AD-45: Cedillo and De Leon Plan To Swap Seats

de León	Cedillo

While I was busy with the first day of classes there were some huge announcements made in local (north east Los Angeles) Democratic politics: Assemblymember Kevin de León and State Senator Gill Cedillo are planning to swap legislative seats.

Cedillo, who is termed out in the Senate, had planned to run for a third and final term in the 46th Assembly District seat, which he previously represented for two terms and change.

But that plan was foiled when the current holder of the 46th District -- Assembly Speaker-Elect John A. Pérez-- opted to take the leadership role instead of vacating his Assembly seat for a Senate run.

Cedillo initially pledged to challenge Pérez, but a decision by Assemblyman Kevin de León, who also sought the speaker post, to run for Cedillo's Senate seat created an open Assembly seat for Cedillo to seek.

Pérez said in a statement that he will make a victory for his lifelong friend a priority.

"Gilbert cares deeply about the concerns facing all working men and women, Latinos, and the broader community," he said in a statement. "We need legislators like Gilbert with the experience and community ties to build consensus as we address our state's ongoing economic crisis."

De León announced that he would run for Cedillo's State Senate 22nd District seat on Thursday the 14th while Cedillo announced for De León's Assembly seat (which happens to be in MadProfessah's district, the 45th.

I'm not a big fan of this move. Why should the 45th District be a way station for Gil Cedillo between his next elected position? I totally understand why Kevin De León would run for the open Senate Seat in the 22nd District even though he could have served the 45th for one more 2-year term. The point is that even if Cedillo wins the 45th District sear, he is immediately a lame duck because he is termed out in 2012.

The real question that needs to be answered is will any progressive Democrat in the 45th District decide to raise their voice to object to this shotgun wedding between three unlikely bedfellows: Cedillo, De León and Pérez.

I'm pretty sure that Speaker Pérez is the real mastermind behind this seat-swap which seems like a win-win-win: gets Cedillo out of Pérez's 46th Assembly District, promotes a rising Latino political star (and Pérez's unsuccessful rival for the Assembly speakership) to the upper legislative house, and solidifies Pérez's hold over two Assembly seats (the 45th and the 46th).

Celebrity Friday: Luis Lopez, Latino LGBT candidate for AD-45

Luis Lopez is an openly gay, Latino candidate for the 45th
 Assembly District, which is located in Los Angeles

Luis Lopez, a friend of mine, is running for a state Assembly seat in California (he would actually represent the 45th Assembly district in which my house and work is located).

Recently, Luis won the endorsement of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the national organization devoted to promote the election of openly LGBT candidates.

Also, this week The Advocate ran an article called "The Other Gay Contenders" which includes Luis:

Sacramento politics are not for the faint-hearted, but Luis Lopez just may have the chops to effectively take on such an unwieldy beast. Running next year to represent California’s 45th state assembly district, Lopez currently serves as a planning commissioner for the funky, diverse L.A. neighborhood of Silver Lake, where he lives with his partner. Lopez, 38, is also part of a parks oversight committee for his city, co-chaired his neighborhood council, and started a Latino LGBT political action committee (his full-time job is as a communications director for a health center).

Aside from that impressive resume, Lopez has some powerful friends who will help him when he faces a primary in June. Jackie Goldberg, a lesbian who represented the Democrat-friendly 45th district from 2000 to 2006, is supporting Lopez in his race, and Lopez’s good friend, John Perez, the out California Assembly speaker, will likely endorse him as well. It’s not yet clear who Lopez will face off against as the current assemblyman, Gilbert Cedillo, is termed-out next year and possible candidates are still coming forward.

“We need to look at leaders who’ve earned the respect of their peers,” Lopez says. ”People who are respected can move an agenda along—there were many times when my colleagues on a given board haven’t agreed with me, but we were still able to make decisions.”

Protecting labor is paramount to Lopez, who grew up in East Los Angeles and started working not long after his mother passed away when he was eight. Voters in his district, which stretches from Hollywood to Chinatown to East L.A. and includes thousands of diverse gay people, are inline with his platform, he says.

I strongly encourage all MadProfessah.com readers, especially if you live in the 45th Assembly District to support Luis Lopez.

CA-45: Pougnet Shows Strength Against Incumbent Bono

Openly gay Palm Spring Mayor Steve Pougnet is the Democratic candidate in the 45th Congressional District running to dismiss U.S. Representative Mary Bono Mack. In a tough year for Democrats Pougnet is showing his strength in the race by matching the incumbent in fundraising dollar for dollar in the 2nd quarter:

Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet today announced that his campaign for Congress raised over $400,000 for the second quarter reporting period. Pougnet has raised over $1.2 million since entering the race, more than any challenger to Congresswoman Bono Mack has ever faced.

“I am incredibly humbled by the support we have received. In these very difficult times, our Congresswoman has been absent and it’s clear people are hungry for change,” Mayor Pougnet said.

