Primary Voting Guide San Diego 2024

I think a lot about elections and pour over media accounts about politics on a daily basis. My first Voter Guide was published by the San Diego Free Press a decade ago.

I’m not content to consume the publications and writers I am sympathetic to; the mighty righties get regular visits - even though I rarely quote them.

Sadly, commentary has become increasingly one-dimensional, and is largely in opposition to what is perceived to come from the other side. It’s almost like the consultants or whoever conjures up talking points these days want to validate the “horseshoe” effect in politics. (Cory Doctorow has an excellent debunking of this simplistic view)

What scares me more than extreme partisan rhetoric is the ongoing two-pronged attack on voting. In California, 87.5% of the electorate voted by mail. The Ninth Circuit of Appeals heard oral arguments in early February on a fringe right-wing lawsuit challenging California’s mail-in voting system.

The probable presidential nominee for the GOP has made attacks on mail-in voting a fixture in his campaign and is successfully persuading part of the electorate with his unproven and disproven claims. Of course, Donald J Trump votes by mail; the real point of this rhetoric is to undermine faith in democracy.

Presidential Nationally only 28% of Republicans are okay with universal vote by mail, down from 49% just four years ago. The GOP’s legal assault on voting encompasses 163 lawsuits nationwide; the strategy of ‘bank your vote’ has given way to Trump’s claims of election fraud.

So vote in this primary election. Because it is the right thing to do. And, regardless of what candidates and issues you support or oppose, the act of voting is what’s ultimately on the ballot.

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Following are the choices I made on my ballot a few days ago. (A few contests that I wrote about but couldn’t vote on are in parentheses.) 

The ballot item heading is first, followed by who/what I voted for, their website, a link to my ruminations, and a snip of what my thinking was..

President  - Joe Biden. https://joebiden.com/
The California 2024 Primary Ballot: President

• We don’t agree on some things. But it’s not a deal breaker for me. As the meme on the interwebs says: A vote is not a valentine. You're not confessing your love for Joe Biden. It’s a chess move for the kind of world you want to live in.

***County Democratic Committee – Your guess is as good as mine.

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Senate (Full and Partial Term) - Katie Porter - https://katieporter.com/
California 2024 Guide: You Get to Vote Twice for US Senator

• I changed my mind on this, deciding I would support Katie Porter in these contests. Barbara Lee is a better candidate, ideologically. But my heart said “eff” Adam Schiff as his fellow travelers decided to boost MAGAman Steve Garvey to make things easier in the fall.

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Link for all Congressional races >> San Diego’s Congressional Contests

US Representative, 50th District - Congressman Scott Peters - https://scottpeters.com/

• He’s a middlin’ Dem, meaning that he’s for all the right things until it comes down to deciding the fine print; then you’ve got to look into the politics of his district’s employers. I live in his district and will vote for him, fully aware of his limitations. Ya’ gotta eat what’s on the menu…

(US Representative, 48th District) Stephan Houlahan  https://electhoulahan.com/

• The former Santee City Council member placed second in the general election race in 2022, garnering just shy of 40% of the vote. The California and San Diego Democratic Party organizations have endorsed him, along with eight or so local Dem clubs.

(US Representative, 49th District) - Mike Levin - https://www.mikelevin.org/

• He’s got money in the bank, a stellar collection of endorsements, and the most complete issues and accomplishments section I’ve ever seen on a campaign site. His platform centers around progressive positions on issues like abortion access, gun policy reform, and Medicare for all. As a congressman, he’s well-known for his advocacy on behalf of veterans. As long as people show up, he will win.

(US Representative, 51st District) - Sara Jacobs - https://sarajacobsforca.com/

• Her list of endorsers is impressive, and she’s relied on acts of governance rather than partisan rhetoric in accomplishing an impressive record on Capitol Hill. My favorite part of her reelection campaign has been her calling out El Cajon Mayor Bill Sells’ complaints about her: 1) She’s a Democrat and 2) a young woman. She’s all of those things and is a better person, to boot.

(US Representative, 52nd District) - Juan Vargas - website ‘expired’

• Vargas is, generally speaking, a very liberal Democrat of the sort that Republicans expect that patriotic Americans will rise up and throw out someday soon. The problem is that his constituents really like him; in 2022 he beat his Republican competitor with 71% of the vote. 

