivery companies as independent contractors, not as employees. Additionally, Prop 22 would restrict local regulation of app-based drivers and would criminalize the impersonation of drivers.
By classifying workers as contractors and not employees, companies like Lyft, Uber, and DoorDash are exempted by state employment laws from ensuring basic protections to their workforce including minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.
Currently, rideshare and delivery workers are entitled under AB 5 to labor rights that every other employee in California receives, such as the right to organize, health insurance, and Social Security benefits. Prop 22 would take those rights away.
AB 5 also guarantees paid family leave, paid sick days, and unemployment insurance to those classified as gig employees. Proposition 22 asks voters to make gig-economy employees exempt from this law and replaces their rights with fewer benefits of much less value to their workers.
More than 2,000 drivers have filed claims against Uber and Lyft for over $630 million in damages, expenses, and lost wages. Prop 22 will codify Uber and Lyft’s abilities to systematically steal wages from drivers.
Uber and Lyft currently owe California $413 million in unemployment insurance contributions due to misclassifying drivers as independent contractors under AB 5. If Prop 22 passes, Uber and Lyft would get away with not paying what they owe.
"Prop 22 will guarantee 120% of minimum wage to all drivers." -- FALSE. The UC Berkeley Labor Center released a report that estimates Prop 22’s “pay guarantee” for their Uber and Lyft drivers would only end up being $5.64 per hour after accounting for all the expenses that drivers are responsible for themselves. At that rate, even if an individual worked 10 hour days, 7 days a week under Prop 22, they would be living below the California poverty line.
"Prop 22 will give health insurance to all drivers." -- FALSE. Under Prop 22, companies do not pay for health insurance, but instead provide a stipend to drivers. This stipend is valued at only 82% of the minimum coverage provided by state law, and is actually worth even less because workers would owe state and federal income taxes on the stipend. Prop 22 forces drivers to work more than 39 hours a week to qualify for the health stipend, so many workers would never even qualify for the stipend. For drivers who do qualify, Health Access California estimates that the health stipend would be just a couple hundred dollars—and could be just tens of dollars for younger workers—not enough for drivers to cover the purchase of their own health insurance.
If Prop 22 is passed, all future labor legislation surrounding Uber and Lyft would have to be approved by 7/8 of the total California State Legislature. Making this happen is virtually impossible considering Uber and Lyft have donated $2 million to the California Republican Party campaign committee. This is why Uber and Lyft are spending millions of dollars: to make their operations virtually untouchable in terms of regulation.
Proposition 22 asks voters to exempt companies like Lyft, Postmates, Uber, DoorDash, and others from a recently implemented state worker protection law, Assembly Bil
Prop 23 would add sections to the California Health and Safety Code about how dialysis facilities can operate, requiring a physician to be on-site at every dialysis clinic to oversee operations, and mandating that each chronic dialysis clinic submit quarterly reports on dialysis-related infections to the California Department of Health. The on-site physician would assume a non-caregiving role, as they would not be required to be specially trained in nephrology or interact with patients at all. Additionally, Prop 23 would prohibit discrimination against patients based on their coverage or care.
Prop 23 would add sections to the California Health and Safety Code about how dialysis facilities can operate, requiring a physician to be on-site at every di
Proposition 24 asks voters to amend the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) to include pay-for-privacy schemes, which provide better services and internet connection to those who pay more in order to protect their personal information while providing suboptimal services for Californians who cannot or do not want to pay more. Additionally, Prop 24 caters to tech companies by allowing them to upload a California resident’s personal information as soon as that resident’s device, computer, or phone leaves the state’s borders, and permits tech companies to completely ignore a programmable universal electronic “do not sell my information” signal. Under current law, privacy follows a Californian wherever they go, and businesses must honor the electronic signal.
Proposition 24 asks voters to amend the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) to include pay-for-privacy schemes, which provide better services and internet connection to those who pay more in order
Vote YES on Prop 25 to eliminate the use of cash bail in pretrial incarceration.