“I am committed to fighting every day to create jobs here at home, fix the mess in Washington and end wasteful spending so we can balance the budget. Our region face major challenges but Congresswoman Bono Mack has failed to lead. I pledge that I will work tirelessly to address the needs of people here in the unique and special communities that make up the 45th district.”

Pougnet’s 2nd quarter fundraising puts him in the top tier of Congressional candidates across the county. His fundraising success is coupled with an aggressive grass-roots effort throughout the 45th district. Pougnet is actively engaging in grassroots campaign activity all throughout the district. The campaign has been going door to door talking to residents from Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Hemet, Blythe, Mecca, Coachella and throughout the district.

The 45th Congressional District is a bit of a purple district, but it is a good sign that Pougnet is doing so well in the money race.

L.A. WEEKLY endorses ELENA POPP for AD 45

The endorsements keep rolling in! Earlier in the week, La Opinión endorsed Elena Popp for the 45th California Assembly District in which I live. Now comes word of the endorsement by L.A Weekly:

First, a word about Christine Chavez. Chavez, an organizer with United Farm Workers and the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, tells us she is a fighter. And on some level, we suppose she must be. But what could have possessed her to avoid eight candidate debates in her run for the 45th Assembly District? Why would she skip one forum sponsored by KPCC-FM, and another broadcast on KPFK? We can only conclude that Chavez is running a stealth campaign, one that is supremely disrespectful of the voters, that trades shamelessly on her family name. We don’t care how many campaign mailers, paperback books, English-Spanish dictionaries or photos of her grandfather that she sends to the voters if she can’t be bothered to engage her opponents. And it’s hard to believe Chavez will, as she says ad nauseam, pose a vigorous challenge to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger when she can’t even show up to discuss her political views with the editorial board of the L.A. Weekly. As she does her best to avoid answering difficult questions, we can’t help but be reminded by the childhood photograph Chavez placed on her mailer — the one in which she is tethered to her famous grandfather at a famous point in history, yet looking like a timid little girl.

That leaves voters with three substantive choices in the 45th Assembly District, a hive of progressive political activism: renters advocate Elena Popp, political organizer Kevin de León and college teacher Gabriel Buelna. Buelna has been an intriguing candidate, doggedly making his way through the district as he hears constituent complaints about traffic, public safety and other neighborhood-level issues. But his frequent mention of speed bumps, traffic signals and bus routes makes him seem like a better fit for a city council race. De León has an entirely different set of problems. As a seven-year organizer of the California Teachers Association, it’s hard to see how he developed much of a tie to the district, which stretches from Hollywood on the west to El Sereno on the east. De León certainly benefited from an avalanche of money and logistical support pouring in from Sacramento — thanks in part to his childhood friend and political patron, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. But de León has sent few signals that he will be his own man.

The one candidate who offers strong convictions, an extensive record of activism and a degree of independence is Popp, who spent her earliest years in Mexico and speaks fluent Spanish. Popp, who is backed by departing Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, has a keen understanding of the work needed to pass health care legislation, fund public education and protect vulnerable housing units. Popp also has a strong understanding of the district. Our only reservation is whether she is too naive to survive Sacramento. If nothing else, Popp has learned some unpleasant truths during the 2006 campaign, ones we hope she will be able to apply in the Capitol.

In addition to the nice endorsement, the Weekly also has an interesting article on the intricacies of the race by David Zahniser. Go, Elena!!

Mayor Riles LGBT Community with 45th AD Endorsement

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa stepped into the hotly contested 45th California Assembly District race by endorsing Kevin DeLeón, who just happens to be the best friend of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez. By taking this action, the Mayor has decided to endorse in a Democratic primary race with five Latino candidates: DeLeón, housing rights attorney Elena Popp, college instructor Gabriel Buelna, Cesar's granddaughter Christine Chavez and former Republican Oscar Gutierrez. MadProfessah has endorsed Popp. This is not only becaise she is the only openly gay candidate in a race to replace an openly gay elected official, but she is also the most progressive and most highly qualified. The last few paragraphs of Dvaid Zahniser's article in the LA Weekly on the race subtly communicate the point that being the most qualified candidate may not be what gets you an endorsement:

“What you should do is look at our qualifications,” [Popp] said. “And if, at the end of the analysis, you think that I am more qualified, and yet Kevin got the endorsement of his childhood friend and other folks associated with his childhood friend, then what is that, if not a boys’ network?”

Asked whether he had placed friendship over qualifications, Villaraigosa provided a two-word answer: “Absolutely not.”

Nuñez gave a lengthier, yet similar, response: “I certainly respect every other candidate in the race. The 45th always produces good candidates,” he said. “But Kevin, in my view, is the best qualified.”

Mmmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmm. Right.

45th Assembly District Race Gets Media Coverage

The California statewide primary election is five weeks (35 days!) from today, on 06/06/06. Saturday's Los Angeles Times California section had a rather lengthy article on my local state assembly race: the 45th AD seat currently held by termed-out, openly lesbian Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg. The article was entitled "Family Ties May Falter in Fierce Race."

