The California Nurses’ Association called today about the Yamada campaign, and it piqued my interest enough to check out Mariko Yamada and Christopher Cabaldon’s respective endorsement lists. While doing that, one noteworthy pair of endorsements for Yamada came from the California Nurses Association and SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, two unions who have not only been aggressive in pushing for a single payer health care plan for California, but who also stood up against Schwarzeneggar and the 2005 special election boondoggle back when the CA Democratic party was content to sit back and let Arnold run the state unimpeded.

On the issue of health care reform, the candidates are close but not identical. In a recent debate, Yamada backed Sheila Kuhl’s single payer health insurance plan pretty strongly, while Cabaldon gave it lip service, but like the CA Democratic leadership in last year’s health insurance negotiations, also left himself open to a compromise that fell short of single payer. As the Davis Vanguard reported at the time: [emphasis mine]

For Christopher Cabaldon he suggested that everyone is paying for the uninsured, even when we do not see it. He favors the Sheila Kuehl single payer health system as the ideal. However, he then argued that we must do something even it is not a single payer system. We cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the possible. Finally he argued that cuts in Medi-Cal are taking us in the wrong direction and it will make it impossible to find Medi-Cal providers who cover the disadvantaged. Mariko Yamada was also supportive of the Kuehl Bill and argued that if her supporter, Phil Angelides had been elected Governor, we would have it as law now. She is also willing to consider others but not as enthusiastically. Talked about the fact that social workers have supported single payer health system going back 50 years, back then, she quipped they were called Communists but now normal people also support such a system.

While Cabaldon has his fair share of union endorsements, the presence of that 2005 special election coalition of SEIU-UHWW, CNA, firefighters, police and teachers’ unions on Yamada’s endorsement list suggests that those unions don’t trust Cabaldon, even though he’s the front runner and as such would be easy enough to endorse. It’s not a matter of liberal versus conservative – both candidates are fairly liberal Democrats, well in the mainstream for the blue 8th AD – but it suggests that the battle over the shape of health care reform between establishment accommodationists and single payer advocates that scuttled the compromise last year is still simmering under the surface, and that CNA and SEIU-UHWW are doing some quiet primary work to try and actually get single payer passed as more than a symbolic bill, should the Democrats get a big enough majority in November to pass it over the governor’s veto.

Or maybe I’m just seeing things.

originally at surf putah

Finally, the primary comes to Davis. Former President Bill Clinton will be speaking tonight at the ARC Pavilion (that’s the Rec Hall to you old timers) at 9pm, in his second trip to UCD campus. The speech will be free and open to the public, doors will open at 8:15pm, with an opening performance from the Cal Aggie Marching Band-Uh (have they endorsed Hillary?).

I’m not much of a fan of Bill, and even less of Hillary, but a speech in town is always worth going to. California’s going to be contested in a serious way this time around, the first time in several decades (and in my political lifetime). Given that delegates will be apportioned in part by congressional district as well as at-large,this means that we may see some campaigning here in Davis, seeing as we’re the second-biggest city in the first congressional district (the biggest, if one lumps UCD’s on-campus population in with the city of Davis). Combined with Mike Thompson’s recent endorsement of Hillary Clinton, it looks like the Clinton campaign may spend some effort here.

Which is a good move for them, considering that they have a grand total of 6 people on their “Davis for Hillary” group on the Clinton campaign website (as contrasted with 79 for Obama’s UCD group alone (55 in Davis), and 38 for Edwards). Of course, the Clinton campaign’s relying more on ads, endorsements and party-level support than online grassroots organizing, so the number disparity isn’t all that surprising.

Last time around, we got a visit by Kucinich and Kerry’s son at the Farmer’s Market. In 2000, I think Nader spoke at the Varsity Theatre. Hopefully we’ll see a bit more from all the campaigns this time around. There are Democrats (and Decline-to-Staters, who can vote in the Democratic Primary) east of the Carquinez Straits and Coastal Range, after all, 50,000 of them registered in Yolo County alone.

Finally, the primary comes to Davis. Former President Bill Clinton will be speaking tonight at the ARC Pavilion (that’s the Rec Hall to you old timers) at 9pm, in his second trip to UCD campus. The speech will be free and open to the public, doors will open at 8:15pm, with an opening performance from the Cal Aggie Marching Band-Uh (have they endorsed Hillary?).