Proposition 25 is a referendum, which asks voters to directly weigh in on whether to keep or reject SB 10, a bill originally passed in 2018. Voting YES on Prop 25 will keep SB 10 in place and eliminate the cash bail system of pretrial incarceration in California, which is directly responsible for the disproportionate incarceration of Californians who cannot afford bail. The bail bond industry is directly responsible for placing Prop 25 on the ballot and calling SB 10 into question.
There are three major components to grassroots groups' objections to Prop 25. Here we provide our assessment of these concerns and how they can be addressed in the future if Prop 25 passes.
The bail bond industry has invested heavily in a No on the Prop 25 campaign in an attempt to spread misinformation and save the industry.
Vote YES on Prop 25 to eliminate the use of cash bail in pretrial incarceration.
Oakland is governed by an eight-person city council. A city council is responsible for establishing policy, passing local laws (called ordinances), voting on budget appropriations, and developing an overall vision for the city. In Oakland, the position of mayor is limited to two terms of four years each, while City Council members can serve for an unlimited number of terms. The Council is made up of one representative from each of seven districts and one at-large representative.
Oakland is Alameda County’s most populous city. Oakland City Council oversees the needs of 390,724 people, according to the 2010 Census, and manages an estimated budget of $1.5 billion annually. Oakland is managed by a mayor-council structured government.
Incumbent Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan’s campaign has raised $95,785 ($15,000 from candidate self-financing) and is not funded by fossil fuel, corporate PACs, or police money. However, she has not pledged to refuse money from any of those groups. Challenger Derreck B. Johnson’s campaign has raised $187,469 and has not committed to any of the pledges, either. Challenger Nancy Sidebotham has not reported contributions at this time.
A committee in opposition to Kaplan was formed by Ernest Brown, chair of the board of directors at YIMBY Action. However, Lyft has recently overtaken the committee in contributions, accounting for 72 percent of the total contributions as of October 6, 2020. Brown informed local newspapers that he is unsure why Lyft donated, considering the committee is about housing. Kaplan cites her attempts to tax companies like Lyft and Uber to pay for road infrastructure and previous votes against those companies’ requests to alter rental bike/scooter contracts with the City of Oakland to achieve a monopoly, like they did in San Francisco, as the reason why Lyft is lobbying against her. Kaplan concluded in an interview with The Oaklandside: “This is not about housing. This is about a billionaire corporation that doesn’t want to pay its fair share in taxes and wants to abuse its workers.”
Rebecca Kaplan, current Oakland City Council Member At Large since 2008, is from Oakland. She is the first openly-LGBTQIA+ elected official in Oakland. Prior to her election to the Oakland City Council, Kaplan worked as a housing rights attorney in Oakland and served as the elected director on the AC Transit Board and on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board. She is a longtime supporter of increasing affordability and accessibility to public transportation, racial justice, and LGBTQIA+ rights. According to campaign materials, Kaplan is running for re-election to protect public health in a pandemic and beyond, improve regional transportation and infrastructure, promote gun safety, and protect renters and sexually exploited youth.
Kaplan’s priorities for Oakland this term include public transportation and police accountability. Notable district achievements by Kaplan as City Council Member At Large include banning the loading and storage of coal in Oakland, passing gun legislation that provided technology and systems to shut down sources of illegal guns and banned leaving guns loose in unattended vehicles, organizing the LGBTQIA+ roundtable, and helping to write and pass the $8 billion Measure BB, which increased transit service, provided free bus passes for school-age children, and created thousands of local jobs. Kaplan is the lead author of Measure S1 - Amending Powers of Police Commission, which will appear on Oakland residents’ ballots this November. The measure seeks to provide independence of police oversight to help provide accountability and trust. Kaplan currently sits on four committees: Life Enrichment, Public Safety, Rules and Legislation, and City/Port Liaison Committee (chair).