Home to 400,000 people, diverse even by the standards of Los Angeles, the 45th Assembly District has come to exemplify the city. Winning an election here requires a delicate dance across the city's east-west divide, one that appeals to the hipsters of Hollywood, the opulence atop Mt. Washington and the debilitating poverty of East L.A.

[...]

But with the primary less than six weeks away, [Christine] Chavez, 34, who has worked as the California political director of the United Farm Workers for the last eight years, has learned that becoming the first member of her storied family to win state office is not going to be easy. Like her grandfather [Cesar E. Chavez], who saw politicians turn their backs when he walked into the state Capitol, she has not been embraced by California's political establishment.

Goldberg has handpicked Elena Popp as her successor. Popp, 48, an attorney and an activist, has long worked as an advocate for social and economic causes, helping tenants establish cooperatives and helping small businesses get started.

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez has anointed Kevin de Leon, a friend since their youth in Logan Heights, a poor neighborhood of San Diego. De Leon, 39, is a top official with the California Teachers Assn. who has long worked on behalf of public schools, crafting teachers' collective bargaining agreements and lobbying for increased education funding, the construction of new schools and health insurance for children.

[...]

The district stretches across Los Angeles north of the downtown area, from eastern portions of Hollywood through the southern pocket of Silver Lake, then through Echo Park, Chinatown, Boyle Heights, Cypress Park, Monterey Hills and other neighborhoods, stretching east into El Sereno and portions of East L.A.

While getting the basic facts of the race correct (and also mentioning the other minor candidates such as Gabriel Buelna and Oscar A. Gutierrez) the Times piece focussed on Christine Chavez' purported attempt to leverage her activist heritage into a political post without really delving into the key issues central to the race.

Bear with me, gentle readers, and I will try to give you a better sense of the details which the local paper left out. First, I should mention that MadProfessah, like Equality California and The Victory Fund, has endorsed Elena Popp in this race. This is probably because Elena Popp is the only openly gay or lesbian candidate in this legislative race, which is to replace a termed-out member of the California LGBT Legislative Caucus. Currently there are 6 members of this caucus but by 2008 the Caucus could disappear unless new members are elected in 2006 or 2008. The Times article mentions that Popp is the incumbent's choice to be her successor but doesn't mention that Popp is also openly lesbian.

The Times article mentions that the candidate with the most cash on hand, Kevin DeLeon, happens to be "B.F.F. (Best Friends Forever)" with the current Speaker of the Assembly but neglects to mention that until rather late last year he was not even a resident of the assembly district he hopes to represent!

35 days until the primary election.

2014 DUBAI: Venus Wins 45th WTA Title, 2nd in 4 Years

Venus Williams, 33, won her 45th WTA Tour title, in Dubai, by defeating Alize Cornet 6-3 6-0. The title was Venus' first since Luxembourg in October 2012, and only her second since winning two consecutive titles in Dubai and Acapulco in February 2010.

Venus looked very sharp against Cornet, taking advantage of an unexpected opportunity that arose when the Frenchwoman surprisingly upset her sister Serena in the semifinals.

AD-45: Assembly District CDP Elections Sun 1/9 10am-12pm

Last year, I was elected a California Democratic Party delegate for the 45th Assembly District. I have decided not to run for election this year, but I endorse the people on this list.

WHAT: 45th Assembly District elections for CDP delegates (only registered Democrats can vote)
WHERE: El Arco Iris restaurant (5684 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90042)
WHEN: 10am-12pm, Sunday January 9, 2011
WHY: To select representatives to the California Democratic Party state convention

Please vote!

2016 ELECTION: Trump 279, Clinton 228. AZ(11),MI(16),NH(4) Uncalled

Donald Trump was elected 45th President of the United States  last night this morning when Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were called for the GOP candidate, eliminating Hillary Clinton's path to 270 electoral votes, as Trump surpassed that threshold.. Like in 2000, the Democratic candidate will win the popular vote, but lose in the electoral college. The 27 electoral votes of Arizona (11) and Michigan (16), New Hampshire (4) are still close to call but Trump is leading there. He also won a rare electoral college vote in the North East by wining Maine's 2nd congressional district.

8 Weeks Until Election Day: Clinton 0.682, Trump 0.318

It's that time again! 56 days from today (8 weeks) we will learn who will be the 45th President of the United Status as Americans in every state go to the polls on November 8. My current employment status as a federal employee does not allow me to comment publicly on partisan races but it doesn't preclude me from sharing information. I did this last time in the Obama-Romney election as well, but I started much earlier and used the Talking Points Memo Electoral College Scoreboard.

Periodically for the next eight weeks I will post election forecasts, probably from Nate Silver's fivethirtyeight.com. Instead of posting estimated electoral vote tallies, Five Thirty Eight comes up with a probability (i.e. a number between 0 and 1) of who will win the presidential race if it were held right now. That is the information I will post regularly here. Enjoy the next 8 weeks!

