VPolitical EngagOement CommiTttee at UCSED R GUIDE T h i s v o t e r g u i d e f o r t h e N o v e m b e r 3 , 2 0 2 0 g e n e r a l e l e c t i o n w a s c r e a t e d b y U A W 2 8 6 5 ’ s P o l i t i c a l E n g a g e m e n t C o m m i t t e e a t U C S D . I t i n c l u d e s o n l y l o c a l c a n d i d a t e s a n d m e a s u r e s a n d s t a t e w i d e p r o p o s i t i o n s , n o t s t a t e o r f e d e r a l r a c e s . O u r g u i d e d o e s n o t c o n s i s t o f e n d o r s e m e n t s ; w e d o n o t a l w a y s a g r e e w i t h e v e r y p o s i t i o n o f e a c h i n d i v i d u a l c a n d i d a t e o r m e a s u r e / p r o p o s i t i o n w e r e c o m m e n d . H o w e v e r , w e b e l i e v e t h a t o u r s e l e c t i o n s a r e t h e b e s t c h o i c e g i v e n t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e r a c e s . W e e n c o u r a g e a l l u n i o n m e m b e r s a n d r e a d e r s o f t h i s v o t e r g u i d e t o d o f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h o n c a n d i d a t e s , m e a s u r e s , a n d p r o p o s i t i o n s i f t h e y f e e l i t n e c e s s a r y .

I f y o u ’ r e i n t e r e s t e d i n j o i n i n g o u r c o m m i t t e e , o r l e a r n i n g h o w u n i o n m e m b e r s c a n b e m o r e i n v o l v e d i n l o c a l p o l i t i c s , s e n d u s a n e m a i l t o a k h t a r . a h m e d . a l i @ g m a i l . c o m 2020 ELECTIONS Voter Guide

Local Candidates Local & County Ballot County Board of Education Measures District 1 – Gregg Robinson Unified School District District 2 – Guadalupe González Measures Grossmont-Cuyacama Community Measure C – YES College District Measure D – YES Area 2 – Julie Schorr City of San Diego Measures Area 4 – Elena Adams (Incumbent) Measure A – YES San Diego Community College Measure B – YES District B – Bernie Rhinerson Measure E – YES District D – Mary Graham Superior Court CA State Propositions Prop 14 – YES Office 22 – Alana Robinson Prop 15 – YES Office 30 – Tim Nader Prop 16 – YES San Diego County Board of Prop 17 – YES Supervisors Prop 18 – YES District 1 – Nora Vargas Prop 19 – no opinion District 2 – No recommendations Prop 20 – NO District 3 – Terra Lawson-Remer Prop 21 – YES San Diego City Council Prop 22 – NO District 1 (UCSD) – Joe LaCava Prop 23 – YES District 3 – Toni Duran (Incumbent) Prop 24 – no opinion District 5 – Marni von Wilpert Prop 25 – YES District 7 – Raul Campillo District 9 – Sean Elo-Rivera Local Congressional Races San Diego City Mayor District 49 – Mark Levin (Incumbent) Todd Gloria District 50 – Amman Campa-Najjar San Diego City Attorney District 51 - Juan Vargas (Incumbent) Mara W. Elliot District 52 – Scott Peters (Incumbent) District 53 – Georgette Gomez State Assembly 2020 District 78– Chris Ward ELECTIONS C L C O U N T Y B O A R D O F E D U C T I O N D I S T R I C T O N E : G R E G G R O B I N S O N stands against police in

O Gregg Robinson schools and the linked issues of student

A poverty and homelessness. As past head and VP of the Affordable Housing Commission and former president of the San Diego C County Board of Education, he has

N experience in blending educational and housing policy. He has also made moves against charter schools in the past, whereas

A incumbent Powell is endorsed by the CA

D Charter School Association. Robinson is a past professor of sociology at Grossmont College. L D I S T R I C T T W O I Guadalupe González is the unanimously-

D elected incumbent and a longtime educational counselor in San Diego-area community colleges. González is a member of the Latino School Board

A Association, the California Association of Bilingual Educators, and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, and advocates for bilingual education and the

T support of Latinx and other BIPOC students.