Kaplan is endorsed by a strong majority progressive groups, such as Equality California, Planned Parenthood, Oakland Rising Action, and Black Women Organized for Political Action PAC. At this time, Kaplan does not have any problematic endorsements. According to our analysis, Rebecca Kaplan is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
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Oakland is governed by an eight-person city council. A city council is responsible for establishing policy, passing local laws (called ordinances), voting on budget appropriations, and developing an overall vision for the city. In Oakland, the position of mayor is limited to two terms of four years each, while City Council members can serve for an unlimited number of terms. The Council is made up of one representative from each of seven districts and one at-large representative.
Oakland is Alameda County’s most populous city, and is 36 percent white, 24 percent Black, 27 percent Latinx, and 15 percent Asian. The Oakland City Council oversees the needs of 390,724 people and manages an estimated budget of $1.61 billion annually. Oakland is managed by a mayor-council structured government. Oakland’s District 3 includes the neighborhoods of West Oakland, Downtown/Uptown, Jack London, Pill Hill/KONO, the Lake, and the Port of Oakland.
Oakland uses a ranked-choice voting system, which eliminates the need for city council races to be included on the primary ballot. Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates by preference on their ballot. The seat is won by a candidate who either wins a majority of first-rank preference, or, in the case of no majority winner, the candidate who has received the largest proportion of higher-ranking votes. There are six candidates running for this seat, including the incumbent, Lynette Gibson McElhaney, and her progressive challenger, Carroll Fife. There is no current polling available for this race. Carroll Fife’s campaign has raised $168,000, and has not accepted donations from any corporate PACs. Incumbent McElhaney has not committed to any funding pledges, and has recorded $151,000 in donations, including funds from the Oakland Police Officers’ Association. Recently, it was revealed that McElhaney is suspected to be part of an investigation by the Oakland Public Ethics Commission related to laundering of campaign contribution money over the last several years. It is alleged that the owners of California Waste Solutions (CWS) have funneled money to several councilmembers through straw donations since 2013. The donations are believed to be tied to the council’s consideration of a lawsuit related to an error in the CWS contract that has allowed them to collect millions by overcharging customers.
Carroll Fife, the director of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action, is a longtime resident of Oakland. According to campaign materials, Fife is running to build on her successes as a community organizer, and to continue to collaborate with her neighbors in collective advocacy for social justice.
Fife has progressive priorities for Oakland this term, including housing as a human right, divesting from policing, reinvesting in communities, progressive taxation, and supporting essential workers. She believes in systemic change to create more equity in public systems.
Fife is a prolific community activist. She helped found Moms 4 Housing, a local housing-rights collective that organizes to reclaim housing from big banks and real-estate speculators. She is a co-founder of Oakland Alliance, Oakland Justice Coalition, and Community Ready Corps. Through these organizations, Fife works in solidarity with her community to address issues of racial justice, housing equity, and education accessibility. She has successfully led organizing efforts that resulted in legislative victories on these issues, creating direct benefit for the Oakland community. She founded the Black Women in Elected Leadership PAC, and was elected to the Oakland NAACP Executive Committee. In recent years, she managed Oakland’s first-ever slate of all-Black women candidates for city council, and served as a delegate for the Bernie Sanders campaign during the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Fife is a longtime supporter of housing rights, community self-determination, and racial justice.
Fife is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district. According to our analysis, Fife is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Oakland is governed by an eight-person city council.
Xavier Johnson, a tenants’ rights attorney, is from Berkeley, CA. He moved to Berkeley in 2013 to pursue a law degree at UC Berkeley. He is a longtime activist in the LGBTQIA+ and African American communities and is dedicated to correcting inequities, especially in West and South Berkeley. According to campaign materials, Johnson is running for election to expand tenant protections and build support for a regional housing fund with enough resources to end our housing crisis.
