Jesse's Endorsements, Rent Board Party, and Sophie Hahn @ Jesse's house!
Frank Moore wrote:
jesse, this is a very useful, clear tool to help california voters as we go into the voting booth. we here just used it as we prepared.
and thanks for including susan and me in your presidential top 3 picks!
Jesse Townley wrote:
Hello to all of my friends and supporters of my 2008 campaign for Berkeley Rent Board & my 2004 campaign for Berkeley City Council-
3 subjects on this October morning, but first a disclaimer: If you do not wish to receive periodic updates and alerts, or if you're receiving multiple copies of this e-mail, please let me know and I'll remove your e-mail from this list. THIS IS THE LAST E-MAIL from me until after the November 4th election. Thanks!
*** Wednesday & Saturday- Sophie Hahn @ Jesse's house!
*** Rent Board party @ Blake's & hot window signs!
*** Jesse's Endorsements for this November!
*** Wednesday & Saturday- Sophie Hahn @ Jesse's house!
Sophie Hahn is the sole challenger to incumbent Laurie Capitelli- many of you supported me in my race against him in 2004. I'm proud to host a house party for her @ my house, 1354 Carlotta Ave, this Wednesday the 15th, from 7-9 pm. There will be food & drink, it's wheelchair accessible, and you can ask Sophie any questions you want. Bring your checkbook!
http://www.sophiehahn.com/
3 days later, please join Sophie & I at my house to walk around our neighborhood & speak with voters and drop literature. It's early on- 11am-1pm- so you'll still have a full Saturday afterwards. Please e-mail me & let me know that you'll be able to come by!
*** Rent Board party @ Blake's & hot window signs!
But wait Jesse, aren't you running for Rent Board? You bet, and yes we- the Progressive Slate of Townley, Tregub, Shelton, Harrison, & Drake- really need your support. E-mail me quickly if you want a window sign (they're running out because they're so popular!). We need phone bank & lit drop help. Please donate via check or paypal here: http://berkeleyrentboard.com/action.html
We're having a fundraiser/birthday bash for Slate-mate Igor Tregub @ Larry Blakes this Saturday night from 8-10pm. The 1st $250 worth of food & drinks are FREE, so show up early! There's a requested donation of $5-$10 which will go to our Rent Board Slate & to Jesse Arreguin, my pick to replace the (frankly) irreplaceable Councilmember Dona Spring in District 4.
All 7 Rent Board Candidates will be live on B-TV (Channel 33) tonight 7-8pm in the League Of Women Voters debate. It'll be repeated on B-TV until election day. Check their schedule here http://206.110.32.32/Cablecast/Public/Main.aspx?ChannelID=2
*** Jesse's Endorsements for this November!
If it's election season, it must be time for my endorsements. I don't agree with 100% of any of these people's stands- after all, the only person I'll back 100% is myself. Same for you, right? Anyway, add these endorsements to your deliberations- though I know some of you reading this have already sent off your absentee ballots. Still, you'll be advocating for particular political positions or candidates with your friends & family, so read on...
Since I'm running for Rent Board here in Berkeley, let me get this out of the way first. Please vote for the 5 of us:
Jesse Townley, Jack Harrison, Judy Shelton, Igor Tregub, Nicole Drake.
There are 5 open seats, and we were chosen from a field of 12 by more than 200 progressives, tenants, and Greens in August to run as a unified 5-person slate. Please look at our endorsers & positions at http://www.berkeleyrentboard.org for more information.
President of the U.S.- NOT McCain/Palin.
I live in California, a state that is going for Obama/Biden. I love the excitement and hope surrounding Obama's campaign, and deplore everything the McCain/Palin campaign stands for. However, Obama is NOT the 2nd coming of JFK, let alone FDR. Cynthia McKinney & Rosa Clemente are running on the Green Party ticket. McKinney was incredibly impressive & realistic when she spoke @ February's Green Presidential debate. Local artist & troublemaker Frank Moore is running his own nationwide independent write-in campaign, with sex educator Susan Block. I'm not supporting Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez, even though both have been excellent candidates & activists throughout their careers- I'm working hard to build up the Green Party & I'd rather support candidates who specifically join & build the Greens national profile (although Matt Gonzalez is a Green).