AD-50: Lara Is Apparent Frontrunner

Ricardo Lara is an openly gay, Latino candidate for California's 50th Assembly District. The 50th Assembly District is in Los Angeles and contains the entire cities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Commerce, Cudahy, Lynwood, South Gate, and Walnut Park. Lara is the District Director for the only openly gay Latino Assemblymember in California history, John Perez who represents the 46th Assembly District. Lara is supported by HONORPAC, the LGBT Latino political action committee in the June 8, 2010 Democratic primary.

UPDATE 09/09/09 17:06 (CORRECTION): Lara is the Communications Director for Assemblymember Kevin DeLeon, in the 45th District, not District Director for Assemblymember Perez in the 46th.

This is interesting, because in 2006 Lara initially ran against his future boss in the 46th District but was convinced to step aide and clear the field for Antonio Villaraigosa's cousin (Perez). However, now that the 50th District seat (currently held by Hector de la Torre) will be an open seat in 2010 the two former rivals appear to have joined forces to double the Latino LGBT representation in the California Assembly.

According to HONRPAC, Lara apparently has raised over $100,000, the most money of the three Democrats declared to be running for the seat, with Carmen Avalos, [UPDATE 09/11/09 18:06 (CORRECTION)] (a de la Torre staffer) (City Clerk of South Gate and Chair of the Cerritos Community College Board of Trustees) his most formidable rival. The other Democrat Art Chacon, is a member of the Central Basin Municipal Water District. FPPC records show Lara with about $70,000 on hand.

MadProfessah will be keeping track of this race very carefully. It's very important that openly LGBT members be elected to replace retiring members of the California LGBT Legislative Caucus, especially people of color which reflects the diversity of California.

2015 FRENCH OPEN: Men's Quarterfinals Preview

Here are my predictions for the 2015 men's quarterfinals at the French Open. Last year I correctly predicted 2 of 4 women's quarterfinals and correctly predicted 2 of 4 men's quarterfinals. I will try to predict the women's quarterfinals in a separate post.

Novak Djokovic [1] vs Rafael Nadal [6]. This paragraph was eaten by blogger somehow after I published it. Basically, what I said was that Djokovic is having one of his best seasons on clay and Nadal is having one of his worst Mad Professah's pick: Djokovic.

Andy Murray [3] vs David Ferrer [7]. Andy Murray has been considered a relatively strong clay-court player but until this year he had never won a title on that surface. Then he got married April 19 and since then he has won two tournaments (Hamburg and Madrid Masters) and is on a 14-match winning streak. He faces the 2013 French Open finalist David Ferrer whom he has never beaten on clay (in 4 tries) although he has a 9-6 overall career head-to-head lead against the indefatigable Spaniard. Then again Murray had never beaten Nadal until two weeks ago either. It's clear that the married Murray is not the same player as the single Murray and I believe that will be reflected in the result here to allow the Brit to reach his 3rd career semifinal at Roland Garros. Despite the fact that Ferrer is considered the more successful clay court player overall, the argument can be made that he hasn't faced this Murray. Mad Professah's pick: Murray.

Kei Nishikori [5] vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [14] Tomas Berdych [3] . For some reason these two players have managed to play five times on tour without ever meeting on clay. Nishikori has won four of those meetings, with the most recent coming in 2012, well before the Japanese wunderkind became the Top 5 staple he is today. But then again Tsonga is a former Top 5 player himself and is coming off one of his biggest wins of his career with his defeat of #4 seed Tomas Berdych the round before. Nishikori is probably the better clay-court player but Tsonga has the home court advantage here as well as the fact that he is the underdog. I believe the 30-year-old Frenchman will try to use both of these to pull out a victory and reach his second semifinal at Roland Garros. But I would not be surprised if Nishikori wins this match either. Clay is supposed to reward the better athlete and this case I think that is Tsonga, despite Nishikori's superior foot speed. Mad Professah's pick: Tsonga.

Roger Federer [2] vs Stan Wawrinka [8].  This will be a tougher match then it looks on paper. Despite Federer having a 16-2 head-to-head advantage over his countryman and frenemy, Stan Wawrinka's two wins have come on clay and the 2014 Australian Open champion has generally been competing better against his compatriot since he ascended to the upper echelons of men's tennis. However, he had a setback in the Rome semifinals just a few weeks ago where he succumbed meekly. I definitely do not expect that to happen here. That being said I still expect (and want) Federer to get through his 45th quarterfinal and reach his 37th major semifinal. Mad Professah's pick: Federer.

MadProfessah Endorsements: June 8, 2010 Primary

Finally, the moment you have been waiting for! Here are MadProfessah's positions on how I will be voting in the June 8 Statewide Primary Election, compared with endorsements from other organizations like the Los Angeles Times, Calitics.com, CA Democratic Party, Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Stonewall Democratic Club (LGBT group) and Courage Campaign's Progressive Voter Guide (pdf).

