June 3, 2014 California Primary Election Recommendations

First off, my priority candidates are those who’ve elected to participate in the Same Page/Misma Pagina Coalition endorsement process. You can see how that process works at: http://janbtucker.com/blog/2013/10/22/2014-same-page-coalition-candidate-questionnaire/

Jan B. Tucker with Sandra Fluke

I’m still waiting to get the results in from the other coalition organizations, but so far this is where we’re at for San Fernando Valley/Northeast Los Angeles Chapter of the National Organization for Women (SFV/NELA NOW), Miss Revolutionaries, and the California League of Latin American Citizens (CALLAC). These three organizations have agreed on ENDORSEMENT for Sally Havice (32nd State Senate District) and

Jan B. Tucker with Sally Havice

Sandra Fluke (26th State Senate District). We have also voted a position of SUPPORT (with endorsement process in progress) for Jeffrey Prang (L.A. County Assessor) and Sandra Mendoza (53rd Assembly District).

Sandra Mendoza

My next priority is VOTE FOR ME! That’s right, WRITE-ME-IN for Board of Equalization District #3: http://janbtucker.com/blog/2014/05/06/how-to-write-in-jan-b-tucker-for-board-of-equalization/

Now for the Statewide races….

Governor: NO ENDORSEMENT. Jerry Brown is and always has been a pig. I had to sue him for the right to get on the ballot in 1974 when he contended all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court that poor and working people had no right to run for office without paying a filing fee….and Jerry lost 9-0 with everybody from Rehnquist to Douglas ruling against him. Luis Rodriguez last year allowed a group promoting a boycott of the National Chicano Moratorium Committee to utilize his Tia Chucha’s bookstore and community room. He also categorically denied that the La Raza Unida Party faction based in San Fernando and it’s member Randy Gamez are anti-semitic (in spite of lots of evidence to the contrary) or that leaders of San Fernando LRUP are homophobic (just ask members of the Latino Equality Alliance about the on-line harassment they’ve been subjected to by so-called “Aztlan Flag,” aka Ernesto Ayala of LRUP). Without doing one iota of due diligence to find out what the controversy was even about, Cindy Sheehan backed Luis Rodriguez’s defense of Gamez and LRUP.

Stategic voting?

Tim Donnelly

Well, there is one person I can actually say something good about in the Governor’s race and that’s actually Tea Party Republican Assembly Member Tim Donnelly. I disagree with him on every issue…except his own AB 1780 which was sponsored by the Bring Hollywood Home Foundation. The fact is though, most of my Republican friends probably agree with his politics and would rather vote for somebody bound to lose because of his principles than vote for a RINO (Republican In Name Only).

For my Democratic friends it’s obvious that we’re going to be stuck with Jerry Brown in the runoff no matter whether you like him or not. If you want to give Jerry a cake-walk (and the Democratic Party) in the runoff, then the best thing you can do is to vote for Tim Donnelly in the primary in the hopes that he’ll be the Republican nominee. His policies on reproductive rights, gun rights (he’s on probation for a weapons offense), and the like are so different from most Californians Brown will run away with the November election if it’s between him and Donnelly.

Amos Johnson, Peace & Freedom Party

Lieutenant Governor: DUAL ENDORSEMENT, Gavin Newsom (Democrat, Incumbent) and Amos Johnson (Peace & Freedom). Gavin Newsom will have no problem getting in to the runoff for reelection, so I’m voting Amos Johnson in the primary to help keep the Peace & Freedom Party on the ballot. Unlike Cindy Sheehan, who’s backed by the “Berkeley Bullsheviks” and other mental defectives who run the party, Amos’s campaign has been virtually ignored by the party leadership (a testament to the sanity of his campaign. Under legislation likely to pass the legislature soon, third parties will need to get 2% of the vote in the primary, instead of the runoff (which they won’t be in under “top two” rules) and Amos stands a chance of achieving that figure.

Betty Yee

State Controller: ENDORSEMENT, Betty Yee. It’s really important to elect Democrat Betty Yee over Democrat John Perez. See http://janbtucker.com/blog/2014/03/04/shame-on-labor-miguel-j-santiago/ and consider that Miguel Santiago is John Perez’s protege and heir apparent for the 53rd Assembly District.

State Treasurer: DUAL ENDORSEMENT, John Chiang (Democratic, incumbent) and Ellen Brown (Green) John Chiang is doing a creditable job as Treasurer, but this is another one of those primary election opportunities to help keep a third party, in this case, the Greens, from losing ballot status so vote for Ellen Brown in the primary.

Secretary of State: ENDORSEMENT, Alex Padilla (Democrat). I frequently disagree with Alex over local politics in the San Fernando Valley, but he’s my Arleta homie (along with Felipe Fuentes on the City Council). So when it comes down to it, vote for my homie Alex!

Attorney General: ENDORSEMENT, Jonathan Jaech (Libertarian). I had high hopes for Kamala Harris when she was elected. She’s disappointed on many fronts, not the least of which is that civil rights organizations in California can’t get the time of day out of her office on the issue of implementation of existing laws regarding police training to deal with hate crimes. Vote Libertarian to help keep them on the ballot. I may disagree with them on many issues, primarily economic, but their viewpoint is an important one in the public debate.

Insurance Commissioner: DUAL ENDORSEMENT, Dave Jones (Democratic incumbent) and Nathalie Hrizi (Peace & Freedom Party). Dave Jones is probably the best public servant in statewide elected office in California, but in the primary this is another opportunity to keep PFP on the ballot. Nathalie is with the Party of Socialism & Liberation (PSL), a faction which is not dominated by the Berkeley Bullsheviks.

Superintendent of Public Instruction: ENDORSEMENT, Tom Torlakson (Democrat – although the office is theoretically non-partisan- and incumbent). Don’t be fooled by Lydia Gutierrez who happens to have a Hispanic name. She’s a right-wing freak and an anti-semite. She accused me and another Jew in a Catholic Church of being “baby killers” because we don’t agree with her theological views on abortion (and Oh BTW, she’s not Catholic, she’s in some ultra-right wing Protestant sect).

Ted Lieu

33rd District, House of Representatives: TRIPLE ENDORSEMENT, Ted Lieu (Democrat), Barbara Mullvaney (Democrat), Marianne Williamson (Independent). Ted Lieu has been my State Senator and earlier my Assembly member for years and I’ve been singularly impressed by him. He especially deserves a lot of credit for having introduced and gotten signed into law the first ban ever on so-called “Gay Conversion Therapy” and

Barbara Mullvaney

that is no small achievement. That law is now before the U.S. Supreme Court but other states have followed suit with their own legislation based on Ted’s trailblazing bill. Bottom line is, if you want something done in Congress and if you want competent and efficient constituent service, you’re going to get it from Ted.

Marianne Williamson

Barbara Mullvaney is your candidate if you want somebody who really understands international and human rights law and the foreign policy implications of both. If you really want to shake up Washington DC, then Marianne Williamson is for you.

Bob Olmsted & Private Investigator Alex Salazar

Los Angeles County Sheriff: ENDORSEMENT, Bob Olmsted. Not even a close call despite all the candidates.