I’m not much of a fan of Bill, and even less of Hillary, but a speech in town is always worth going to. California’s going to be contested in a serious way this time around, the first time in several decades (and in my political lifetime). Given that delegates will be apportioned in part by congressional district as well as at-large,this means that we may see some campaigning here in Davis, seeing as we’re the second-biggest city in the first congressional district (the biggest, if one lumps UCD’s on-campus population in with the city of Davis). Combined with Mike Thompson’s recent endorsement of Hillary Clinton, it looks like the Clinton campaign may spend some effort here.

Which is a good move for them, considering that they have a grand total of 6 people on their “Davis for Hillary” group on the Clinton campaign website (as contrasted with 79 for Obama’s UCD group alone (55 in Davis), and 38 for Edwards). Of course, the Clinton campaign’s relying more on ads, endorsements and party-level support than online grassroots organizing, so the number disparity isn’t all that surprising.

Last time around, we got a visit by Kucinich and Kerry’s son at the Farmer’s Market. In 2000, I think Nader spoke at the Varsity Theatre. Hopefully we’ll see a bit more from all the campaigns this time around. There are Democrats (and Decline-to-Staters, who can vote in the Democratic Primary) east of the Carquinez Straits and Coastal Range, after all, 50,000 of them registered in Yolo County alone.

I know the California Republican primary is allocating delegates based on who wins each Congressional District (and will be interested to see the impact of the regionalism implicit in that plan on the Republican primary), but I am less clear on whether the California Democrats will be using the same system.

I was under the impression that we were still using the proportional allocation system, with a 15% threshold, but now am not sure if the bill that moved things up to Feb. 5th didn’t also alter the delegate allocation system as well.

This Sac Bee article from a while back states that the Dems already do it by both statewide and district vote:

Since 1972, the state Democratic Party has assigned a majority share of its presidential delegation on the percentage of votes candidates receive statewide and by congressional district. Leading Democratic candidates earn between three to seven delegates per district, depending on voting results.

Anyone got any information on this?  

(Been hearing about this for a while, now here is the official launch. – promoted by juls)

[Cross-posted from Vote Hope]

For too many years, those of us who live outside of small states like Iowa and New Hampshire have not had much of a say in the important process of determining the Democratic Party nominee for president.

But that’s all going to change in 2008. See the flip for why.

With California’s primary now  set for Feb. 5, the Golden State will actually be among the first to  cast votes – in vote-by-mail ballots that will hit mailboxes as soon as the first  week in January.

A new independent grass-roots effort supporting Barack Obama, called Vote Hope, will be capitalizing on that fact  by running a field campaign to bank 500,000 early votes for Obama in  California. This represents more Democrats than voted total in the  Iowa and New Hampshire primaries in 2004.

Vote Hope, which officially launches today, is led by a network of  activists for social justice in California who want to ensure that the  voices of diverse Californians are heard during this critical part of  the democratic process.

We are inspired by Barack Obama’s life experience, his vision for the  country, and his calls for people to self-organize in a new wave of  political participation. We are heeding that call and building something  ourselves that will be value-added in California — starting now.

Our strategy: Bank it for Barack

Vote Hope will work over the next seven months to identify 500,000  Barack Obama supporters – online and in communities, through traditional  organizing and non-traditional cultural events – who will vote early for  Obama, either by mail or at the county registrar’s office. Early voting  in California will begin Jan. 7, and we will be running a sophisticated,  voter-file-driven program to turn out our early votes before the Iowa  caucuses even begin.

We know that Barack Obama has deep support in California, much of it  from ordinary people in constituencies that have been all but ignored by  every major campaign in recent memory, particularly young people and in  communities of color. There are millions of people in California who are  registered but don’t vote regularly, and millions more who are eligible  to be registered. We’re going to engage them, empower them with tools  and data, and we’re going to win California for Barack Obama.

And our work won’t end at 8 p.m. on February 5, 2008, when the polls  close and the early vote by mail results show a beaming Barack Obama  sweeping California. We’re building for the long term from the ground  up, and we want you to get involved.

Why Obama?

Why Obama? In a word: experience. Obama’s life and political experience – as a  Black man in an America still struggling with racism, as a community  organizer on the South Side of Chicago who then became a Senator –  represents an economic, social and cultural experience unlike any of the  other presidential contenders, and unlike anyone who has ever lived in  the White House.

Many people may not know what it means to be a community organizer. This  kind of work requires self-sacrifice, perseverance, and equal amounts of  unwavering idealism and a willingness to confront the cold hard facts of  any given situation. It requires coming down from your own perspective,  analysis and ideas, and getting very close to the core of what motivates  people – and what doesn’t. Making these judgments is at the heart of  effective politics. It’s the kind of experience that reflects the  priorities we want to see tackled in this country – the priorities of  those people struggling at the margins and outside of the current power  structure.