Obama/Biden
http://www.barackobama.com/newsroom/
McKinney/Clemente
http://votetruth08.com/
Frank Moore/Susan Block
http://www.frankmooreforpresident08.com
California State Senate District 9- Marsha Feinland
Marsha is the Peace & Freedom candidate, running against the probably unstoppable Loni Hancock. Marsha is more progressive & NOT a part of the local political machine that revolves around Hancock & her husband Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. The major critique of the Hancock/Bates machine is its disdain for sustainable, neighborhood-appropriate development & people who aren't registered Democrats. Send Loni a message!
http://feinlandforsenate.org/
Judicial Office, Superior Court Judge, Seat 9- Dennis Hayashi
Smart, experienced, and just. http://www.dennishayashi.com/
Berkeley City Council Races
District 2- Darryl Moore
Darryl is a solid progressive who is stellar. http://www.moorefordistrict2.com/
District 3- Max Anderson
Max is a solid progressive who is stellar.
District 4- Jesse Arreguin
There is 1 great candidate- Jesse Arreguin- 3 very fine candidates, and 1 business-as-usual candidate. This district was represented by Councilmember Dona Spring, who passed away this year. She was my political mentor and was the conscience of our town. She was a political realist who knew when to reach for the seemingly unreachable- and succeed in reaching her goal. Jesse A is the one who will carry on her legacy honestly and earnestly.
http://www.jessearreguin.com
District 5- Sophie Hahn
She's smart, she's energetic, and is ready to be a leader on the Council. I ran against her opponent last election, so I've been keeping a close eye on the incumbent. Come meet her tomorrow or Saturday at my house!
http://sophiehahn.com/
District 6- Phoebe Ann Sorgen
After years of serving on community & city commissions, Phoebe's finally making the move to City Council. It's an open seat, and the other candidate is the 16-year aide to the outgoing Councilmember. Business as usual? No way, vote Phoebe!
http://www.phoebesorgen.com
Berkeley School Board
John Selawsky is the #1 choice of every progressive in Berkeley. Although there are 2 seats open on the school board, both the Green Party & BCA did sole endorsements for John. Since he's the sole Green in a field of Democrats, the area Democratic clubs cannot (because of the state Democratic party) endorse him. This means that the other 3 candidates may have different endorsements than John, even though he is in line with the local progressive Democratic Clubs, like the Wellstone Club & the John George Club. A "bullet vote" (a vote for just 1 candidate in a multi-seat race) for John will ensure his election.
If you want to vote for 2 candidates, then please vote for Beatriz Leyva-Cutler as your #2 choice.
John Selawsky
http://www.berkeleygreens.org/berkeley/school-board-race_4.html
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler
http://beatrizforschoolboard.com/
AC Transit At-Large- Joyce Roy
It's tough, because the incumbent has been really good over the past few years, but Joyce stepped up & helped expose the atrocious Van Hool bus deals in the press. The incumbent, whose heart & vote is usually in the right place, supported the AC Transit management responsible for the Van Hool situation. Vote Joyce Roy for a change to a knowledgeable, experienced advocate.
California State Propositions
1A-
YES
High Speed Rail- Is it perfect? No. Do we need a quick & (hopefully) inexpensive route to L.A. that breaks the current status quo of millions of automobiles and thousands of tons of jet fuel? Yes.
2- YES
Mandating semi-humane treatment for animals in factory farms? A no-brainer.
3- NO
$2 Billion bond for Children's Hospitals- sounds good, but it's mostly going to private hospitals with massive endowments. We in Alameda County will probably be asked to replace our only public hospital- Highland Hospital- within a couple of years. We should save hospital bonds for that much more pressing need.
4- NO
Parental notification for abortion- this is something like the 3rd time in 4 Novembers that this proposition is on the ballot. It's been rejected so far & it's vital for us to reject it a 3rd time.
5- YES
Expanded treatment & diversion programs- It's common sense to not lock up someone who isn't a recidivist when they're a non-violent offender. Why spend the human & economic capital on locking up people who could turn their lives around outside of a prison cell?
