It took about four weeks for the San Diego County Registrar of Voters to finish counting every single vote of the 2008 General Election and then upload the vote database to their web site. After anxiously waiting for a few weeks, I took the database and converted it into a usable format and started producing some reports that allowed me to drill down and see exactly how each community and city voted.
I’ved used the term “community” to describe a place within the City of San Diego boundary, such as Mira Mesa and La Jolla and the term “unincorporated” means that the place is not a city, such as Julian and Alpine.
The data is first grouped into 18 cities and unincorporated area (19 total groups). The City of San Diego and unincorporated area are then broken down by community. After scanning each of the totals, it makes it very easy to compare the different political viewpoints of each of the communities. For example, Proposition 8 received an unsurprising 83% opposition in Hillcrest, while the Campo area voted 77% in favor of the proposition.
Today’s San Diego Union-Tribune has a long article on the failure of Proposition A, a $52 parcel tax for all of San Diego County that would have funded a regional fire authority and help provide badly needed additional resources at local fire departments. Interestingly, it was the most fire-prone areas of San Diego County – towns like Ramona, which nearly burned down in the 2003 fire – that turned in the strongest No votes. Why would they vote against protecting their own property?
“I think the people don’t believe the government,” said Peter Jorgenson, a Ramona resident who voted for the tax. “They don’t believe that they’re actually going to do anything with the money.”…
It did not win the support of Mary Eaker, 59, a clerk at a Circle K in Ramona.
“With the economy so bad, everybody’s voting against anything with taxes,” Eaker said. “Nobody wants more taxes. Forget it.”
The article describes many other possible reasons for Prop A’s failure, including poor leadership from San Diego County Supervisors, but the distrust of government does seem to be at the core of the problem.
Of course, this isn’t just some random development. Conservatives have had as a primary focus creating and capitalizing on distrust of government. Conservative politicians, activists, and editorial pages like those at the U-T (which did endorse Prop A) have frequently accused government of being wasteful and reckless with tax money as a way to ensure voters never do support a tax increase. They cried wolf so often that when the wolf finally appeared in the form of a catastrophic firestorm, the good people of San Diego County did what they had been trained to do – be skeptical of government and vote against a tax for services they desperately need.
It dates back to 1978:
Proposition 13 reduced property tax revenue to governments throughout California, leaving fire districts with revenue shortfalls as high as 80 percent.
It’s not likely we’ll ever see a conservative question Prop 13. But as we saw last year conservative criticism has extended to fire departments themselves. Firefighters in Orange County were frequent targets of right-wing criticism, with the OC Register accusing them of being wasteful and taxpayers as being “weak” for giving fire departments more money.
One of the primary reasons for California’s ongoing budget crisis is because conservatives have successfully created and exploited this distrust of government. If we’re going to solve the fire crisis or the budget crisis, we need to restore public trust in government.
Showing Californians the consequences of conservative policies is a good way to do that. Just as conservative anti-government policies left New Orleans vulnerable to a hurricane and left the city’s residents stranded when that hurricane finally arrived, so too has conservative policy and framing left Californians vulnerable to a similar disaster.
Police expected 5,000 people today for San Diego’s Join the Impact march against Prop 8. Police are currently estimating 20,000 marchers turned out in support of equality (link will also lead to some cool pics and video). Organizers upped their estimate early this morning to 25,000 and they’re sticking with that number. Either way, it doubles last week’s 10K strong San Diego march.
I arrived at the jumping off point at the appointed 10am hour. There were thousands of people spread throughout Balboa Park- old and young, gay and straight, male and female, all races and ethnicities. Some were alone, some came with families, some with groups of friends. It took about 30 minutes to get things organized, in part probably because of people like me who were working the crowd as much as possible. And I’ll tell you how I knew right away that this was a really big deal: While I’m sure many were there, I didn’t see a single person I know from political activism. But I saw people I knew from my neighborhood, from bars, from sports, from music, from church. In other words, this wasn’t the same old political demonstration with the same old faces. This was everyone who normally don’t obsess about politics. People who normally may not even be out of bed at 10am on a Saturday much less marching for miles in the 85 degree heat. This wasn’t politics, this was a movement.