G R O S S M O N T - C U Y A C A M A E C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E D I S T R I C T

A R E A O N E

S Julie Schorr is a long-time French teacher and department chair in the Grossmont Union High School District, supportive of and supported by many San Diego labor organizations, including the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council. C L G R O S S M O N T - C U Y A C A M A C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E D I S T R I C T

A R E A F O U R O

Elena Adams (Incumbent), 35-year veteran A of the San Diego Community College District, has previously served as Board Clerk for GCCCD. As a continuing educator, she is C invested in simultaneously supporting N college transfer programs and career- oriented technical training programs, and generally broadening options for students A within the district. D

S A N D I E G O C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

L D I S T R I C T B

I Bernie Rhinerson has significant and varied public service experience, including as a D (personally Democratic) policy advisor to the City of San Diego and two-time Trustee of the SDCC. He was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the San A Diego Promise initiative, which provides more than 4,000 students with tuition-free education in the SDCC, along with other

T services.

D I S T R I C T D

Mary Graham has served three terms on the E SDCC Board of Trustees alongside her work as an English professor, and worked to expand the San Diego Promise program, S which provides more than 4,000 students with tuition-free education in the SDCC, to include books and fees. Graham is also invested in improving access to reproductive justice among SDCC students. C L

S U P E R I O R C O U R T

O O F F I C E 2 2

Alana Robinson is an expert in judicial A ethics and trial advocacy, expertise she shares through faculty and advisory

C positions in the San Diego Bar Association and the Department of Justice National N Advocacy center. Despite her endorsement from multiple police officer organizations, Robinson is a far better choice than A opponent Skeels, who pledged before the D primary to interpret the law through a “conservative” lens. L O F F I C E 3 0 I Tim Nader is the appropriate choice in this

D race thanks to relatively progressive attitudes towards environmental justice and affordable housing, although we do not endorse him due to his extremely troubling

A expansion of the Chula Vista Police Department during his term as mayor and support of police at the Southwestern Community College during his terms on the

T Board. He trumps opponent Paul Starita’s dedicated Republicanism and support of the U.S. Armed Forces. E S C L S A N D I E G O C O U N T Y B O A R D O F S U P E R V I S O R S D I S T R I C T O N E O Nora Vargas’ particular interests include

A affordable healthcare, homelessness and housing, restorative justice and community policing, and asylee and immigrant rights. C Prior community service has focused heavily

N on advocating for just and accessible healthcare, in particular as Vice President of Community & Government Relations for

A Planned Parenthood of the Pacific

D Southwest.

D I S T R I C T T W O UAW Local 2865 has no endorsement for

L District Two. Neither align with the aims of

I UAW 2865 as it strives to serve workers. However, if you feel compelled to cast a D vote, Vaus is the lesser of two evils. Anderson’s homophobia and transphobia and his dedicated opposition to fairer healthcare are notable even among

A conservatives.

D I S T R I C T T H R E E Terra Lawson-Remer pledges to focus on

T environmental issues, though she is also passionate about affordable housing, police and education reform, and expanding the

E Affordable Care Act. She worked with the Obama administration in environmental policy, and currently teaches at UCSD.

S Endorsers include: San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, Planned Parenthood, and the San Diego County Democratic Party. She opposes incumbent Kristin Gaspar, a tough-on-crime Trump supporter who works to stop funding for public transportation. C L

S A N D I E G O C I T Y C O U N C I L

O D I S T R I C T O N E ( U C S D ’ S D I S T R I C T )

has been on the Community-

A Joe LaCava Police Relations board for years and was involved in a past project to increase

C oversight and accountability in the SRPD. He

N is open to reallocating funds, particularly when those funds might go to environmental and housing regulations that defend San Diego from wildfires, one of his A top concerns. Pressure to more fully commit D to defunding police forces in San Diego may be effective. LaCava also has strong positions

L against Airbnb and for the construction and maintenance of affordable housing, very I important concerns for UCSD’s own district. D

D I S T R I C T T H R E E

Toni Duran (Incumbent) has one of the strongest positions on defunding police A among all city council candidates, in favor of serious reallocation of funds and reduction of police presence in vulnerable communities. She is also firmly committed T to fighting homelessness and gentrification, and in particular supports the well-proven strategy of providing permanent supportive E housing to those in need of shelter. S C L S A N D I E G O C I T Y C O U N C I L , C O N T

D I S T R I C T F I V E

O Marni von Wilpert is the union’s choice in the face of her exceptionally pro-cop A conservative opponent, despite her desire as listed in her platform to “increase

C recruitment and retention for… police.” Other interests include wildfire safety, gun N violence reduction, addressing homelessness, and other housing-access concerns. A