6- NO
This is a punitive, anti-democratic, mean-spirited law that wasn't able to get through the legislative process so billionaire Henry Nicholas III put up $$$ to bring it directly to the voters. We're already facing massive budget shortages, why add another $1 billion/year to the mix?
7- NO
Quick, take a picture! I'm backing the same proposition as PG&E! Of course, so is the Union of Concerned Scientists, the California Green Party, and many others who I trust. Basically, the prop isn't well thought out-- it's skewed to long-term big energy suppliers, leaving the grassroots & medium-sized vendors out of the loop.
8- NO
Banning gay marriage- er, equal rights? A no brainer!
9- NO
Like Prop 6, this is not helpful for addressing recidivism or rehabilitation- it's just vengeance pure and simple.
10- NO
This is a trojan horse proposition- the major alternative fuel covered by this is Natural Gas. It's still a fossil fuel- where's the love for non-fossil fuel transportation? Oh yeah, that's 1A.
11- YES
Redistricting is broken- everyone agrees that having legislators draw their own districts is a bad idea. This solution, which has 11 appointees, 4 each from the majority parties, plus 3 'decline-to-state' or non-majority parties, isn't perfect. However, it's much better than the current system.
12- YES
The soldiers caught up in W's Afghanistan & Iraq debacles should have the same chance @ home ownership as WW2 veterans. This prop expands those chances.
Alameda County Propositions
VV- YES (to fund current bus operations in light of skyrocketing fuel prices without another damaging fare hike)
WW- YES (to fund east bay parks)
Berkeley Propositions
FF- YES
Fix branch libraries, just like Central was fixed a few years ago. Accessibility, seismic strengthening, & expanded space = no brainer.
GG- YES
End fire station 'brownouts,' fund disaster CERT training, & enable paramedic training. Removing these incredibly important items out of the General fund is imperative to our response after the next earthquake & wild fire. Even many from the anti-tax crowd have said that these issues should be priority one. Please join all of us in passing this measure by an overwhelming margin!
HH- YES
Regularly scheduled reauthorization of current taxes that fund vital services in Berkeley, including for the disabled. This adds no new taxes. This is a no brainer.
II- YES
Housecleaning measure that bumps redistricting deadlines back to accommodate problematic and/or late Federal census data.
JJ- YES
This is identical to the Medical Marijuana Measure R narrowly defeated by voters in 2004. Possible vote fraud led a judge to order this placed on the ballot again. I supported it then & I support it now. It doesn't legalize marijuana, but it does treat medical marijuana dispensaries as regular businesses. It's an important step towards common-sense regulation of dispensaries.
KK- NO
Pitched as a referendum on BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), this is actually a requirement that all transportation proposals that require carpool lanes or bus-only lanes be voted on by the public. This adds a layer of time, energy, & expense to a process that can better be used to create local consensus (or at least broad public support) for specific transit projects as they come up. Supporters say that Berkeley voters made the right choice when we voted to have BART built underground in the 1960's. That's true, but how many times have we watched big business or conservative funders distort a worthwhile proposition? To imagine that Berkeley initiatives are immune to distortion by partisans is fantasy. If this were a referendum on BRT specifically, this recommendation would be a lot more difficult. I wish the anti-BRT people had put forward a measure focused on BRT instead.
LL- NO
Berkeley developers been able to build many many new buildings under the current Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. But that's not enough for them- this measure is a watered-down LPO dreamed up by the Mayor & a pro-development-at-any-price City Council. Considering the high numbers of empty storefronts & empty condos in the newest buildings, why is there a need to further loosen the rules? The City should concentrate on refurbishing existing buildings & other Green building processes.
P.S.- THIS IS THE LAST E-MAIL from me until after the November 4th election. Thanks!
Stay strong,
Jesse Townley
Boardmember, Independent Arts & Media
http://www.artsandmedia.net/
Secretary, Berkeley Green Party
http://www.berkeleygreens.org
Vice-Chair, Disaster & Fire Safety Commission
Candidate, Progressive Rent Board Slate 2008
http://www.berkeleyrentboard.org
Former candidate Berkeley City Council District 5
510-525-4373
jesse, this is a very useful, clear tool to help california voters as we go into the voting booth. we here just used it as we prepared.
and thanks for including susan and me in your presidential top 3 picks!