That, combined with his eight years in the Illinois State Senate and  four years in the U.S. Senate, has given Obama a very clear  understanding of how government really works, inside and out.

We’ve become accustomed to politicians who use differences of faith,  gender, and class to separate the American people. We stand behind Obama  because he has established a career and a campaign that leverages the  power of our diversity to bring us closer together — that critical  first step in moving us forward as a nation. The next several years of  cleaning up the messes that the Bush Administration and Republican  Congress have made are going to be incredibly difficult. The work we  have to do is going to be impossible without a united country behind the  leadership.

We believe Barack Obama’s experience also makes him the best candidate  to restore and repair the image of the U.S. in the world. New York Times  columnist Thomas Friedman agreed, in a recent piece titled “Help Wanted”:

I think Mr. Obama has the potential to force a new discussion. For now at least, he has a certain moral authority because of his life story, which makes him harder to dismiss. And while he is a good talker, he strikes me as an even better listener. It’s amazing what people will let you say to them, if you just listen to them first.

We are standing on the edge of an incredible opportunity in America. Vote Hope is here to ensure that Californians can be actively involved in seizing it.

Obama gives us hope. It’s our job to deliver the vote. Are you in?

(This is better than the quick diary that I wrote. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Well, it’s not exactly a surprise, but the entry of Chris Cabaldon – West Sacramento five-time mayor and runner-up to current Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) in 2002 – into the race officially begins the campaign to succeed Wolk in 2008, who is term limited and will be running for State Senate to replace Mike Machado (D-Linden) in the fifth district. Ah, you gotta love the term limits-induced merry-go-round in Sacramento.

The 8th district includes most of Yolo and Solano Counties, minus the city of Vallejo and the rural parts of Yolo County north of Woodland; in a nutshell, the I-80 corridor. The district is strongly Democratic, ad the winner of the Democratic primary will be heavily, possibly prohibitively favored to win the general.

Cabaldon’s announcement, interestingly enough, was in Davis in front of the train station, not West Sacramento, and he was flanked by Democratic officeholders from all over Yolo County – from Davis, County Supervisor and former Assemblywoman Helen Thompson, City Councilman Don Saylor, and Mayor pro tem Ruth Asmundson; From Woodland, County Sheriff and mayor Dave Flory, Vice Mayor Skip Davies, and City Councilman Jeff Monroe; From West Sacramento, County Supervisor Mike McGowan, Vice Mayor Oscar Villegas and City Councilmen Wes Beers and Mark Johannessen. One notable absence was outgoing Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, who has not yet announced who she is endorsing, if any, in the race to replace her. Republican County Supervisor Matt Rexroad, while not endorsing anybody in the race (claiming that his endorsement would be “the kiss of death” anyways), looks to me to be endorsing Cabaldon between the lines in this post (which is currently down; I’ll re-link it when his site gets back up and running). Clearly, Cabaldon is trying to get himself out there early as the Yolo County candidate, before anyone else announces.

Cabaldon’s supporters and detractors tend to cite the same thing – building in West Sacramento – to support their opinions. Supporters tend to point to his bringing Ikea to West Sac and contruction of condo housing as part of the recent revitalization of the port city; detractors tend to view him as excessively pro-corporate and pro-sprawl, and Cabaldon’s current campaigning on the issue of controlling urban sprawl to be hypocritical. Not really ever having set foot in West Sacramento before or after Cabaldon’s tenure, I can’t really say one way or the other whether it helped or hurt the city, but that’s the discussion. I don’t suspect that Cabaldon’s having come out last year as gay will affect the race much either way, since the district and most of his competitors are pretty socially liberal.

Those rumored to be considering a run are Steve Hardy (D-Vacaville), a City Councilman from Vacaville who came in 3rd in the 2002 primary, and Yolo County Supervisor Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), who was involved with the short-lived Davis DFA meetup and is generally considered to be the progressive candidate in the race. Having gotten to know Mariko a bit during the Dean campaign (over before it began, sadly), I hope she runs.

For those interested, there are a couple good discussions simmering on over at The Davis Vanguard on Cabaldon (here and here), as well as potential challengers here.