D D I S T R I C T S E V E N

Raul Campillo, like von Wilpert, faces a Republican and is the best choice, especially L in areas around housing access, I homelessness, environmental concerns, and

D infrastructure improvements. His stated commitment to increase police funding will require his constituents to apply consistent pressure during his term. A D I S T R I C T N I N E

Sean Elo-Rivera puts racial justice and COVID recovery first in his platform and is

T committed to police reform. Other planks include environmental justice issues and supporting affordable housing. He has prior E experience in various elected positions for the San Diego Community College District. Despite his relative dearth of experience S compared to opponent Kevin Barrios, Barrios’ history of mismanagement of funds is worrisome, and his position on racial justice far weaker. C L

S A N D I E G O C I T Y M A Y O R

O Todd Gloria is the better of the two candidates running for mayor. He comes A from a working class background and has a long history of fighting for progressive

C causes here in San Diego and in the State Assembly. While not perfect, his views on N climate, housing, transit, and climate are far more aligned with the interests of working people than the other candidate in the race, A Barbara Bry (who has a history of favoring D corporations and real estate developers over regular people). We would like to see Mr. Gloria propose more forceful action to hold L the San Diego Police Department I accountable beyond the community review

D board he supports; however, he will certainly be more receptive to pressure on this issue than Barbara Bry. Todd is a member of and strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community

A and would be San Diego’s first openly LGBTQ+ mayor.

S A N D I E G O C I T Y A T T O R N E Y

T Mara W. Elliot has prior experience as City Attorney, during which time she was recognized as a strong advocate for gun

E control. Other actions during her tenure included strengthening San Diego’s resources supporting survivors of domestic S violence. Her opponent, Cory Briggs, has a history of alleged corruption and stands strongly behind “law and order,” an ominous phrase for friends of labor. B L

S A N D I E G O U N I F I E D S C H O O L O A D I S T R I C T M E A S U R E S

M e a s u r e C : S a n D i e g o U n i f i e d C L S c h o o l D i s t r i c t , C a l i f o r n i a , S c h o o l B o a r d E l e c t i o n s B y -

L D i s t r i c t A m e n d m e n t A

O Y E S t o p o t e n t i a l l y e l i m i n a t e a s o u r c e o f r a c i a l b i a s i n t h e

L e l e c t i o n o f s c h o o l b o a r d

T m e m b e r s .

R e a d f u l l t e x t

& M e a s u r e D : C h a r t e r A m e n d m e n t :

M P r o c e d u r e s t o R e m o v e S c h o o l

B o a r d M e m b e r s f o r C a u s e a n d t o F i l l V a c a n c i e s C

E Y E S , t h i s i s a p r o c e d u r a l m a t t e r a n d i s g e n e r a l l y p r o - A O d e m o c r a c y . S

U C I T Y O F S A N D I E G O M E A S U R E S

U M e a s u r e A : G e n e r a l O b l i g a t i o n B o n d s f o r A f f o r d a b l e H o u s i n g N

Y E S t o p r o v i d e b e t t e r a n d R f a s t e r f u n d i n g f o r a f f o r d a b l e T h o u s i n g . E M e a s u r e B : S a n D i e g o , C A Y C o m m i s s i o n o n P o l i c e P r a c t i c e s S A m e n d m e n t

Y E S t o e s t a b l i s h a ( h o p e f u l l y ) s t r o n g e r a n d m o r e e f f e c t i v e C o m m i s s i o n o n P o l i c e P r a c t i c e s . R e a d f u l l t e x t . B L

S A N D I E G O U N I F I E D S C H O O L O A D I S T R I C T M E A S U R E S

M e a s u r e C : S a n D i e g o U n i f i e d C

L S c h o o l D i s t r i c t , C a l i f o r n i a , S c h o o l B o a r d E l e c t i o n s B y - D i s t r i c t A m e n d m e n t L

A Y E S t o p o t e n t i a l l y e l i m i n a t e a

O s o u r c e o f r a c i a l b i a s i n t h e e l e c t i o n o f s c h o o l b o a r d

L m e m b e r s . R e a d f u l l t e x t

T M e a s u r e D : C h a r t e r A m e n d m e n t :

P r o c e d u r e s t o R e m o v e S c h o o l B o a r d M e m b e r s f o r C a u s e a n d t o

