Upon the request of a friend, I have decided to present how I voted in a different format than was presented in the June primaries. First, a “cribbed” version of my endorsements will be presented. Then I will explain a little bit about my methods and the choices I made.
The Cribbed Ballot
Governor: Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant Governor: Eleni Kounalakis
Secretary of State: Shirley N. Weber
Controller: Malia Cohen
Treasurer: Fiona Ma
Attorney General: Rob Bonta
Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara
Member, State Board of Equalization 4th District: David Dodson
United States Senator Full Term: Alex Padilla
United States Senator Partial/Unexpired Term: Alex Padilla
United States Representative 45th District: Jay Chen
Member of the State Assembly 59th District: Leon Q. Sit
For All of the Justices (confirmation votes): Yes
Judge of the Superior Court Office No. 30: Michele Bell
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tony K. Thurmond
County Supervisor 4th District: Sunny Park
City of Placentia City Clerk: Robert S. “Bob” McKinnell
Proposition 1: Constitutional Right to Reproductive Freedom. Legislative Constitutional Amendment: YES
Proposition 26: Allows In-Person Roulette, Dice Games, Sports Wagering on Tribal Lands. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute: NO
Proposition 27: Allows Online and Mobile Sports Wagering Outside Tribal Lands. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute: YES
Proposition 28: Provides Additional Funding for Arts and Music Education in Public Schools. Initiative Statute: YES
Proposition 29: Requires On-Site Licensed Medial Professional at Kidney Dialysis Clinics and Establishes Other State Requirements. Initiative Statute: YES
Proposition 30: Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Air Pollution and Prevent Wildfires by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 million. Initiative Statute: YES
Proposition 31: Referendum on 2020 Law That Would Prohibit the Retail Sale of Certain Flavored Tobacco Products: YES
Methodology
Please note that the cribbed ballot above correlates with the local elections that specifically pertain to the area of Placentia where I live. There are obviously some very important local races where some of you live that are not on the ballot sent to me. Our choices for State Senate and Assembly may thus also vary. In addition, some of you will have the opportunity to vote for a candidate not running in the 45th Congressional district. I will have suggestions for some of these races not included on my Placentia ballot in the commentary below.
As with my June selections, my first step was to read through the California State and County Information Guides. I then turned to The Orange Juice Blog: The OC’s Political Mosh Pit (OJB) to get the perspectives of Greg Diamond and Vern Nelson. These guys have devoted themselves to the minutiae of local politics in Orange County. While I share their general political philosophy, they are much more open to endorsing Republicans than I am. I will concede, however, that they know much more about some of the sleaze that operates among Democrats, especially among those who run the Democratic Party of Orange County (DPOC). Those of you who know Orange County far better than me will find their blog both informative and entertaining. On many occasions I will note their choices, especially when they advise differently than I do.
As before, this is not an effort to persuade you to vote like me. It is rather an invitation for conversation on important political matters. I would encourage you to challenge some of my choices. My goal is to get this out soon so that we can advise each other on how best to serve the needs of our local, state, federal, and global communities.
I fear that this election will focus one specific issue: inflation. It is an issue that Democrats so far have failed to address as well as they should. While corporate media loves providing analysis of Jerome Powell’s raising the Fed rate and pretending to understand it, there should be no question by now that the Fed has neither caused nor resolved the current GLOBAL inflation crisis.
It should be clear to everyone that inflation is a deliberate strategy of Vladimir Putin working in collusion with the Saudis and the global oil industry. The $2 billion loan that Mohammad Ben Salman issued to Jared Kushner against the advice of those overseeing the Saudi sovereign wealth fund should indicate to everyone that the Saudis and their corporate allies are fully invested in the return to power of the Republican Party. An additional $1 billion was loaned to Trump’s Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Our current inflation is the product of a global conspiracy of those most closely tied to control of the world’s mineral wealth.
Putin has not declared war on Ukraine; he has declared war on democracy itself. Global inflation is his strategy. Putin continues to invest heavily in the notion that the American system is so corrupt and the American public is so stupid that they will fail to see his hand manipulating them. It worked with his getting Trump elected. He is not going to give up now.
A vote for any Republican is a vote to surrender to Putin, the Saudis, and the global oil barons. A vote for any Republican is a vote to destroy the hope that is Ukraine. Just yesterday, Kevin McCarthy confirmed that aid to Ukraine would be put on the Republican chopping block should Republicans regain control of Congress. We are at our Munich moment. Democrats need to pose the inflation issue in those terms, as Katie Porter did yesterday.
Unless and until Republican leaders acknowledge that Putin is at the center of forces promulgating a variant of fascism masquerading under the banner of Christian Nationalism on a global scale, and that January 6 was a product of those forces, I cannot vote for anyone who poses with the scarlet R next to their name.