I was very careful to pack my trusty Flip Video, and I got some shaky clips of the beginning of the march (above) and the pivot from 6th Avenue to Broadway (right). The march ran a three mile course south on 6th Avenue along Balboa Park, west through downtown on Broadway, and up Pacific Highway past the Star of India before culminating at the County Administration Building (where marriage licenses are issued). Gloria Allred, city councilman-elect Todd Gloria and reps from the ACLU, Equality California and the Human Rights campaign were on the docket for the rally between the building and the bay.
Chant sheets were everywhere and the chants rarely stopped. The homemade signs were plentiful and ran the gamut from Lincoln to Hitler and Chickens to Satan. I was pleasantly impressed though by the VAST majority of people embracing the positive messaging. People get that this is about love, acceptance and equality. And that abandoning that is to let agents of intolerance win.
The only arrest reported at this point was a member of the Minutemen. Which is a nice juxtaposition to the experience of marching through downtown. Cars honked in solidarity, people cheered from balconies and streamed out of offices and hotels to root us on and give high-fives. In the course of 3 downtown miles, I spotted maybe 7 Yes on 8 folks. Organizers kept people reasonably well behaved, and nothing advanced beyond an occasionally aggressive air horn. Heck, the handful of unattended Yes signs we passed had police attendants.
This is just one of the first reports to come today. There are more than 300 events scheduled throughout the state and across the country. And I said to a friend who marched with me, “You will not be able to stay home brother.
…
Because…people will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
There have been stories lately in the local press about the increase in Democratic registrations this year. Around October 10, the talk was that the Republican majority was “in danger,” with over 40,000 new Democrats being registered. However, as far as I know, there are no current “official” numbers, just estimates.
Still, it may be nice to find out that San Diego is no longer a monolithic franchise of the GOP.
I must stress that the talk has been hinting at, but not actually pointing to, a Democratic majority. Perhaps it was just too hard to think about or for some, too much to hope for. Here is an example of the reporting.
Last night, though, I heard something different on the local news. While the numbers still are not official, the buzz is that the total Democratic registrations are just over 541,000, while total Republican registrations are 540,000 as of this election.
Even if these numbers don’t pan out, the message is clear enough. There has been a shift in this county that cannot be denied.
full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign. I went to Qualcomm because that’s where the fight to maintain human rights is being waged.
Let me be clear. I’ve been to a lot of all day music festivals, and generally people skip the first seven hours. So maybe that’s what’s going on here. But after a couple hours at Qualcomm earlier for the massive Yes on 8 rally organized by The Call…nobody’s here. Check out the poor but illustrative video I grabbed with my Flip Video. I was down on the field, just to stage left. Joint was empty. They threw a party and nobody came.
The parking lots were mostly empty. The trolley station that goes essentially right up to the door was almost entirely empty. The concourses and hallways were empty. Most of the seats were empty. A popular shirt as I walked around (but don’t have a picture of right now) was a bright yellow Tshirt reading “You can’t change God’s Law: Yes on Prop 8.” But you know…don’t worry about this being the effective repeal of the separation of church and state. It’s just God’s law. Being written as state law. Right. “It Ain’t Just Genetics” was another personal ‘favorite’ of mine.
Let me also add: Not a single solitary counter-protester. Nobody at all. Everyone’s on the phones making real calls. Completely non-political friends of mine were talking last night in the midst of Halloween parties about their plans to phonebank today. This campaign is doing a tremendous job channeling the energies of supporters to the work that really matters. Really impressive to see.
Update: Photos from earlier today can be seen here
Update: I’m about to crash, but I wanted to confirm: nobody else ever showed up. The No on 8 counter-rally at 9pm in Hillcrest rivaled the Qualcomm turnout- it stretched for blocks and blocks, many people deep. All the more striking because the Qualcomm rally was designed for busloads from around the state and across the country while the No on 8 rally was only motivated locals. Volunteer now. We can do this.
I mean this is really getting out of hand. And before it goes any further, we need to establish a few things that the Yes on 8 campaign seems not to understand.