& F i l l V a c a n c i e s

M Y E S , t h i s i s a p r o c e d u r a l

m a t t e r a n d i s g e n e r a l l y p r o - d e m o c r a c y . C E

C I T Y O F S A N D I E G O M E A S U R E S A O M e a s u r e A : G e n e r a l O b l i g a t i o n B o n d s f o r A f f o r d a b l e H o u s i n g

Y E S t o p r o v i d e b e t t e r a n d S

U f a s t e r f u n d i n g f o r a f f o r d a b l e h o u s i n g . U M e a s u r e B : S a n D i e g o , C A N C o m m i s s i o n o n P o l i c e P r a c t i c e s A m e n d m e n t R Y E S t o e s t a b l i s h a ( h o p e f u l l y ) T s t r o n g e r a n d m o r e e f f e c t i v e E C o m m i s s i o n o n P o l i c e

Y P r a c t i c e s . R e a d f u l l t e x t . S M e a s u r e E : R e m o v i n g 3 0 - F o o t H e i g h t L i m i t i n M i d w a y - P a c i f i c H i g h w a y C o m m u n i t y P l a n A r e a

Y E S t o p e r m i t p o s s i b l e m i x e d - h o u s i n g b u i l d i n g a n d t r a n s i t d e v e l o p m e n t . P C

P R O P 1 4

Borrows 5.5 billion to fund stem-cell

R research

A YES to allow a state bond to provide 5.5 billion in funding supporting scientific and medical research on stem cells.

O P R O P 1 5

YES to better fund schools via taxing some commercial property (not small businesses, agriculture, or homes) based S

P on market worth rather than the amount paid for it prior to 1978, when property values were far lower. T P R O P 1 6 O YES to once more permit affirmative action for public employers and colleges A in California. P R O P 1 7 S YES to restore the rights of people on

T parole for felony convictions to vote.

P R O P 1 8 I

YES to allow seventeen-year-olds who E T will be eighteen years old by the time of the next general election to vote in primary and special elections. I P R O P 1 9

O No opinion. This initiative would allow certain homeowners (such as those over 55, disabled, and/or victims of natural disasters) to take a portion of their property tax base with them when they

N sell an old home and buy a new one, while limiting the ability of new homeowners who inherit properties to keep their parents’ or grandparents’ low property tax payments. Additional money

S raised will largely enter a state fire- response fund. Most endorsers are real estate agents and associations. Endorsed by the San Diego Labor Council. P C P R O P 2 0

Requires DNA collection for certain misdemeanors. Allows prosecutors to

R charge repeat or organized petty theft as

A a felony, requires probation officers to seek tougher penalties for those who violate terms of parole thrice, excludes O those convicted of domestic violence and certain nonviolence crimes from early

parole consideration NO to deny the state authority to collect S DNA for certain misdemeanors, disallow P prosecutors from charging repeat or organized petty theft as a felony, and T prevent probation officers from being

O required to seek tougher penalties for those who have thrice violated their

A terms of parole, and not exclude those charged of certain nonviolent crimes (mostly drug-related) from early parole

S consideration. While this act purports to

T defend the victims of domestic violence by also excluding those convicted of

I domestic violence from early parole consideration, it would in fact harm E T survivors of domestic violence far more by expanding the carceral state and encouraging harsher penalties for those I surviving in informal markets.

O P R O P 2 1

YES to allow local governments to enact rent control on housing that was first occupied over 15 years ago, with an

N exception for landlords who own no more than two homes with distinct titles or subdivided interests. S P C P R O P 2 2

Lets Uber and Lyft classify its workers as contractors, duck out on obligations

R NO to disallow Uber and Lyft from

A ducking out on their labor obligations by classifying its workers as contractors.

O P R O P 2 3

to help better regulate dialysis YES clinics, require physicians to be on-site at all dialysis clinics, and increase staff pay. S Although the monopolistic dialysis P companies may raise prices in response rather than sacrifice the profits they T make off of ill and disabled patients,

O stronger labor means better outcomes for patients and staff across the board. A P R O P 2 4

No opinion. This proposition intends to S expand California’s consumer data

T privacy laws, including provisions to allow consumers to direct businesses to not

I share their personal information; remove the time period in which businesses can E T fix violations before being penalized; and create the Privacy Protection Agency to enforce the state’s consumer data privacy

I laws. It would maintain the current “opt- out” system which puts the onus on O consumers.