Proposition Number (Topic)        MadProfessah  LA TIMES  CALITICS CA DEMS
13 (Seismic Retrofit Assessment)        YES          YES        YES      YES
14 (Top 2 "Open" Primary Amendment)     NO           YES        NO       NO
15 (CA Fair Elections Act)              YES          YES        YES      YES
16 (PG&E Utility Monopoly Protection)   NO           NO         NO       NO
17 (Mercury Insurance Premium Change)   NO           NO         NO       NO

Statewide Constitutional Officers   MadProfessah  LA TIMES  STONEWALL   CA DEMS
Governor                               Brown         None        Brown       Brown
Lieutenant Governor                    Newsom        Newsom      Hahn        None
Attorney General                       Harris        Harris      Lieu        None
Secretary of State                     Bowen*         None        Bowen*      Bowen*
Treasurer                              Chiang*        None        Chiang*     Chiang*
Controller                             Lockyer*       None        Lockyer*    Lockyer*
Insurance Commissioner                 Jones         Jones       De La Torre Jones
Superintendent of Public Instruction   Romero        Aceves      Torlakson   None

Statewide Legislative Races

AD-43. MadProfessah, LA CDP, Stonewall Dems and Los Angeles Daily News have all endorsed Mike Gatto.
AD-44. The incumbent here is Anthony Portantino* and has been endorsed by Los Angeles Democrats and Stonewall Democrats but NOT MadProfessah.
AD-45. MadProfessah lives and votes in the 45th Assembly District but can not, in good conscience, endorse State Senator Gil Cedillo's cynical attempt to hold on to elected office for two more years by switching seats with current Assemblymember Kevin De Leon. Especially after he ran an unnecessary (and losing) campaign against Judy Chu in the 32nd Congressional District Special Election last year.
AD-46. Openly gay speaker of the Assembly John Perez* is the incumbent here and is endorsed by MadProfessah.
AD-47. One of the toughest primary fights this summer is between Holly Mitchell and Reggie Jones-Sawyer. MadProfessah, Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass (current officeholder), CA Democratic Party and LA County Dems have all endorsed Holly Mitchell, while Stonewall Dems have endorsed Reggie Jones-Sawyer.
AD-48. The incumbent here is Mike Davis*, who was outed recently by a friend at a recent Stonewall Democratic Club meeting but who has not been endorsed by that club or MadProfessah.
AD-49. The incumbent is Mike Eng*, husband of strong LGBT ally Congressmember Judy Chu, and is endorsed by MadProfessah, Stonewall Dems and Los Angeles County Dems.
AD-50. Openly gay Ricardo Lara is trying to become the second openly LGBT person of color elected to the California Legislature.
AD-51. Strong ally of LGBT rights Steve Bradford* is the incumbent here and is endorsed by MadProfessah, Equality California, Los Angeles Dems and Stonewall Dems.
AD-52. The incumbent here is Isadore Hall* who has NOT been endorsed by MadProfesah, but who has been endorsed by LA County Dems and Stonewall Dems.
AD-53. MadProfessah has endorsed openly gay, African-American Mitch Ward. Equality California and Stonewall Dems have endorsed Betsy Butler. Honor Pac (LGBT Latino group) has endorsed Kate Anderson.

Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County Assessor. MadProfessah endorses openly gay John Noguez. The Los Angeles Times has endorsed John Y. Wong.

Measure E. MadProfessah endorses a Yes position on this County measure to benefit Los Angeles Unified School District. It is a $100 increase per parcel which LAUSD says will go to save the jobs of teachers. The Los Angeles Times urges a NO vote, while the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and Stonewall Democrats urge a YES vote.

Superior Court Judges.
I know it is really hard to make an informed choice about the Los Angeles County Superior Court judge races, so I always try and include what people who follow these races are saying about them. The Los Angeles County Bar Association has a page where they rate, but do not endorse, judicial candidates.

               LA DEMS          STONEWALL LA TIMES         MadProfessah  
Office 28:    Mark  K. Ameli      Ameli      Randy Hammock     Ameli
Office 35:    Soussan Bruguera*   Bruguera   Bruguera          Bruguera
Office 73:    None                None       Matz              Matz
Office 107:   Valerie Salkin      Salkin     Tony de los Reyes Salkin
Office 117:   Alan Schneider      Schneider  Schneider         Schneider
Office 131:   Maren E. Nelson*    Nelson     Nelson            Nelson

If you don't vote by mail (like I and the Other Half do) then please make sure to get out and vote next Tuesday.

Will California's Next Assembly Speaker Be Gay?

Freshman Assemblymember John Pérez is emerging as a leading candidate to replace Speaker of the California Assembly Karen Bass. In fact, Calitics is claiming it's all over but the wailing and the gnashing of teeth.

Perez entered the race after a number of his Assembly colleagues mounted an effort to draft him as a speakership candidate. Capitol sources said if Perez is able to secure a majority of his caucus, the vote on a new speaker could come by next week, when the Assembly reconvenes to vote on education legislation.

