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Women Against Prop 8

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PhotobucketAcross the state, female leaders are coming together to oppose Proposition 8.  In Oakland, Senator Boxer will be joining Representative Barbara Lee and Asm, soon to be Senator, Loni Hancock. In Los Angeles, Rep. Hilda Solis will be joined by LA City Councilmember Jan Perry and legendary labor leader Dolores Huerta. And in Sacramento, Mayor Heather Fargo and future Asm. Mariko Yamada will rally against prop 8 at the CTA headquarters. These press events express the seriousness of which our Democratic leaders take Proposition 8. Leaders like Reps. Solis and Lee understand the importance of this fight right here in California.

The future of gay rights will be decided on Tuesday, and that is no exaggeration.  That is not to say that there aren’t a myriad of other issues that we should be fighting for, but this is a vote which could set back marriage equality for a decade or more.  And these brave women are standing up for the freedom to marry. Many of these leaders are not in competitive races this time, but it still takes guts to do this.  

The one exception is Sacramento Mayor Fargo; she is in a competitive race against Kevin Johnson.  She has been unequivocal in her opposition to Prop 8 and support for marriage equality. And she has been vocal about her support for the progressive position on a number of issues (No on 4, etc.). This is worth considering as the run-off for mayor of Sacramento concludes on Tuesday.

One more thing.  In Sacramento, the event is being hosted by the California Teachers Association.  CTA has gone above and beyond the call of duty this year.  They have effectively run the campaign against the two ineffective, yet expensive “ToughOnCrime” measures, 6 & 9. They have been an asset to the No on Prop 10 campaign run by the Consumer Federation.  And most importantly, they have been there for the LGBT Community, as not just the largest donor to No on 8, but also an active coalition partner.  While we may have occasional disagreements on one policy or another, it is clear that CTA is a powerful force for positive change.

Prisons, San Francisco

Friday Open Thread

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• Sacramento Mayoral Candidate Kevin Johnson opposes Prop 8. Johnson takes the Obama-squishy approach of saying he opposes writing it into the state constitution, but personally prefers marriage as a man-woman thing.  Incumbent Mayor Heather Fargo, for her part, is a supporter of same-sex marriage, saying of Johnson, that he “made “a good move to oppose Prop. 8. Now we just need to convince him that marriage between gay people is in fact a good thing.”

Zing. This race appears to be quite tight, but a large Obama-friendly turnout in Sacramento would seem to make the former NBA All-Star Point Guard Johnson something of a favorite right now.

• SF League of Women Voters releases YouTube video channel for SF Supevisor candidates. You can get your fill of local politics. There’s literally hours of this stuff. Knock yourself out (and yeah, I’m talking to you Sweet Melissa).

• This is fantastic.  Yolo County residents are fighting the construction of a new prison.  It’s as damaging to build as a new coal-fired power plant for a local community.  No city should be turned into another Prison Town, USA.  There’s a little NIMBYism here, but the truth is that we cannot build our way out of the prison crisis – it begins with saner sentencing and a return to the traditional role of rehabilitation.

• Sheila Kuehl writes an open letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger asking him to sign SB840.  It’s very comprehensive.

• Meanwhile, in a rare bit of good news from the insurance industry, HealthNet will reinstate the nearly 1,000 dropped policyholders whose coverage was nixed after they got sick and tried to use it.  They’re also paying millions in fines and reimbursements.

• Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas on the subprime crisis and its effect on the state.