Each election I prepare a slate card for my friends so we can debate how to vote here in San Francisco (and beyond). Here’s what I have so far… I’d love your input (I’ll post comments people submit to me below)–

Elected Offices

California Governor: Gavin Newsom (despite Newsom’s stance in favor of charter schools and against helping the homeless)

California Lieutenant Governor: Eleni Kounalakis

California Secretary of State: Alex Padilla

California Controller: Betty Yee

California Treasurer: Fiona Ma (supports public bank)
[Friend’s comment: “Fiona Ma is not a good choice for Treasurer. She has been an ineffective SF Supervisor and State Legislator, and is without a backbone or independent thought. I agree with the Bay Guardian that she will do what she is told by the rich and powerful. I approached her about the plight of women prisoners at Valley State Prison for Women some years ago and she couldn’t have been less interested, and offered that she join a delegation of women legislators to investigate which she declined. I don’t think there is an excellent candidate for that position. She may say she is for a public bank, but I don’t think she could actually ever do anything about that…………all the best, Corey”]

California Attorney General: Xavier Becerra

California Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara

California Board of Equalization, District 2: Malia Cohen

United States Senate: Kevin De Leon

United States Representative, District 12: Nancy Pelosi

California State Assembly, District 17: No one (I feel like David Chiu’s political tactics border on the unethical)

California State Assembly, District 19: Phil Ting

For all of the Justices, there is no choice, so vote yes or no as you wish. However, a friend points out that: “When gay marriage was legalized in California in 2008, it was by a 4-3 vote of the California Supreme Court.One of the three justices who voted against it, Carol A. Corrigan, is on the CA ballot Nov. 7. Please vote NO on Justice Corrigan, and spread the word.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tony Thurmond

Community College Board: Thea Selby, Brigitte Davila, John Rizzo (vote for up to 3)

San Francisco Supervisor District 2: Catherine Stefani

San Francisco Supervisor District 4: Gordon Mar

San Francisco Supervisor District 6: Matt Haney

San Francisco Supervisor District 8: *not* Rafael Mandelman due to long record of poor decision making on the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees

San Francisco Supervisor District 10: Tony Kelly

Board of Education: Alison Collins, Faauuga Molina, Gabriela Lopez (or Li Miao Lovett) (vote for up to 3)

California Propositions

1: Yes

2: Yes

3: Yes

4: Yes

5: No

6: No [Friend Alice Chan mentions: “For what it’s worth, I’m voting yes on Prop 6 because I vote against sales taxes on principle, since they are regressive taxes that disproportionately impact those of lower income. California’s budget is loaded with pork, because of obligations to the big money interests that control prisons, etc. We need legislators that will off-load the pork so that regular income tax revenues can be spent on things that really matter, like road repairs, instead of those things being funded by sales taxes.”]

7: Undecided

8: Yes

9: Removed by CA Supreme Court – you won’t be able to vote on splitting the state into 3 parts

10: YES (the most important item on the ballot)

11: No

12: Yes (better to ban factory farms altogether, but a good first step)

San Francisco Propositions

A: Yes

B: Yes

C: YES

D: Yes

E: Yes

More Elected Offices

Assessor-Recorder: Paul Bellar

Public Defender: Jeff Adachi