If the California presidential primary is moved to February, the state races will be the second in a series of three elections in ’08, and will likely end up with pretty low turnout. Who this helps is anybody’s guess this far out.At any rate, it should be fun to watch, and if the rumored Wolk-Garamendi, jr. race in the 5th State Senate district also pans out, 2008 could be a very exciting year for Yolo politics.

related websites:

Christopher Cabaldon for Assembly
Mariko Yamada’s County Supervisor page
Steve Hardy’s City Council page (scroll down)

—–

originally at surf putah

The potential moving of California’s 2008 presidential primary election from June to February has sparked a fair amount of discussion across the CA blogging community, so I figured I’d throw my two cents in as well:

The Status Quo Doesn’t Help Us:

1. California’s voice really doesn’t matter in presidential politics, despite our massive electoral weight, because our primary comes too late in the cycle to be worth bothering campaigning for. So our votes don’t matter, and we see neither hide nor hair of candidates except at big-money fundraisers in SF or LA (and even then, that access only comes when you’ve got the thousands to ante up).

2. Because of this, California ends up being DC’s ATM, and little more. They’re happy to take our money, but could care less about our issues, our concerns, our needs at the state level, our take on the American dream. Just the money, thanks. And please don’t embarass us by reminding the rest of the country you exist, please. You might scare “swing voters.”

3. As a result of being ignored politically, our own primary election turnouts tend to be pretty low, since the big-name race is over by the time we vote. This low turnout in turn allows the loonies from Howard Jarvis and the christian right to get terrible initiatives snuck past a rather liberal electorate, when our guard is down and attention elsewhere.

4. The low turnout also tends to leave the state party infrastructure in decay, with GOTV only really at play in districts with especially contested races, or concentrated in Democratic strongholds like LA county and SF/Alameda Counties, or Republican ones like Orange County. Obviously this is a bigger problem than just presidential primaries, but the extra attention, excitement and funding couldn’t hurt.

5. The lack of a competitive presidential primary also frees Democrats from having to bother to campaign in Inland California, ceding the whole region to the Republicans, and reifying a coastal-inland divide that is far more complex in reality than the political CW would have you believe.

6. Finally, since  California’s political perspectives never enter into presidential campaigns, the candidates that ultimately emerge in either party’s oracular spectacles in Iowa and New Hampshire never have to justify themselves politically to Californian voters, or take our perspectives seriously. This neglect doesn’t just hurt California, but also the country as a whole (of which we are, after all, a significant fraction).

Were the Feb. primary to actually come to California, it could potentially:

1. Lead to a record-high turnout, which could benefit Democrats depending on which state initiatives get on the ballot.

2. Invigorate the state party with the efforts of god knows how many Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns trying to GOTV.

3. Result in Democratic candidates actually campaigning (hell, just setting foot in) the Central Valley, and making a case for voting Democratic to our long-neglected region. Jerry McNerney got real traction in ’04 when he started campaigning in earnest in the San Joaquin valley by paying serious attention to ag, water and job issues, and offering a Democratic alternative to the failed Republican status quo; the Democratic party would do well to follow in his footsteps up and down the valley.

4. As TV ad prices go through the roof (one major drawback), some candidates might even try to go the old Dean grassroots route, getting California out of this rut where our entire political discussion happens one-way and on television, in the form of cheesy attack ads. Hey, could happen ( i’ve got my utopian side, i’ll admit).

5. Keep the races in both parties alive, as California’s diverse electorate gets wooed by multiple canddiates with different approaches. The longer the primary goes on nationally, and the more parts of the country get to have a say, the more democratic and politically inclusive the process becomes..

6. Finally, presidential candidates would actually have to come here and speak to the America that is California, instead of just ignoring us or taking us for granted while jabbering on about “the Heartland,” as if the rest of us are chopped liver, or un-American, or both. The California experience(s) deserves a place in our nation’s political conversation, and our diverse electorate deserves a say in the direction our government goes, before the general election. Not just the handful of wealthy donors who fund both parties in the current setup, but all of us, from farmers in Bakersfield to farmworkers in Imperial Valley, from liberal suburbanites in Silicon Valley to libertarians in the foothills, from dockworkers in the Bay Area and Long Beach to loggers in Redding, and the thriving communities of immigrants in every community up and down the state.

Will there be problems with it? Yes, especially in how the process of campaigning in the many expensive California media markets will have on an already out-of-control orgy of campaign fundraising. In the end, though, I think we’ll come out ahead, and the national presidential primary process will be the better for it. New Hampshire and Iowa should not decide the nation’s candidates, and Californians ought to have a say, for a change.

One way to cut down the sticker shock and voter fatigue of fitting another special election into the schedule might be to just move the whole primary to February, instead of just the presidential one.