Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker Yes, Yes, Yes! the Forthcoming Presidential Street

Election Day: November 3, 2020 1 reen voter guide Election Day: November 3, 2020 Federal Offices ............................................................. 1, 3 State Senate and Assembly .............................................. 4 State Propositions ............................................ 1, 16 17, 18 Superior Court Judge ....................................................... 5 County Supervisor ........................................................ 5 Peralta Colleges ............................................................... 5 City of Alameda ........................................................... 5, 6 City of Albany .................................................................. 6 City of Berkeley ................................................... 1, 7, 8, 9 City of Emeryville............................................................. 9 City of Oakland .........................................1, 10, 11, 12, 13 City of Union City ...................................................... 13 Special Districts........................................................ 14, 15 County Measures............................................................ 16 Voter Card ................................................... 19, Back page President and Vice-President Proposition 15 Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker Yes, yes, yes! The Forthcoming Presidential Street. This conclusion is reinforced by Biden’s choice for Funding for Schools and Local his vice president. That Kamala Harris is another establish- Governments by Fairly Taxing Election ment candidate is illustrated by her personal political history, the staff members who surround her, by the funding and Large Commercial Properties The 2020 U.S. presidential election has been labeled favorable media coverage she receives from the powers that Schools and Communities First, Proposition 15, pro- the most important election in world history as well as one be and by the numerous identity rather than class politics where American’s democracy is at stake. There are reasons vides up to $12 billion a year for public schools, commu- political proposals she put forward during her campaign for nity colleges, and local government services by requiring for this sense of crisis, beginning with the ongoing global president. See the September 6, 2019 article by Laurence H. climate emergency and the coronavirus pandemic, along commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on Shoup: “Kamala Harris, another Establishment Candidate” regularly re-assessed market value. with ongoing injustices imposed on people of color, all on http://www.counterpunch.org. causing a still emerging economic and social meltdown. The Yes, this reforms the much-beloved Prop 13 from 1978, two main presidential contenders increase the tension. Cur- What it Takes to Successfully so it’s important to tell everyone that Proposition 15 does rent President Donald Trump is the main cause for serious not affect residential property at all — not homeowners or worry. He represents a hideous combination of a woman Run for President renters, mobile homes, assisted living facilities, vacation homes, AirBnB, live/work spaces, or home-based busi- hating racist proto-fascist authoritarian, a corrupt Mafia type Making a serious run for the presidency involves bring- con man, and a pathological liar, who is mentally ill with, nesses. ing together large- scale private funding, extensive coverage continued on page 16 among other maladies, narcissistic personality disorder. It from the mainstream media, high level endorsements, and says a lot about the sickness of current U.S. society that expert professional advice from leading capitalist- class Oakland City Council, such a man could rise to the presidency and have about a 40 think tanks, such as the Council on Foreign Relations. percent level of public support while in office. Joe Biden, Such a combination results in name recognition and the District 3 on the other hand, is a long time servant of big corporations willingness of tens of millions of voters to vote for a given and the wealthy, an uncreative man who wants to return to candidate, even if he or she is known to be a lesser evil. #1: Carroll Fife a simpler time. Unless seriously pushed by circumstances Green Party candidates do not command any of the above and the people in the streets, Biden would likely be a pas- mentioned advantages. Take funding, for example. As of Sharing #2 and #3: Seneca Scott sive tool in the hands of the current ruling class, led by Wall continued on page 3 (ranked but not endorsed) and Meron Semedar (ranked but not How the Electoral Berkeley Mayor endorsed) College Impacts Your Aidan Hill Six candidates are running for the District 3 council Don’t rank Arreguin and Hsiung seat. The two front-runner candidates are incumbent Lynette Voting Choices Gibson McElhaney and well-known Oakland activist Car- Aidan Hill is active in the Green Party and serves on roll Fife. Unlike all of the other races on the ballot, the offices the County Council for the Green Party of Alameda County. Carroll Fife is the executive director of Alliance of of president and vice-president are not determined by the Hill is Vice-Chair of the Homeless Commission, active in Citizens for Community Empowerment (ACCE). She made total popular vote, but rather by the Electoral College that the Save People’s Park effort, a UC Berkeley student, and local (and sometimes national) news late last year as a leader was enshrined in the U.S. Constitution back in 1789. There- a Black trans person. Hill’s platform dedicates budget pro- in the Moms4Housing campaign, in which a group of Black fore, regardless of whether candidates win a particular state posals towards climate-resilient infrastructure and public homeless mothers fought an eviction proceeding and gained by just one vote or by ten million votes, they still receive spaces, a renewable transitional economy, and universal at least a partial victory over a rapacious Oakland developer. exactly the same number of electoral votes from that state. access to public health care. Hill emphasizes the role of She has substantial union endorsement, and is the East Bay Because of this “winner-take-all formula,” a “third-party communities and residents in greatest need of support, such Democratic Socialists’ preferred candidate. Fife has been a candidate” who receives a small percentage of the vote as low-income, multifamily, and small business-focused tireless supporter of local people and local causes, and an in states which are “solidly blue” or “solidly red” simply programs, and supports the use of green technologies that exemplar of putting her feet and her voice on the ground and has no effect whatsoever in how those electoral votes are restore natural ecosystems. They support a culture of open- awarded. continued on page 10 ness in government with the Freedom of Information Act, To be specific, California is a “deep blue state.” In the California Public Records Act, and strong local sunshine Oakland School Board, the last presidential election, Hillary Clinton beat Donald measures enforcing access to government decision-making. Trump in California by 30 percentage points (62 percent to Hill favors a 50 percent defunding of police with funds District 5 32 percent), while Green Party candidate Jill Stein received directed elsewhere—prioritizing budgeting for mental only three percent of the total ballots cast. Therefore, our health care to include counseling, education programs, anger Mike Hutchinson continued on page 3 management, medical care, and healthcare as appropriate Do NOT vote for Leroy Gaines Berkeley City Council, in a therapeutic environment for victims of violence. For more on Hill’s vision, see their campaign web page: District Five is bifurcated between the Fruitvale and District 2 https://hill.nationbuilder.com/vision. Glenview. While there have been some demographic Four years ago, we endorsed and ranked Jesse Arreguin changes in the majority Latino Fruitvale, these two neigh- Cheryl Davila and Kriss Worthington as our two choices for mayor based borhoods largely define the voting base. on their positive histories in the progressive minority on This is seemingly the easiest endorsement of the four Don’t Rank Alex Sharenko! the Berkeley City Council. This ranking was also with the school board races. The progressive community is showing We strongly endorse Cheryl Davila and recommend she knowledge that realtor Laurie Capitelli was a real threat virtual unanimity in support of Mike Hutchinson. Nonethe- be ranked #1. Read her responses to our questionnaire—the to the community based on his voting record that favored less, it’s worth examining his opponents. (There are three: only candidate who replied. If you feel the need to rank the developers and landlords. The fact that the developer- Sheila Pope-Lawrence, Jorge Lerma and Leroy Gaines (the other candidates, please read our analysis of them at the end realtor-landlord power base in the Democratic Party has not GO candidate).). of this article. We recommend NOT ranking the others— put up a candidate to run against Arreguin says it all—he Jorge Lerma has a significant history in the Oakland especially NOT Alex Sharenko! has moved to the center-right previously occupied by Tom Unified School District (OUSD), including being an assis- Cheryl Davila is by far the most progressive candidate Bates. Once elected, Arreguin’s progressive agenda was tant principal at Highland Elementary School 15 years ago. in

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