Johnson’s priorities for Berkeley renters include implementing a Green New Deal that focuses on building equitable and zero-emissions housing and creating a regional measure dedicated to providing funding specifically for low-income, affordable units. He aims to protect tenants and make housing a human right.
Johnson is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district, such as Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action, Bay Rising Action, Berkeley Progressive Alliance, Berkeley Tenants Union, East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution East Bay, SEIU 1021, and the Sierra Club. At this time, Johnson does not have any problematic endorsements and has not electronically filed campaign contributions. According to our analysis, Xavier Johnson is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Andy Kelley, a climate change and environmental advocate, is from Berkeley, CA. He currently serves on the Alameda County Planning Commission, and also serves as the vice chair of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee. He previously served as chair of the Berkeley Public Works Commission and as co-chair of the successful Measures O & P campaign, raising $135 million for services to prevent homelessness and increase affordable housing. Andy Kelley is also a former employee of Courage California. According to campaign materials, Kelley is running for election because housing is a human right and he wants to prevent record-high foreclosures, evictions, and displacement within Berkeley.
Kelley’s priorities for Berkeley renters include increasing accessibility, improving outreach, and supporting affordable housing and programs that keep residents housed. His plans are to create incentives for landlords to convert current market-rate properties into permanent and affordable units, while investigating the possibility of offering an exemption from paying some of their current property taxes for properties that voluntarily reduce rents.
Kelley is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district, such as the Berkeley Tenants Union, Berkeley Progressive Alliance, East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, SEIU 1021, and the Sierra Club. At this time, Kelley does not have any problematic endorsements and has not electronically filed campaign contributions. According to our analysis, Andy Kelley is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Mari Mendonca, a housing advocate, was born and raised in Berkeley, CA. She currently serves as a Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, having been appointed unanimously in 2019. Mendonca is a member of Friends of Adeline, a group dedicated to fighting for the dignity and rights of low-income people, and previously served as a committee leader with Unite Here 2850. According to campaign materials, Mendonca is running for re-election because she believes that everyone has a right to safe, secure, decent, and affordable housing.
Mendonca’s priorities for Berkeley renters include dismantling systemically racist structures, like redlining, and preventing displacement and gentrification that continues to target Black residents, as well as other people of color. Mendonca’s plans include extending rent control to new units, establishing a cap on the manipulated inflation of the market, and ensuring that policies put community needs before developers’ needs.
Mendonca is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district, such as the East Bay Young Democrats, ACCE, SEIU Local 1021, and the Sierra Club. At this time, Mendonca does not have any problematic endorsements and has not electronically filed campaign contributions. According to our analysis, Mari Mendonca is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Leah Simon-Weisberg, a housing attorney, was born in Berkeley, CA. She currently serves as vice chair of the Berkeley Rent Board. In 2019, Simon-Weisberg represented Moms 4 Housing in court, arguing that housing is a human right and that people should be able to live in empty corporate-owned homes. According to campaign materials, Simon-Weisberg is running for re-election because she believes that everyone has a right to safe, secure, decent, and affordable housing.
Simon-Weisberg’s priorities for Berkeley renters include dismantling systemically racist structures, like redlining, and preventing displacement and gentrification that continues to target Black residents, as well as other people of color.
Simon-Weisberg’s plans include extending rent control to new units, establishing a cap on the manipulated inflation of the market, and ensuring that policies put community needs over developers’ needs
Simon-Weisberg is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups in the district, such as the East Bay Young Democrats, ACCE, SEIU Local 1021, and the Sierra Club. At this time, Simon-Weisberg does not have any problematic endorsements and has not electronically filed campaign contributions. According to our analysis, Leah Simon-Weisberg is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Dominique Walker, a housing-justice organizer and activist, is from Berkeley, CA. She is the co-founder of School of Social Justice and Community Development in Oakland and Moms4housing, a coalition of Black mothers that claims empty corporate-owned homes for the community. According to campaign materials, Walker is running for election because she believes that every single person has the right to accessible and affordable housing.