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State Senator, 39th District - Akilah Weber - https://drakilahweber.com/
Dr Akilah Weber Running for CA State Senate D39

• She’s done well by her constituents, having authored a dozen bills that have been signed into law, including legislation relating to the health of students, contraceptive care and the medical practices for victims of domestic violence.

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Link for all » San Diego Assembly Districts

State Assembly, District 78 - Chris Ward - https://voteforward.com/

• Republicans consider this district unwinnable; Democrats have a better than 2 to 1 advantage in voter registration and the seat traditionally has gone to LGBTQ+ candidates.

(State Assembly, District 75) - Joy Frew - https://frewforassembly.com/

• The founder of Fallbrook Climate Action Team and activist with that city’s Democratic Club brings a focus on criticizing investor-owned utilities and building a more sustainable grid to the table.

1. (State Assembly, District 76) - Darshana Patel - https://patelforassembly.com/

• She’s paid some partisan dues along the way, and is the endorsed candidate of the Democratic Party, along with a lot of the state and region’s Dem elected officials  She ran for school board promising to fix a disaster, delivered, and convincingly won re-election.

(State Assembly, District 77) - Tasha Boerner Horvath - https://tashaboerner.com/ 

• She’s kept herself in a high profile position by writing and sponsoring a lot of legislation on varied issues. It’s hard to see her not making the general election ballot and likely going back to Sacramento next year.  

(State Assembly, District 79) - Colin Parent - https://colinparent.org/

• He’s been involved in enviro friendly groups for so long that lefties in OB consider him a corporate tool. No wonder, since Parent is beloved by the YIMBY movement. He’s got a solid group of organized labor endorsements, along with the support of many local elected Democrats. He’s played mostly within the system in advocating for causes, driven by a high level of consciousness about climate change.

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All SD council races are covered by this link» City Council Incumbents Will Rule

City Council, District 3 - Coleen Cusack - https://coleen4sd.com/

• So what we’d get with Colleen Cusack as an elected official is that she’d have a platform; the best we could hope for would be increased awareness. And in San Diego the powers that be would work hard to discredit her as a person, when her righteousness should be praised.

• I’ll vote for Colleen, because she’s the best option we have and is willing to speak truth to power. The City Council is going to so what it’s going to do, regardless, so let’s stir some sh*t.

{City Council, District 1) - Joe Cava - running unopposed

(City Council, District 5) - Marni von Wilpert - running unopposed

(City Council, District 7) - Raul Campillo - running unopposed

(City Council, District 4) - Henry Foster - https://www.henryfoster4sd.com/meethenry

• Foster has the lead in endorsements, having been blessed by the county Democratic Party, the city’s two largest labor unions, along with council members Elo-Rivera, Lee, and LaCava. He makes no secret of his desire to continue on Montgomery-Steppe’s political path, so he counts as an incumbent as far as I'm concerned.

(City Council, District 9) - Sean Elo-Rivera - https://www.facebook.com/VoteForSeanElo/

• He describes his role on the council as challenging the status quo and advocating for communities in San Diego that have traditionally been underserved.

• The downside to Elo-Rivera, as I understand it, is that he doesn’t mince words and comes across as abrasive. The upside is that he’s a counter balance to those who see the council as an extension of the mayor’s office. 

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Mayor, City of San Diego - Genevieve Jones-Wright - https://www.wright4sd.com/
Da Mayor Is A Bum; Can Anybody Replace Him?

I came off as wishy-washy in my write-up of his race, saying that I liked Jones-Wright, but thought Todd Gloria would prevail. This business of promoting grifting Republicans (yes, I know it’s an ‘Independent’ Committee) by the Gloria cabal just pisses me off.

• Jones-Wright has an admirable vision of improving the quality of life for San Diego. Whether or not she has the stamina and foresight to stop the same-old, same-old from continuing would be an unanswered question if she takes office.

• I can only hope she’ll see the need to tell truths about the city that many don’t want to hear --and galvanize the public– to actually change the direction of the city.

