Will Uber’s $250,000 Politically Sanitize Assembly District 80?
The special election in Assembly District 80, which covers San Diego County’s southern coastal area, is a critical race. Residents in that area are more economically, environmentally, and educationally challenged. They deserve representation that speaks to their needs, not the needs of people who think they know better.
They’ve had that kind of advocacy since 2013 with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. Faced with the prospect of term limits and no viable political path forward, she stepped down this year to take the reins of the California Labor Council. Replacing her in AD 80 will be a tough job.
On the other hand, Gonzalez is going to a place where she’s needed and can continue to have an impact on public policy. From the Los Angeles Times:
In an era when political power is as much about personality and presence as it is about actual wrangling of votes and allegiances, Gonzalez delivers much-needed charisma. In recent years, the visibility of organized labor largely has come from individual unions — Hollywood crews fighting for contracts, nurses demanding healthcare for all, fast food workers striking for higher pay, and most recently, Starbucks baristas organizing.
Though California has a storied history of turning out labor icons (Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong among its most famous), labor in California has long lacked a visible leader, the kind who’ll take on an Elon Musk or even Newsom, and do it with a vivacious, pugnacious appeal.
While in the Assembly Gonzalez didn’t have to worry about her re-election prospects; the district is heavily Democratic, working class, and Latino, and she made their expressed needs hers, both in Sacramento and locally.
This kind of job security enabled her to push –and push hard– on bills other legislators might shy away from. The army of internet trolls (paid for by big business opponents to paid sick leave, higher minimum wages, and protection against wage theft) could do little more than curse her. And she was willing to cuss right back and aim higher on occasion.
Two candidates, both Democrats with a record of progressively oriented representation on the San Diego City Council, are vying to replace Gonzalez. On paper this special election could be about which candidate voters have connected with in the past or some other subjective measure.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out that way, at least when it comes to who’s backing who financially.
David Alvarez served on the City Council for eight years starting in 2010. During that time he served as Chair of the Natural Resources & Culture Committee, Vice Chair of the Land Use & Housing Committee, and was a member of the Budget & Finance and Rules & Economic Development Committees. Additionally, he served on the San Diego Regional County Airport Authority, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Board, SANDAG Borders Committee, Otay Valley Regional Park Policy Committee, Bayshore Bikeway Working Group, and the San Diego Consortium Policy Board.
In the wake of Bob Filner’s collapse, he was nominated by the Democratic party to run for mayor in the 2013-2014 special election, losing to Republican Kevin Faulconer.
In January 2017, Alvarez announced his intention to run for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors representing District 1 in the 2020 election. He ultimately didn’t run as a political consensus emerged among Democrats favoring Nora Vargas.
In 2018. Alvarez ran for the San Diego Community College District Board for reasons that were unclear, to me at least. He barely campaigned and was defeated by Sean Elo.
Although Alvarez has a history of support among the city’s progressives, in this election a bunch of distinctly non-progressive people and corporations are rooting for him. Maximum donors to his campaign committee are almost all in real estate and development, along with the CA Independent Petroleum Association, Ford Motor Corporation, and General Motors.
Of more concern is the PAC formed to support Alvarez and oppose his opponent, “Keeping Californians Working, A Coalition of Educators, Insurance Agents, Technology, Energy, and Health Care Providers.” Big donors include Uber ($250,000), Chevron ($10,000), Pharma ($250,000, Southern California Edison ($250,000), and Farmers Insurance ($250,000).
PACs are supposedly independent of candidate’s campaigns. I hope so, because the trashy mailers coming from this group aren’t doing the candidate any favors. More to the point, PAC support is premised on a political calculation that their interests will see support in the legislature.
Ugh. $250,000 from Uber? And it’s not like any of the rest of those characters are likely to have the best interests of D80 residents at heart.
Sadly, the Union-Tribune editorial board interview with Alvarez confirms what I’d call a rightward shift in his political views. In speaking about homelessness, he echoes some of the extreme rhetoric used by the lock-em-up crowd. And he accuses his opponent of calling for “defunding the police,” which she hasn’t done, and is a line of attack being used by right wingers in general.
Georgette Gomez served on the city council from 2016 to 2020, serving as president for her last two years. In this role, she automatically gained a seat on the board of directors of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). She also served as the chairwoman of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.
Under Gómez, the San Diego Community Power agency (as an alternative to SDG&E) was created as a strategy toward achieving half the emissions reductions in the San Diego Climate Action Plan.
Two things that alienated some supporters during her tenure were the decision to place a convention center ballot measure in a non-general election ballot (hoping smaller turn out who enable it) and the decision to step down to run for the retiring Rep. Susan Davis’ seat.
Gomez didn’t make it to the House of Representatives, since Sara Jacobs won in the general election.
In the race for the Assembly District 80 seat, Gomez is backed by an all-star group of labor unions, Democratic party officials, and environmental groups. She basically won the trifecta for progressives running for office.
Here’s her interview with the Union-Tribune editorial board. Here’s my story about the trashy mailers.
Most importantly, and the reason Uber kicked a quarter million dollars for the anti-Gomez PAC, is that she’s been endorsed by Lorena Gonzales.
For More Information:
David Alvarez for Assembly (Democrat)
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Georgette Gomez for Assembly (Democrat)
Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Lincoln Pickard (Republican)
Website | Facebook | Twitter
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Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com