Walker’s priorities for Berkeley renters include fixing habitability issues, rehabilitating older units, and assisting both landlords and tenants in acquiring more energy-efficient upgrades.
Walker is endorsed by several progressive groups in the district, such as ACCE, East Bay Young Democrats, SEIU Local 1021, and Sierra Club. At this time, Walker does not have any problematic endorsements and has not electronically filed campaign contributions. According to our analysis, Dominique Walker is a strong choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Transit systems in California are generally governed by a five-person board. A transportation board is responsible for operating transit service, setting service levels, routes, and fares, and regulating transit facilities. AC Transit Board directors are elected every four years and can serve indefinite four-year terms until they resign or are replaced.
AC Transit Board is responsible for public transportation within Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The AC Transit Board oversees the needs of 1,423,713 people according to the most recent population report in 2011 and manages an estimated budget of $471 million annually. The AC Transit Board is managed by a seven-person president-director structured government. AC Transit Board Ward 1 serves 284,966 people and operates in Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Kensington, and Richmond.
Jovanka Beckles is the only challenger to incumbent Joe Wallace, who was first elected to AC Transit Board Ward 1 in 2000 and has been re-elected every term. He currently serves as president of the board. Wallace is endorsed by San Pablo City Council Member Rita Xavier and the Sierra Club. No campaign filing statements have been filed for either Wallace or challenger Jovanka Beckles.
Jovanka Beckles, a former Richmond City Council member, is from Richmond, CA. Beckles is also a children’s mental-health professional, a leader in the Richmond Progressive Alliance, and a self-described democratic socialist following the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr. She is a longtime supporter of environmental protections and public safety, having co-sponsored the Climate Emergency Declaration in Richmond, voted against Chevron’s plan to produce dirtier crude oil, and opposed the transportation of coal into Richmond. According to campaign materials, Beckles is running for election at the urging of AC Transit workers in Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192.
Beckles’s priorities for the AC Transit Board this term include establishing fare-free transit, making a Green New Deal for transit in the East Bay a reality by taxing corporations, ensuring a safe ride for all--specifically with COVID-19 in mind--and continuing to fight for labor rights for transit workers, including safe working conditions.
Beckles is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups and elected officials in the district, such as Carroll Fife (director of Oakland’s ACCE Action chapter), Lateefah Simon (BART Board of Directors, District 7), East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, and Mark Williams (AC Transit Board of Directors, Ward 4). Beckles does not have any problematic endorsements at this time. According to our analysis, Beckles is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Transit systems in California are generally governed by a five-person board. A transportation board is responsible for operating transit service, setting service levels, routes, and fares, and regulating transit facilities. AC Transit Board directors are elected every four years and can serve indefinite four-year terms until they resign or are replaced.
AC Transit Board is responsible for public transportation within Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The AC Transit Board oversees the needs of 1,423,713 people according to the most recent population report in 2011 and manages an estimated budget of $471 million annually. The AC Transit Board is managed by a seven-person president-director structured government. AC Transit Board Ward 1 serves 284,966 people and operates in Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Kensington, and Richmond.
Jovanka Beckles is the only challenger to incumbent Joe Wallace, who was first elected to AC Transit Board Ward 1 in 2000 and has been re-elected every term. He currently serves as president of the board. Wallace is endorsed by San Pablo City Council Member Rita Xavier and the Sierra Club. No campaign filing statements have been filed for either Wallace or challenger Jovanka Beckles.
Jovanka Beckles, a former Richmond City Council member, is from Richmond, CA. Beckles is also a children’s mental-health professional, a leader in the Richmond Progressive Alliance, and a self-described democratic socialist following the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr. She is a longtime supporter of environmental protections and public safety, having co-sponsored the Climate Emergency Declaration in Richmond, voted against Chevron’s plan to produce dirtier crude oil, and opposed the transportation of coal into Richmond. According to campaign materials, Beckles is running for election at the urging of AC Transit workers in Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192.