The current state of marriage does not make the words “bride” and “groom” hate speech. Gays are not the same as unicorns. No matter what Tom McClintock thinks, gays are not dogs either. The notion- in this country of all places- that equality would be “armageddon” should be outrageous to anyone. And most certainly, eliminating human rights would not be the same as defeating Hitler. Just stop. But hey- Yes on 8: if you’ve got an actual point, let’s hear it. No really. One that’s true.
So far there isn’t one. I’m actually a little surprised. Given the tens of millions being rushed to California by Mormons and the great monied patrons of the religious right and the lather being worked up, you’d think that somewhere there would be a reasoned argument. Even if it wasn’t front and center. There’s lying and there’s fear mongering and there’s divisiveness. I’ve gotten those messages. And it’s all capped by the evocation of the most horrific genocide the world has ever known.
And then there’s The Call. Leading untold thousands to my city on Saturday to pray for Proposition 8. You do that. I’d like to think that this will be a positive event, but nothing so far leads me to expect a break from the nonstop divisiveness and the out-and-out lying and the histrionics (not to run this into the ground, but in the world of rhetoric, a Hitler comparison is the last stop on the hyperbole express). I’m sick of it, and if that’s what I can expect on Saturday, take it elsewhere. I’m sick of the lies, I’m sick of the blackmail of my local small businesses, I’m sick of this being considered a remotely appropriate level of political discourse, and most of all I’m sick of being told that people are not created equal. That’s the entire point of this country existing. It’s the very first self-evident truth. Don’t get angry at me if you don’t like it. Take it up with the Declaration of Independence.
So while Prop 8 supporters pile into Qualcomm to pray, the Courage Campaign is joining with other allies of equality and freedom calling for volunteers to stop Prop 4 and Prop 8. When Rick Jacobs emailed Courage members earlier today, he noted that “the religious right is calling Proposition 8 its ‘decisive last stand,'” which tells you the stakes on this. If you doubt at all how seriously they’re taking it, check out the Call video on the volunteer page. It’s pretty shocking.
Look: this is how the religious right keeps winning elections. For all the (very important) stories of voter suppression and ballot box rigging and corruption, the fundamental strategy hinges on drowning everyone in so much vitriol and general negativity that they give up entirely and stay home. It can’t work this time. We can’t let it. There’s simply too much on the line. At a time that it’s almost hackneyed already to rally around hope and change, it’s all the more vital that California stand up collectively and say enough is ENOUGH. Lying to us won’t work. Trying to wear us down with the rhetoric of alienation will not keep us home. Trying to make us miserable will not keep us quiet.
6 days left. I’m spending my Saturday with Lou Engle and James Dobson because there’s some question as to whether equality is a human right in this country. How can we allow this to be a debate any longer? Enough is enough. Do something. And if you have time, do one more thing. If we don’t stop this crap now, then when?
• Whoops! The drafters of Prop 11 have seemingly barred anyone who has voted in the last three elections from serving on the 14-member commission. It seems they left out the words “at least” when requiring potential members to have voted in the last three general elections. From Rick Hasen’s Election law blog:
I was struck when I read this in the text of the new law about qualifications to be on the citizen redistricting commission: “Each commission member shall have voted in two of the last three statewide general elections immediately preceding his or her application.”
By its plain text, this sentence seems to disqualify from the commission voters who voted in all three of the last statewide general elections. An apparent drafting error, or at least an ambiguity, that could have been avoided by adding the words “at least” before “two.”
• Michael Rubenstein is quoted in this article about low-information voters having trouble with all the propositions on the ballot. Which is fine, except that Michael Rubenstein POSTS HERE! Surely you’ve seen the Calitics endorsements, msrpotus????
• Biotech Execs announce their opposition to Prop 8 in an event in San Diego. Money quote: “Biotechnology companies are supposed to be agile, flexible, creative, innovative and committed to thinking out of the box. All these things don’t line up with Proposition 8. They are exactly to the contrary.” You might also be interested in ACLU’s Executive Directory Anthony Romero’s personal story against Prop 8. Or how about UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau saying that “Proposition 8 is in conflict with the principles of equity and inclusion to which our campus is committed.”