Commentary
Governor: Gavin Newsom
The OJB recommends sitting this one out so as to discourage Newsom from whatever presidential aspirations he might have. I do not agree. Newsom emerged from the ludicrous recall effort funded by the far right in greater strength than he entered. He played it well and is now using his strength to assist progressive Democrats up and down the ballot in California and beyond. I am also not as convinced as the OJB that he is doing this purely in anticipation of a 2024 presidential run. But I may be wrong!
Lieutenant Governor: Eleni Kounalakis
The OJB also recommends sitting this one out, largely on the basis that Kounalakis stayed too loyal to Newsom during the recall. Again, the recall created a number of dilemmas for Democrats. Newsom made tough but correct choices.
Secretary of State: Shirley N. Weber
Weber is an outstanding if elderly leader. Bernosky is a Trumpist.
Controller: Malia Cohen
The OJB is deeply upset with Cohen’s endorsement of Mike Schaefer over David Dodson in the State Board of Equalization race. It is hard to trust a Republican not to use this office to create the kind of gridlock that would undermine many of the constructive programs passed by the state legislature. While Lanhee J. Chen appears to be a solid candidate with impressive credentials to hold the office, it is difficult to endorse ANY Republican who has not stated clearly and unequivocally that what happened on January 6 was an effort to destroy the very constitutional republic that is the foundation of our existence. We live in the time of an ongoing coup by the Republican Party.
Treasurer: Fiona Ma
The OJB despises Fiona Ma, and their evidence for such a position is substantial. I agree that she should not be considered for a post-Newsom governorship. I do not agree that the Republican running against her should win.
Attorney General: Rob Bonta
Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara
Member, State Board of Equalization 4th District: David Dodson
Two Dems running against each other here. BY FAR the preference should be Dodson. The OJB has written extensively and compellingly on this. Please consult them for further analysis. Unfortunately, the DPOC chair has endorsed Schaefer. This does not speak well of its chair, Ada Briceño.
United States Senator Full Term: Alex Padilla
United States Senator Partial/Unexpired Term: Alex Padilla
United States Representative 45th District: Jay Chen
You can read my endorsement of Chen here. He deserves whatever support you can render.
Those of you living in CA-40 will have the opportunity to seat Asif Mahmood in lieu of Young Kim. To quote Greg from the OJB. “. . ., I’m not sure where she lives right now (you don’t have to live in a Congressional District to represent it), but I know where her heart is: wherever establishment Republican former Congressman Ed Royce buried it years ago.” Vern of the OJB refers to Dr. Mahmood with this affirmation: “This guy is like the second coming of Gandhi.”
I wish I could vote both for Chen and Mahmood. Both are inspirations!
Member of the State Assembly 59th District: Leon Q. Sit
Leon Sit is a pretentious young libertarian who will almost certainly turn Republican once the lure of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and its wealthy donors become irresistible. Perhaps the Dems can continue to develop more leaders like Chen and Mahmood to give Phillip Chen a run for his money soon. My vote for Sit is an invitation for the DPOC to do just that!
For All of the Justices (confirmation votes): Yes
I have accepted whole cloth Greg from the OJB’s viewpoint on this. It is brief, so I’ll copy it whole:
I’m not even going to list them. Just vote to retain all of the incumbents, including the ones appointed by Republican Governors. If any of them were so awful as to be ripe targets for removal from the bench, we’d all be hearing about it. Failing that, just skip these races. Don’t vote “no” just to protest; you have many other outlets here.
Judge of the Superior Court Office No. 30: Michele Bell
Michele Bell is young, gifted, principled, complex, and brings a wealth of experience despite her youth. Please read her candidate statement in the County Information Guide. It, too, is inspiring.
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tony K. Thurmond
The Republican looking to challenge Tony Thurmond’s incumbency, Lance Ray Christensen, makes a big deal about the fact that California ranks 50th in literacy. This fact should be considered in the context of the reality that California’s literacy rate is not much worse than that of Florida and Texas, where the nonsensical remedies embraced by Christensen have failed and created a grift fully consistent with the Party of Trump. The truth is that illiteracy, along with its corollary of crime, are the products of poverty. Illiteracy and crime prevail in those urban and rural communities where poverty persists. It should never be lost in California that the highest crime and illiteracy rates occur in very red Kern County, where Kevin McCarthy is from and where “tough on crime” county sheriffs prevail. Neither crime nor illiteracy can be resolved until poverty is addressed. Has anyone ever heard any Republican at any time and anywhere say anything intelligent about addressing poverty? (Or climate change?)
Christensen’s statement also contains a lie. “California public schools are failing by every measure.” No. There are many outstanding public schools who feed California’s world class network of universities. I happened to have taught at one of those outstanding public schools. It is the success of our educational system that has rendered the GDP of California the fifth largest in the world and on a par with Texas and Florida combined!