Jesse Townley wrote:
Hello to all of my friends and supporters of my 2008 campaign for Berkeley Rent Board & my 2004 campaign for Berkeley City Council-
3 subjects on this October morning, but first a disclaimer: If you do not wish to receive periodic updates and alerts, or if you're receiving multiple copies of this e-mail, please let me know and I'll remove your e-mail from this list. THIS IS THE LAST E-MAIL from me until after the November 4th election. Thanks!
*** Wednesday & Saturday- Sophie Hahn @ Jesse's house!
*** Rent Board party @ Blake's & hot window signs!
*** Jesse's Endorsements for this November!
*** Wednesday & Saturday- Sophie Hahn @ Jesse's house!
Sophie Hahn is the sole challenger to incumbent Laurie Capitelli- many of you supported me in my race against him in 2004. I'm proud to host a house party for her @ my house, 1354 Carlotta Ave, this Wednesday the 15th, from 7-9 pm. There will be food & drink, it's wheelchair accessible, and you can ask Sophie any questions you want. Bring your checkbook!
http://www.sophiehahn.com/
3 days later, please join Sophie & I at my house to walk around our neighborhood & speak with voters and drop literature. It's early on- 11am-1pm- so you'll still have a full Saturday afterwards. Please e-mail me & let me know that you'll be able to come by!
*** Rent Board party @ Blake's & hot window signs!
But wait Jesse, aren't you running for Rent Board? You bet, and yes we- the Progressive Slate of Townley, Tregub, Shelton, Harrison, & Drake- really need your support. E-mail me quickly if you want a window sign (they're running out because they're so popular!). We need phone bank & lit drop help. Please donate via check or paypal here: http://berkeleyrentboard.com/action.html
We're having a fundraiser/birthday bash for Slate-mate Igor Tregub @ Larry Blakes this Saturday night from 8-10pm. The 1st $250 worth of food & drinks are FREE, so show up early! There's a requested donation of $5-$10 which will go to our Rent Board Slate & to Jesse Arreguin, my pick to replace the (frankly) irreplaceable Councilmember Dona Spring in District 4.
All 7 Rent Board Candidates will be live on B-TV (Channel 33) tonight 7-8pm in the League Of Women Voters debate. It'll be repeated on B-TV until election day. Check their schedule here http://206.110.32.32/Cablecast/Public/Main.aspx?ChannelID=2
*** Jesse's Endorsements for this November!
If it's election season, it must be time for my endorsements. I don't agree with 100% of any of these people's stands- after all, the only person I'll back 100% is myself. Same for you, right? Anyway, add these endorsements to your deliberations- though I know some of you reading this have already sent off your absentee ballots. Still, you'll be advocating for particular political positions or candidates with your friends & family, so read on...
Since I'm running for Rent Board here in Berkeley, let me get this out of the way first. Please vote for the 5 of us:
Jesse Townley, Jack Harrison, Judy Shelton, Igor Tregub, Nicole Drake.
There are 5 open seats, and we were chosen from a field of 12 by more than 200 progressives, tenants, and Greens in August to run as a unified 5-person slate. Please look at our endorsers & positions at http://www.berkeleyrentboard.org for more information.
President of the U.S.- NOT McCain/Palin.
I live in California, a state that is going for Obama/Biden. I love the excitement and hope surrounding Obama's campaign, and deplore everything the McCain/Palin campaign stands for. However, Obama is NOT the 2nd coming of JFK, let alone FDR. Cynthia McKinney & Rosa Clemente are running on the Green Party ticket. McKinney was incredibly impressive & realistic when she spoke @ February's Green Presidential debate. Local artist & troublemaker Frank Moore is running his own nationwide independent write-in campaign, with sex educator Susan Block. I'm not supporting Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez, even though both have been excellent candidates & activists throughout their careers- I'm working hard to build up the Green Party & I'd rather support candidates who specifically join & build the Greens national profile (although Matt Gonzalez is a Green).