P R O P 2 5

YES to do away with cash bail for

N detained subjects awaiting trial, to replace it with risk assessments for those subjects. S R L O

A D I S T R I C T 4 9

Mark Levin (Incumbent) was elected to his seat in 2018. He formerly served as executive director of the C C Democratic Party of Orange County, and on the National Finance Committee for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Prior to politics, Levin co- A E founded CleanTech OC, a clean energy trade association; and a major focus of his campaign is S

L “accelerating sustainable energy and environmental protection.” He supports working towards a “Medicare

for All type” healthcare system, but in the meantime he believes that we must repair and strengthen the C Affordable Care Act. Levin is endorsed by many progressive groups in the district, as well as several unions (including UAW). However, he also has O endorsements from less progressive groups, like the San Diego Police Officers Association. Nevertheless, Levin is clearly preferable to Republican Brian N Maryott, who pitches himself as “law enforcement’s choice.” G D I S T R I C T 5 0

first ran for this seat in 2018, R Amman Campa-Najjar against incumbent Duncan D. Hunter. Campa-Najjar previously worked on Barack Obama's presidential re- E election campaign as a deputy regional field director before joining the administration in the Executive

S Office of the President. He then worked for the U.S. Department of Labor as a public affairs officer, where S he promoted a program of “registered apprenticeships,” which he still supports. Although I Campa-Najjar ran as a true progressive in 2018, he has

O since moved to the right – dropping his support for Medicare for All and the . He defends this move by pointing out that his district is rather

N conservative, and his platform would still be the most progressive in its history. Indeed, he is a substantially better choice than his opponent, Republican Darrell A Issa. Campa-Najjar has endorsements from a number of progressive groups, including several unions. L R L D I S T R I C T 5 1

O Juan Vargas (Incumbent) was first elected to his A seat in 2012. He previously served in the , State Assembly, and San Diego City C

C Council. As representative of a district that runs along the border of Mexico, Vargas resisted the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and is running A

E on a platform that protects DACA recipients. He has also supported legislation that creates environmental protections, and is a co-sponsor of the Green New S

L Deal. Vargas is a member of the , a congressional caucus made up of centrist Democrats who are “committed to pro-economic

C growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies.” As such, he is a fairly moderate Democrat, and there are some concerns about his commitment

O to progressive economic policies. Nevertheless, Vargas has endorsements from a number of progressive groups, including several unions. He is a

N better choice than his Republican opponent, Juan Hidalgo, who Vargas handily defeated in the previous two elections. G D I S T R I C T 5 2

Scott Peters (Incumbent) was first elected to his R seat in 2012, having previously served two terms on the San Diego City Council. He was also a former

E member of the UCSD Chancellor’s Community Advisory Board. Peters is a member of the New

S Democrat Coalition, a congressional caucus made up of centrist Democrats who are “committed to pro-

S economic growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies.” As such, he is a moderate

I Democrat who frequently reaches across the aisle in

O order to try to pass bipartisan legislation; for example, he has proposed several pieces of bipartisan legislation aimed at modifying the Affordable Care

N Act in ways that appeal to both parties. Although Peters is certainly not a progressive Democrat, he is endorsed by most progressive groups in the district.

A His opponent, Republican Jim DeBello, has expressed skepticism that climate change is human-driven. L R L D I S T R I C T 5 3

O Georgette Gomez previously served on the San A Diego City Council, where she was unanimously voted president in 2018. She was also formerly the C

C chairwoman of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Gomez is the most progressive congressional candidate in the San Diego area, supporting both A

E Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. She is also a Justice Democrats candidate, which means that she refuses donations from corporate PACs and lobbyists. S

L Gomez is endorsed by the National Education Association, and several other labor groups. She is strongly preferable to her opponent, Democrat Sara

C Jacobs. Sara is the granddaughter of Irwin Jacobs, founder and former chairman of Qualcomm, who created and funded a super PAC for his

O granddaughter’s campaign. Jacobs previously lost a congressional bid for the 49th District in 2018, and has no experience in public office. N G R E S S I O N A L S

T D I S T R I C T 7 8

Chris Ward previously served on the San Diego City Council, where he was chair of the Land Use A and Housing Committee, and past chair of the Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee. As a councilmember, Ward

T wrote and passed the Equal Pay Ordinance, which requires companies that do business with the city to pay their employees equally, E regardless of race or gender. Moreover, he proposed the measure that successfully banned Styrofoam in San Diego for most retail uses.

Ward is running against fellow Democrat Sarah

A Davis, who has never held elected office. Although Davis has some endorsements from progressive groups, Ward’s experience gives him the advantage. S S E M B L Y