Beckles’s priorities for the AC Transit Board this term include establishing fare-free transit, making a Green New Deal for transit in the East Bay a reality by taxing corporations, ensuring a safe ride for all--specifically with COVID-19 in mind--and continuing to fight for labor rights for transit workers, including safe working conditions.
Beckles is endorsed by a strong majority of progressive groups and elected officials in the district, such as Carroll Fife (director of Oakland’s ACCE Action chapter), Lateefah Simon (BART Board of Directors, District 7), East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, and Mark Williams (AC Transit Board of Directors, Ward 4). Beckles does not have any problematic endorsements at this time. According to our analysis, Beckles is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit system, or BART, is split into nine districts within Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties. Each district elects one board member to a four-year term. Once elected, one member acts as president, and five officers are appointed: general manager, controller-treasurer, independent police auditor, general counsel, and district secretary. In 2019, BART served 118 million passengers, averaging 411,000 per weekday.
BART District 1 lies within Contra Costa County and includes the following stations: Concord, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre, and Walnut Creek.
Jamie Salcido is a transportation commissioner for Walnut Creek and a health-care marketing manager. According to campaign materials, Salcido is running for election to address the extended impact of COVID-19 and bring ridership back; to keep riders safe by increasing collaboration with local governments, nonprofits, and social services agencies, as opposed to the police; and to ensure that BART continues its transition to Communication-Based Train Control, allowing trains to run at closer intervals.
As transportation commissioner, Jamie Salcido focuses on improving traffic congestion, downtown parking, and moving people out of single-occupancy vehicles in favor of efficient and clean public transit. With a background in urban design, she has built transit-related projects that enhance the safety of public spaces with visibility and lighting systems, and improve community connectivity with pedestrian and bike paths.
Jamie Salcido is endorsed by many progressive organizations in the district, such as the League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay, Contra Costa Young Democrats, LAMBDA Democrats, East Bay for Everyone, and a number of trade unions and labor councils. According to our analysis, Lateefah Simon is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit system, or BART, is split into nine districts within Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties. Each district elects one board member to a four-year term. Once elected, one member acts as president, and five officers are appointed: general manager, controller-treasurer, independent police auditor, general counsel, and district secretary. In 2019, BART served 118 million passengers, averaging 411,000 per weekday.
BART District 1 lies within Contra Costa County and includes the following stations: Concord, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre, and Walnut Creek.
Jamie Salcido is a transportation commissioner for Walnut Creek and a health-care marketing manager. According to campaign materials, Salcido is running for election to address the extended impact of COVID-19 and bring ridership back; to keep riders safe by increasing collaboration with local governments, nonprofits, and social services agencies, as opposed to the police; and to ensure that BART continues its transition to Communication-Based Train Control, allowing trains to run at closer intervals.
As transportation commissioner, Jamie Salcido focuses on improving traffic congestion, downtown parking, and moving people out of single-occupancy vehicles in favor of efficient and clean public transit. With a background in urban design, she has built transit-related projects that enhance the safety of public spaces with visibility and lighting systems, and improve community connectivity with pedestrian and bike paths.
Jamie Salcido is endorsed by many progressive organizations in the district, such as the League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay, Contra Costa Young Democrats, LAMBDA Democrats, East Bay for Everyone, and a number of trade unions and labor councils. According to our analysis, Lateefah Simon is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit system, or BART, is split into nine districts within Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties. Each district elects one board member to a four-year term. Once elected, one member acts as president, and five officers are appointed: general manager, controller-treasurer, independent police auditor, general counsel, and district secretary. In 2019, BART served 118 million passengers, averaging 411,000 per weekday.
BART District 7 lies within the Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties and includes the following stations: Ashby, El Cerrito del Norte (partial), El Cerrito Plaza (partial), MacArthur (partial), Montgomery (partial), Richmond, West Oakland, Embarcadero (partial).