• A Sacramento judge has paused the statewide algebra exam for eighth graders. The exam was controversial because most eighth graders don’t currently take algebra, so far more resources would be necessary for a full algebra program.
• The jury has been selected for “America’s (Corrupt) Sheriff”, former OC Sheriff Mike Carona.
• Will they or won’t they? SDG&E is still deciding whether to cut off customers during fires. It seems that power lines become an agent of fire growth during the fires, but they also help fight fires and get people out of danger. Ah, now there’s a rock and a hard place for you…
At first blush, the two groups don’t have a whole lot in common besides neighboring real estate in the political spectrum. But as Blackwater continues its unwanted presence in San Diego (spawning aspirants to the throne in Hemet), Michigan resident Broekhuizen is just a big fish in the flood of out-of-state money trying to buy their way into a change to California’s constitution.
This particularly hits San Diego as the repeated recipient of unwanted outside attention. San Diego was targeted by the national GOP as a test case for turning urban areas Republican which led to the destruction of an entire progressive generation in San Diego. We’ve been battling against Blackwater’s presence and a disinterested city government for two years. And in concert with the, erm, disconcerting video on the right, The Call will be welcoming to to 100,000 peopleto Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday for “[c]orporate prayer and fasting for the protection of traditional marriage and the soul of our nation.” I’ll be there so you don’t have to be.
Look, Dave is right: This is about harming same-sex couples. But the other long-term implications are starting to show themselves. The Republican Party musters its national resources to turn San Diego red and succeeds for a full generation.
Blackwater decides to take your tax dollars- laundered through the Bush Administration, the Iraq War and the privatization of the military- and force its way into California while expanding and diversifying its portfolio to include a private navy and security contracts for Latin American governments.
And now the same national big money forces of the religious right- whether it’s the Mormon Church or Erik Prince’s mother, this has the potential to turn into a disturbing trend. That the extreme right wing of this country can nationalize an issue and force its will on California. If this keeps working, I don’t want to contemplate what’ll come next.
There’s one week to go. You can contribute to the No on 8 campaign through Equality For All at the Calitics ActBlue page and help push Equality For All past $1 million raised on ActBlue. And you can get involved through the No on Prop 8 website. For example, I know during Saturday’s “The Call” event, there are plans for doing real calling in San Diego and throughout the state.
• So the budget has been finally signed. Apparently the Governor blue-penciled $510 million in projects. Here are some specifics on what those blue pencils are – apparently a lot of cuts to seniors, which is real classy. I’ll have more on this tomorrow. (Dave)
• You may remember a lot of noise about a proposed toll road through the San Onofre State Beach. The California Coastal Commission rejected it, but supporters took the extraordinary step of calling on the Commerce Department to ram this through. There was a furious debate about this yesterday, with over 650 people packed into a public hearing in Del Mar, and over 150 speakers. Even if the Commerce Department rules in favor of the toll road, there would be more approvals needed, plus court cases, etc., so this would go on and on.
• Speaking of a pluralistic society, immigration is down. Apparently people don’t want to come to deal with our crappy economy. (B)
• Also unsurprisingly, homeownership rates are down. Case in point, San Diego. (B)
• The official response to the first No on Prop. 8, Equality for All campaign’s first ad is that the ad was “a blatant appeal to sympathy and emotion.” aka this is really effective and we don’t like it. Somewhere there is a little harp playing. (Julia)
• And finally, friend of the blog thereisnospoon appears in a new Microsoft ad where the company tries to recast their image as reflecting the spirit of the cutting edge. I’m assuming that spoon is a PC because he digs World of Warcraft and first-person shooters or something, because frankly I can’t see another reason.
UPDATE: One more item, a statement from DiFi on the terrible decision by the House Commerce committee to lift the offshore oil moratorium:
“I think it’s awful. This battle is not over. We will come back and fight another day – that’s for sure. I regret the House appropriations committee didn’t see fit to go with a better, more widely accepted alternative, which would have kept in place a moratorium 50 miles or more off shore. In my view, there were better options than this.”