Obama/Biden
http://www.barackobama.com/newsroom/
McKinney/Clemente
http://votetruth08.com/
Frank Moore/Susan Block
http://www.frankmooreforpresident08.com
California State Senate District 9- Marsha Feinland
Marsha is the Peace & Freedom candidate, running against the probably unstoppable Loni Hancock. Marsha is more progressive & NOT a part of the local political machine that revolves around Hancock & her husband Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. The major critique of the Hancock/Bates machine is its disdain for sustainable, neighborhood-appropriate development & people who aren't registered Democrats. Send Loni a message!
http://feinlandforsenate.org/
Judicial Office, Superior Court Judge, Seat 9- Dennis Hayashi
Smart, experienced, and just. http://www.dennishayashi.com/
Berkeley City Council Races
District 2- Darryl Moore
Darryl is a solid progressive who is stellar. http://www.moorefordistrict2.com/
District 3- Max Anderson
Max is a solid progressive who is stellar.
District 4- Jesse Arreguin
There is 1 great candidate- Jesse Arreguin- 3 very fine candidates, and 1 business-as-usual candidate. This district was represented by Councilmember Dona Spring, who passed away this year. She was my political mentor and was the conscience of our town. She was a political realist who knew when to reach for the seemingly unreachable- and succeed in reaching her goal. Jesse A is the one who will carry on her legacy honestly and earnestly.
http://www.jessearreguin.com
District 5- Sophie Hahn
She's smart, she's energetic, and is ready to be a leader on the Council. I ran against her opponent last election, so I've been keeping a close eye on the incumbent. Come meet her tomorrow or Saturday at my house!
http://sophiehahn.com/
District 6- Phoebe Ann Sorgen
After years of serving on community & city commissions, Phoebe's finally making the move to City Council. It's an open seat, and the other candidate is the 16-year aide to the outgoing Councilmember. Business as usual? No way, vote Phoebe!
http://www.phoebesorgen.com
Berkeley School Board
John Selawsky is the #1 choice of every progressive in Berkeley. Although there are 2 seats open on the school board, both the Green Party & BCA did sole endorsements for John. Since he's the sole Green in a field of Democrats, the area Democratic clubs cannot (because of the state Democratic party) endorse him. This means that the other 3 candidates may have different endorsements than John, even though he is in line with the local progressive Democratic Clubs, like the Wellstone Club & the John George Club. A "bullet vote" (a vote for just 1 candidate in a multi-seat race) for John will ensure his election.
If you want to vote for 2 candidates, then please vote for Beatriz Leyva-Cutler as your #2 choice.
John Selawsky
http://www.berkeleygreens.org/berkeley/school-board-race_4.html
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler
http://beatrizforschoolboard.com/
AC Transit At-Large- Joyce Roy
It's tough, because the incumbent has been really good over the past few years, but Joyce stepped up & helped expose the atrocious Van Hool bus deals in the press. The incumbent, whose heart & vote is usually in the right place, supported the AC Transit management responsible for the Van Hool situation. Vote Joyce Roy for a change to a knowledgeable, experienced advocate.
California State Propositions
1A-
YES
High Speed Rail- Is it perfect? No. Do we need a quick & (hopefully) inexpensive route to L.A. that breaks the current status quo of millions of automobiles and thousands of tons of jet fuel? Yes.
2- YES
Mandating semi-humane treatment for animals in factory farms? A no-brainer.
3- NO
$2 Billion bond for Children's Hospitals- sounds good, but it's mostly going to private hospitals with massive endowments. We in Alameda County will probably be asked to replace our only public hospital- Highland Hospital- within a couple of years. We should save hospital bonds for that much more pressing need.
4- NO
Parental notification for abortion- this is something like the 3rd time in 4 Novembers that this proposition is on the ballot. It's been rejected so far & it's vital for us to reject it a 3rd time.
5- YES
Expanded treatment & diversion programs- It's common sense to not lock up someone who isn't a recidivist when they're a non-violent offender. Why spend the human & economic capital on locking up people who could turn their lives around outside of a prison cell?