Before leaving the topic of education, I would like to take the opportunity to endorse both Karin Freeman and Carrie Buck for the PYLUSD Board of Trustees, even though I am unable to vote for either. Election-denying MAGA Republicans have abducted the Board and promoted a program designed to divert public money to private charter schools where students will be taught to distrust the science behind vaccines, ignore real history, and view homosexuality as a lifestyle choice of the perverse.
County Supervisor 4th District: Sunny Park
The OJB has done an excellent job of analyzing the sleaze in which Doug Chaffee operates. But this is not just a vote against Chaffee. Sunny Park is a smart and principled politician who has honed her skills in the challenging circumstances of Buena Park. One does not emerge from those fights without scars, but they are scars that have contributed to character formation.
City of Placentia City Clerk: Robert S. “Bob” McKinnell
Proposition 1: Constitutional Right to Reproductive Freedom. Legislative Constitutional Amendment: YES
A Republican congress is likely to pass a federal ban on abortion. This initiative is an effort to encode existing California abortion protections into the state constitution. Since the supremacy clause in the US constitution would render California’s protections moot once Republicans pass the federal ban, this Amendment will at least give the Trump SCOTUS another opportunity to display their utter hypocrisy. They most certainly will! In my fantasy world, however, this constitutional amendment might give California the excuse to leave a MAGA America and join Canada!
Proposition 26: Allows In-Person Roulette, Dice Games, Sports Wagering on Tribal Lands. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute: NO
This is an amendment proposed by the handful of extremely wealthy tribes that will work to the disadvantage of those tribes that do not live as close to major urban centers. The fact that this amendment has flooded our airwaves for months now show how these extremely wealthy tribes are looking to circumvent the California legislature in a dishonest appeal lauding the tax benefits of keeping the money “in-state”. Technically, however, these tribal lands are autonomous entities and the revenues to the reservations are NOT TAXABLE. This is truly one of those matters that should be negotiated between the various tribal councils and experts in Sacramento. Greg of the OJB writes somewhat more elaborately on this and has promised to develop his points further in the days to come.
Proposition 27: Allows Online and Mobile Sports Wagering Outside Tribal Lands. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute: YES
Gambling is not something that I do, and the latent Christian in me considers it a form of idolatry. The latent Marxist in me regards gambling as a fetish. Still, I agree with Greg at the OJB that this one is worth supporting because it stands in diametric opposition to what is being promoted by supporters of Proposition 26. Wouldn’t it be funny if these two contradictory propositions both passed and thereby became encoded into the California Constitution? The likelihood of either of them passing is slim, since a two-thirds vote is required for constitutional amendments.
The current status of Online wagering is somewhat like Prohibition. It is going to happen regardless of what barriers are erected. But that is not necessarily a reason to support this proposition. The point of voting yes is to give the big state casinos pause from ever trying to circumvent the proper channels again. A “no” vote on both propositions is more than understandable.
Proposition 28: Provides Additional Funding for Arts and Music Education in Public Schools. Initiative Statute: YES
Whether it be sports or the arts, they are both fundamental to the broader development of character, community, and learning that is essential to the health and well-being of our society. Every public institution should promote in proportional measure the Arts, Humanities, Science and Athletics. Communities are harmed when private schools or wealthy public sites are allowed to pilfer gifted artists and athletes from the communities where they reside without penalty.
In many ways, the advances in STEM have exceeded the abilities of our social institutions and souls to accommodate them. We need arts and the humanities more than ever!
Proposition 29: Requires On-Site Licensed Medical Professional at Kidney Dialysis Clinics and Establishes Other State Requirements. Initiative Statute: YES
It would seem that the amount of money poured into opposition to this proposition indicates that opposition to it has more to do with profits than health outcomes. The range of medical professionals listed in this proposition provides reasonable and affordable options that would ensure proper care in those cases where medical problems might arise. I am voting for it!
Proposition 30: Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Air Pollution and Prevent Wildfires by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 million. Initiative Statute: YES
The purpose of this tax is to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EV) with the necessary goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state to 80% of the 1990 levels. This tax will sunset in 2043 or even earlier if the greenhouse goal is reached before then. Governor Newsom has notably opposed this tax, claiming that the $3 billion already devoted to EV transition is sufficient to address the challenge. He also charges that Lyft’s support for this proposition comprises a form of corporate welfare. I disagree with Newsom on both counts. People making over $2 million should be leading the charge (sorry for the pun) in transition to a lower carbon future. If they do not like the tax, get us to the goal ASAP!
Proposition 31: Referendum on 2020 Law That Would Prohibit the Retail Sale of Certain Flavored Tobacco Products: YES
The story of Hansel and Gretel always gave me nightmares as a child.
Please feel free to correct and advise. As Raphael Warnock says, “Your vote is your prayer.” I look forward to your responses!
Etiologies 