One of those involved in the Draft Perez movement was Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. Huffman told Capitol Weekly Tuesday, "I believe John now has the votes. I think it's over."

[...]

Perez did not appear to have a majority of his caucus's support Tuesday, but momentum for his bid was clearly growing. Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, another candidate for the job, has told members he has support from 22 members of his caucus -- four shy of the 26 Democrats informally needed to secure the job.

Neither Perez nor De Leon's office immediately returned calls seeking comment.

Pérez is well-known around these parts as the first (and only) openly LGBT person of color to
be elected to the California Legislature. Although, if HONOR PAC has its way, he will not be the last. Openly gay (Latino) Ricardo Lara is a leading candidate in the 50th Assembly District and opely gay (African American) Mitch Ward is a leading candidate for the 53rd Assembly District.

Pérez's main challenger for the Speaker job, Kevin de León is my local Assemblyperson, and I am an elected Delegate to the California Democratic Central Committee from the 45th Assembly District.

That being said, I would still love to have an openly gay Speaker of the Assembly.

CA-32: API LGBT Support Judy Chu for Congress

Assemblymember John A. Pérez (46th District) and
Board of Equalization member Judy Chu
MadProfessah with Judy Chu

Curtis Chin, Judy Chu and Jeff Kim

A fundraiser primarily hosted by members of the Asian-American and Pacfic Islander LGBT community in Los Angeles was held for Judy Chu's run for the 32nd Congressional District seat vacated by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. The event was hosted (and primarily organized) by Jeff Kim and Curtis Chin at their downtown loft. It was attended by the first openly gay person of color elected to the California Legislature, John A. Pérez who represents the 46th Assembly District.

MadProfessah was a co-host of the event and has endorsed Judy Chu's run for the seat. She is primarily running against State Senator Gil Cedillo who does not represent any portion of the 32nd Congressional District.

At the event, Judy Chu gave a number of reasons why she expects to win the race, the first was Experience. Since she has been representing different portions of the 32nd district for 23 years, having been elected 9 different times in School Board, City Council, Assembly and state Board of Equalization races. The second reason was money. She said that her goal was to raise $750, 000 and has so far raised $425, 000 and Governor Schwarzenegger has until Tuesday to announce when the Special Election will occur (which is likely to coincide with the statewide special election already set for May 19th). The third was endorsements. She has been endorsed by all three assemblymembers who represent the 32nd Congressional District (her husband)Mike Eng (49th AD), Kevin de Leon (45th AD where MadProfessah lives) and Ed Hernandez (57th AD). In fact she has been endorsed by 75 elected officials who represent portions of the 32nd CD while Cedillo has only 10. In addition, Chu has been endorsed by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which has identified 40, 000 union households in the district. In a 15% turnout election, it probably takes less than 20, 000 votes to win the Democratic primary, which is tantamount to winning the election in such a Democratic-leaning CD.

Judy Chu has been a longtime supporter of LGBT and progressive causes and is exactly what DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga means when he says that we need to elect BETTER Democrats and not just MORE Democrats.

If you are interested in supporting Judy Chu for Congress check out her website at judychu.net.

SD-24: Romero Endorses Garcia As Her Successor

Some news was made at the 45th Assembly District elections on Sunday January 11th where MadProfessah was elected to the California Democratic State Central Committee. State Senator Gloria Romero who last week announced that she would not run for Hilda Solis' soon-to-be-vacant seat in the 31st Congressional district was present at Arco Iris Restaurant in Highland Park and while there she endorsed current LA Unified School District Board President Monica Garcia as her immediate successor to the 24th State Senate district. This must have been something of a surprise to Assemblymember Kevin De León, whose chief of staff was in the room and running the DSCC elections. De León is termed out in 2012, but surely he was hoping to be promoted to the upper chamber and would have considered running for the 24th District seat in 2010.

Since I live in both AD-45 and SD-24 as well as Garcia's Los Angeles school district (#2) I will be keeping close tabs on this race.

Monica Garcia has a lesbian sister and was very outspoken in her opposition to Proposition 8. I know that she is very close to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and has been seen as his strongest surrogate on the school board. De León is also a favorite of the Mayor's, and is often described as "the BFF" of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez.

Saturday Politics: Lopez Does The Math In AD-51

The official results in my local Assembly District primary election from Tuesday June 4th have been released and Jimmie Gomez placed first with 9,868 votes (37.5%) and my friend (and openly gay Latino activist) Luis Lopez placed second with 6,496 votes (24.7%). Arturo Chavez was close behind with 6,081 votes (23.1%). The new Top 2 primary in California forces only the Top 2 finishers in the June primary election to appear on the November general election, regardless of party and prohibits write-ins. This was a very close, tightly fought all-Democratic primary fight.