6- NO
This is a punitive, anti-democratic, mean-spirited law that wasn't able to get through the legislative process so billionaire Henry Nicholas III put up $$$ to bring it directly to the voters. We're already facing massive budget shortages, why add another $1 billion/year to the mix?
7- NO
Quick, take a picture! I'm backing the same proposition as PG&E! Of course, so is the Union of Concerned Scientists, the California Green Party, and many others who I trust. Basically, the prop isn't well thought out-- it's skewed to long-term big energy suppliers, leaving the grassroots & medium-sized vendors out of the loop.
8- NO
Banning gay marriage- er, equal rights? A no brainer!
9- NO
Like Prop 6, this is not helpful for addressing recidivism or rehabilitation- it's just vengeance pure and simple.
10- NO
This is a trojan horse proposition- the major alternative fuel covered by this is Natural Gas. It's still a fossil fuel- where's the love for non-fossil fuel transportation? Oh yeah, that's 1A.
11- YES
Redistricting is broken- everyone agrees that having legislators draw their own districts is a bad idea. This solution, which has 11 appointees, 4 each from the majority parties, plus 3 'decline-to-state' or non-majority parties, isn't perfect. However, it's much better than the current system.
12- YES
The soldiers caught up in W's Afghanistan & Iraq debacles should have the same chance @ home ownership as WW2 veterans. This prop expands those chances.
Alameda County Propositions
VV- YES (to fund current bus operations in light of skyrocketing fuel prices without another damaging fare hike)
WW- YES (to fund east bay parks)
Berkeley Propositions
FF- YES
Fix branch libraries, just like Central was fixed a few years ago. Accessibility, seismic strengthening, & expanded space = no brainer.
GG- YES
End fire station 'brownouts,' fund disaster CERT training, & enable paramedic training. Removing these incredibly important items out of the General fund is imperative to our response after the next earthquake & wild fire. Even many from the anti-tax crowd have said that these issues should be priority one. Please join all of us in passing this measure by an overwhelming margin!
HH- YES
Regularly scheduled reauthorization of current taxes that fund vital services in Berkeley, including for the disabled. This adds no new taxes. This is a no brainer.
II- YES
Housecleaning measure that bumps redistricting deadlines back to accommodate problematic and/or late Federal census data.
JJ- YES
This is identical to the Medical Marijuana Measure R narrowly defeated by voters in 2004. Possible vote fraud led a judge to order this placed on the ballot again. I supported it then & I support it now. It doesn't legalize marijuana, but it does treat medical marijuana dispensaries as regular businesses. It's an important step towards common-sense regulation of dispensaries.
KK- NO
Pitched as a referendum on BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), this is actually a requirement that all transportation proposals that require carpool lanes or bus-only lanes be voted on by the public. This adds a layer of time, energy, & expense to a process that can better be used to create local consensus (or at least broad public support) for specific transit projects as they come up. Supporters say that Berkeley voters made the right choice when we voted to have BART built underground in the 1960's. That's true, but how many times have we watched big business or conservative funders distort a worthwhile proposition? To imagine that Berkeley initiatives are immune to distortion by partisans is fantasy. If this were a referendum on BRT specifically, this recommendation would be a lot more difficult. I wish the anti-BRT people had put forward a measure focused on BRT instead.
LL- NO
Berkeley developers been able to build many many new buildings under the current Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. But that's not enough for them- this measure is a watered-down LPO dreamed up by the Mayor & a pro-development-at-any-price City Council. Considering the high numbers of empty storefronts & empty condos in the newest buildings, why is there a need to further loosen the rules? The City should concentrate on refurbishing existing buildings & other Green building processes.
P.S.- THIS IS THE LAST E-MAIL from me until after the November 4th election. Thanks!
Stay strong,
Jesse Townley
Boardmember, Independent Arts & Media
http://www.artsandmedia.net/
Secretary, Berkeley Green Party
http://www.berkeleygreens.org
Vice-Chair, Disaster & Fire Safety Commission
Candidate, Progressive Rent Board Slate 2008
http://www.berkeleyrentboard.org
Former candidate Berkeley City Council District 5
510-525-4373
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