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San Diego City Attorney - Heather Ferbert - http://www.heatherferbert.com/
City Attorney for San Diego

I ended my column on this contest by saying I hadn’t made up my mind. My friend Tama (with the Indivisible group Change Begins with Me) actually interviewed Ferbert and came away saying she was the better candidate, so that’s what I’m going with. That’s weak sauce, but it’s all I got.

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California Proposition One - https://treatmentnottents.com/
Is Proposition One A Cure for Homelessness?

• Despite pursuing what San Diego officials are selling as an aggressive approach to housing and services, (let me yell for the people in the back) the fact is that more people are ending up unhoused than are housed each month.

• What we have is a systemic problem caused by decades of bad economic policy, starting back in the Reagan era. If you look at the overall approach (there are plenty of exceptions) of the Biden administration, there is a developing consensus that what trickles down in a market economy is actually piss coming over the walls the wealthy have built to protect themselves.

• Our systemic issues are as much a mindset problem as they are a political/economic problem. The aspirations of “me first” cause us to not understand the positive aspects of collective action. We the People should be the foundation upon which we build on in the 21st century.

• Personally, I’ll be voting For Proposition 1, not because it’s a miracle cure, but because it falls into the something is better than nothing category. The weaknesses I’ve highlighted should not be cause for inaction; look at voting for the measure as a first step toward next time we’ll do better.

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Contests I Didn’t Write Up But Have Opinions On

I did some research on Judicial office contests, but think that the UT Tribune interviews with the candidates for contested seats were enough to sway me.

Judge #41 - Jodi Cleesattle - https://www.jodiforjudge.com/
Meet Jodi Cleesattle, candidate for San Diego County Superior Court judge, Seat 41

Judge #43 - Koyrn Sheppard - https://www.sheppard4judge.com/
Meet Koryn Sheppard, candidate for San Diego Superior Court judge, Office 43

Measure A - Yes

Measure A would allow the Office of the City Auditor and the city's Audit Committee to hire independent lawyers who are not part of the City Attorney's Office.

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Food for Thought

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Gavin Newsom faces another recall threat in California by Chris Cadelago at Politico California

• Nathan Click, a spokesperson for Newsom, suggested the governor and his team aren’t brushing off the challenge.

• “We are taking it seriously,” Click said. “These Trump Republicans are targeting Gov. Newsom because he is out there defending democracy and fighting for the reelection of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. He’s not going to be distracted from that fight. Democracy’s on the ballot, and he’s going to keep fighting.”

• A recall that qualifies for the ballot would be another headache for Newsom, but the campaign as it stands in the early stages could prove to be a blessing: It gives Newsom a conservative boogeyman to fundraise against. In 2021 and 2022, he used the recall to build one of the biggest digital fundraising operations in Democratic politics.

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Russia’s 2024 election interference has already begun by Dan De Luce and Kevin Collier at NBC News

• U.S. officials and experts are most concerned that Russia could try to interfere in the election through a “deepfake” audio or video using artificial intelligence tools or through a “hack and leak,” such as the politically damaging theft of internal Democratic Party emails by Russian military intelligence operatives in 2016. 

• The type of pro-Russia online propaganda campaigns that thrived on Twitter and Facebook ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election is now routine on every major social media platform, though it’s rare for individual accounts to go as viral now as they once did.

• Those influence operations often create matching accounts on multiple sites, which vary drastically in their moderation policies. Accounts from one pro-Russia campaign that Meta, the owner of Facebook, cracked down on late last year, an English-language news influencer persona called “People Say,” are still live on other platforms, though some are dormant. 

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The New "Over the Top" Secret Plan on How Fascists Could Win in 2024 by Thom Hartmann at Daily Kos

• First, Republicans need to make sure they’re in control of the House of Representatives on January 6th, 2024, when the new president will be certified.

• To do that, even though Democrats might have won enough seats to take back the House in the 2024 election, Speaker Johnson will refuse to swear into Congress on January 3rd a handful of those Democrats, claiming there are “irregularities” in their elections that must be first investigated.

• Consider that Johnson is still refusing to swear in Tom Suozzi (who recently won George Santos’ old seat), something Johnson apparently did to maintain enough Republican-majority votes to impeach Alejandro Mayorakas. (Johnson says they’ll swear him in this coming Thursday, but nobody’s holding their breath.)