This leads to some important mathematical calculations in the general election which are very different from the mathematical considerations which dominated the primary election. In the primary election, the clear goal was to not only maximize your own vote but also to minimize the vote of your most dangerous opponent, which could be achieved by the same activity, or by having votes that do not go to you NOT go to your opponent. In the general election, every vote not for you is a vote for your opponent, it is a zero-sum game.

In AD-51, the candidate endorsed by the "establishment" is Gomez, who received the official nod of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. However, Lopez was born in the district and has been active in the district's politics for decades, serving on commissions and President of a Neighborhood Council that was in the district when it was the 45th Assembly District.

Clearly Hans Johnson, Lopez's campaign manager (and partner) is capable of doing the math, because he and campaign manager Miguel Cordova sees a route to victory in November by coalescing the 62.5% that did not vote for Gomez in the primary into general election support for Lopez. To that end, the recent announcement that Chavez is endorsing Lopez and strongly urging his voters to support him is key:

Our 51st District is my home. Here is where I have grown up, devoted my career in public service, and raised my family. These are very special neighborhoods, sustained by the hard work and aspirations of people who come from different backgrounds but share a love of our community.

Now, at a crucial moment in our city and our state, we need the best possible leadership in Sacramento. I am proud to endorse Luis Lopez to be our assembly member. Luis is a homegrown leader of the highest standards, a unifying and effective advocate from and for our communities, for healthcare, education, good jobs and workforce training, for parks and protection of our environment, for immigrant families and full equality under law.   

My own push for the legislature formally ends today. But the vision, vigor, and spirit of my effort carry on in the campaign of Luis Lopez. Together we stand, and together we go forward. I urge all of my supporters to devote their energy and financial support, their heart and soul and voice to his campaign. Working as one, we will ensure that Luis Lopez wins November 6th and is our next Assemblymember.

Of course, it's easier said than done to make sure that all of Chavez's support actually does turn out and vote for Lopez. Even if they did, that would only constitute 47.8% of the primary vote. So, then the question is, where are Richard Frieberg's voters going to go?

If Lopez does win in November, he could be part of the largest LGBT Legislative Caucus in history, with potentially NINE openly LGBT members of the California Assembly and Senate.

California and Maryland both currently have eight openly LGBT state legislators. While this is Christine Kehoe’s last year in the California State Senate due to term limits, the election of Susan Eggman (State Assembly, District 13) and Luis Lopez (State Assembly, District 51) in November would make California’s LGBT Caucus the largest ever. 

Also victorious in their California state legislative primaries last night were incumbents Tom Ammiano (State Assembly, District 17), Toni Atkins (State Assembly, District 78), Richard Gordon (State Assembly, District 24),Ricardo Lara (State Senate, District 33), Mark Leno (State Senate, District 11), John A. Pérez (State Assembly, District 53), and Cathleen Galgiani (pictured), who is currently in the State Assembly and running for State Senate, District 5.

One openly LGBT candidate who will not be joining the California Assembly is Torie Osborn, who placed a very close third in a hotly contested and controversial race in the 50th Assembly District which split the gay male and lesbian communities down the middle. The gay men were in general supporting straight ally  Assemblymember Betsy Butler (and Equality California  board member) while the lesbians were working for openly lesbian Osborn. The 51st assmebly district includes much of  "Boystown" (a.k.a. West Hollywood) as well as the People's Republic of Santa Monica ("Home of the Homeless!") as well as parts of Bel Air. There were four main candidates and " Let's do the results ended up with barely 1,000 votes separating the 1st finisher from the 4th finisher (Butler: 15,362; Mayor of Santa Monica Richard Bloom: 15,087; Osborn: 14,458; Republican Brady Torgan: 14,340). In fact, they are still counting the cotes, but it is unlikely that the Top 2 finishers will change. Note that the turnout in the 50th was almost twice what it was in the 51st. Openly gay Speaker of the Assembly John Perez poured money into this race to get Butler re-elected. She had decided to move into this district instead of staying in the district where her previous residence was (in the former AD-53, before redistricting) but that new district has far more Republicans than the new AD-50. Even, so, Butler may have a tough campaign ahead of her to overcome Bloom in November.

John A. Pérez To Be First Openly Gay Speaker in US History

After a few nerve-wracking days, it's now official. Karen Ocamb has the full details of the unanimous vote in the Democratic caucus for John A. Pérez to become the next Speaker of the California Assembly, the first openly gay person to hold such a position in the United States.

Pérez released a statement where he said

“I want to thank the Members of the Assembly Democratic Caucus for the faith they have placed in me. It is a humbling privilege. I will work every day to justify that faith and to earn the enormous honor of having been drafted to serve as Speaker. The other candidates for Speaker, especially Assemblymember Kevin de León, have all shown great leadership for the Assembly and for this state and they have my great respect. As Speaker, I will look forward to working with a united Democratic caucus as we continue tackling our number one priority—helping the state recover from the recession and helping the California families who have been hit so hard by it.”