Incumbent Boardmember Lateefah Simon, a community activist and president of the BART District Board for 2020, is from the Fillmore district of San Francisco. Legally blind and a working mother, Simon is running for re-election to continue serving the working people, seniors, and people with disabilities who rely on BART. She has expressed a long-term desire to secure enough funding to make public transit free.
Lateefah Simon began her community engagement at age 15, organizing for the Center for Young Women’s Development. By 19, she was appointed executive director and served 11 years, bringing the organization to national acclaim. At 26, her work with the Center earned Simon the distinction of youngest woman ever to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. She went on to lead the creation of San Francisco’s first reentry services division under the leadership of then District Attorney Kamala Harris. Simon later served as executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and as program director at the Rosenberg Foundation.
Currently, Lateefah Simon works as president of the Akonadi Foundation, an organization based in Oakland that funds and nurtures racial-justice movements, seeking to eliminate structural racism and expand opportunity for youth of color. She is also a California State University Trustee, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2016 to serve the largest public university system in the world.
Incumbent Boardmember Lateefah Simon is endorsed by many progressive organizations in the district, such as the Harvey Milk Club; San Francisco Bicycle Coalition; SF Renters Alliance; the East Bay, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Young Democrats; and a number of trade unions. According to our analysis, Lateefah Simon is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit system, or BART, is split into nine districts within Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties. Each district elects one board member to a four-year term. Once elected, one member acts as president, and five officers are appointed: general manager, controller-treasurer, independent police auditor, general counsel, and district secretary. In 2019, BART served 118 million passengers, averaging 411,000 per weekday.
BART District 7 lies within the Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties and includes the following stations: Ashby, El Cerrito del Norte (partial), El Cerrito Plaza (partial), MacArthur (partial), Montgomery (partial), Richmond, West Oakland, Embarcadero (partial).
Incumbent Boardmember Lateefah Simon, a community activist and president of the BART District Board for 2020, is from the Fillmore district of San Francisco. Legally blind and a working mother, Simon is running for re-election to continue serving the working people, seniors, and people with disabilities who rely on BART. She has expressed a long-term desire to secure enough funding to make public transit free.
Lateefah Simon began her community engagement at age 15, organizing for the Center for Young Women’s Development. By 19, she was appointed executive director and served 11 years, bringing the organization to national acclaim. At 26, her work with the Center earned Simon the distinction of youngest woman ever to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. She went on to lead the creation of San Francisco’s first reentry services division under the leadership of then District Attorney Kamala Harris. Simon later served as executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and as program director at the Rosenberg Foundation.
Currently, Lateefah Simon works as president of the Akonadi Foundation, an organization based in Oakland that funds and nurtures racial-justice movements, seeking to eliminate structural racism and expand opportunity for youth of color. She is also a California State University Trustee, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2016 to serve the largest public university system in the world.
Incumbent Boardmember Lateefah Simon is endorsed by many progressive organizations in the district, such as the Harvey Milk Club; San Francisco Bicycle Coalition; SF Renters Alliance; the East Bay, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Young Democrats; and a number of trade unions. According to our analysis, Lateefah Simon is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
To fill the five open seats on the Rent Stabilization Board Courage is recommending the following five members of the Right to Housing slate, which is made up of a diverse group of experienced community advocates and housing experts.
About the Position
In 2020, members of the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board will be elected in an at-large race in which the top five candidates, rather than the usual four, will go on to serve. Board Commissioners serve four-year terms. There are no term limits for Board Commissioners.
About the District
The Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board is located in Berkeley, CA, and serves a population of roughly 121,363 Californians, according to the US Census estimate in 2019.
About the Race
There are 12 candidates in the race to fill the five available seats. The majority of the candidates have aligned onto two slates with opposing visions for Berkeley. Courage is recommending all five members of the Right to Housing slate. They face a tough race against the five members of the Homeowners for Berkeley Rent Board Slate, a property owner-oriented group which is heavily backed by real estate interests.