And the man he vanquished for the job, my local Assemblymember in the 45th District, Kevin de León, said:

“Today, I was proud to stand and nominate my friend and colleague John Pérez to serve as Speaker of the California Assembly. I did so deeply thankful for the strong support and encouragement I have received from members of our caucus, and also mindful of the example of one of the great inspirations of my life and many others–Rosa Parks. Mrs. Parks showed us you didn’t have to have a particular office or title to effect great change. I am proud to be a member of the California State Assembly and I will continue working hard, with my colleagues and with Speaker Pérez, to bring about real change for the people of my district and all the people of California.”

The responses are coming in in droves. Human Rights Campaign:

“We congratulate the selection of Assemblyman Pérez as the new Speaker of the House for the great state of California,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “John’s selection is a testament to his strong leadership after just joining the Assembly in the 2008 election. He is a role model for young people in his Los Angeles district and now for his state and country as the first openly-gay man to hold the Assembly’s top spot. We look forward to working with him as California continues to be an important state in our national fight for equality.”

Equality California:

"Equality California congratulates Assemblymember Pérez on gaining the support of the Democratic Caucus to become Speaker of the Assembly, a truly historic opportunity for our state," said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors. He will be an outstanding steward for California as Speaker, ably guiding our state through the many challenges that lie ahead. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Assemblymember Pérez whose steadfast commitment to justice has resulted in significant gains not only for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community members but for all Californians," Kors said.

Congratulations to my friend, Speaker of the Assembly John A. Pérez!

RI-01: Openly Gay Providence Mayor Announces Bid For Congress

Openly gay mayor of Providence, Rhode Island David Cicciline has announced that he will run for the open seat in Rhode Island First Congressional District being vacated by Patrick Kennedy. If elected, the 48-year-old Cicilline would likely become the 4th openly gay congressperson to serve in the next Congress (and second openly gay man ever to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives). The only other openly gay person running for Congress this year (that I am aware of so far) is the current mayor of Palm Springs Steve Pougnet, who is running against U.S. Represntative Mary Bono Mack in California's 45th Congressional district.

Cicciline has been Providence's mayor since 2002 and was up for re-election this year. The former head of the Rhode Island democratic party Bill Lynch has also announced he will challenge Cicilline for the Democratic nomination, and there will probably be other contestants.

He made is announcement of his official candidacy for Congress on his Facebook page on Saturday:

Today, I am announcing my candidacy for the United States Congress in the First District of the State of Rhode Island.

I’m running for Congress because Washington has lost sight of what is really happening to the hard-working middle class in the cities and towns in America. There’s a dangerous disconnect between what Washington thinks will help the American people out of this miserable economic decline and what will really make a difference in their lives right now. I see the cost and the reality of that disconnect every single day.

Rhode Island has been hit as hard as any place in America by this recession. Unemployment here is nearly the worst in the country. And no matter what the hopeful stirrings and positive signs they’re seeing in the rest of America, the fact is that Rhode Island is still in the thick of the worst of it. Somehow Washington hasn’t figured out that our Number One priority has to be creating, retaining, and training for jobs of the future.

Rhode Islanders don’t want to hear about billions of federal dollars in bank bailouts. They don’t even want to hear about billions of dollars of stimulus funds tagged for Rhode Island if that money isn’t helping them find jobs and pay for groceries today.

I’m running for Congress to take to Washington what I know about getting hard things done. That’s what mayors do every day—solve difficult problems. We cut costs, resolve complex problems, and look an impossible challenge in the eye and just figure it out. We know how to work across party lines and build coalitions to get things done. I intend to bring these critical skills and perspectives to Washington and represent this state’s urgent need to move beyond our current stagnancy and toward the economic vitality that I am so confident is within our reach.

I am gratified by the outpouring of support from the many people who have urged me to run for Congress. I look forward to presenting my vision for the future of this great country to the citizens of Rhode Island’s First District in the coming months.

Finally, I want to thank Patrick Kennedy for his extraordinary service to our state and the nation. His passionate and courageous leadership has made a lasting difference in the lives of Rhode Islanders.

David N. Cicilline

My internet connection has been sporadic the last few days, so I have not been able to blog as regularly as I would have liked.

L.A. MAYOR 2013: Election Today! Garcetti 48, Greuel 41

Today, besides being my 45th birthday, is also an important day because it is also Election Day for the next Mayor of Los Angeles. Eric Garcetti, 42, and Wendy Greuel, 51, are the two candidates competing in the run-off today. Garcetti, who this blog has endorsed, has been leading in almost every poll published since the March primary, but turnout is expected to be very low in today's general election so the result is still very much in doubt although recent polls also show that among people who have already voted by mail (like yours truly) Garcetti leads 48% to 42%, and 48% to 41% in how people say they intend to vote.

The survey, conducted from Tuesday through Thursday, showed a narrowing of the race since a survey a month earlier by the same researchers gave Garcetti a 10-point lead over Greuel. 

[...] 

They are vying to replace Democratic Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is stepping down after eight years because of term limits. 

The non-partisan campaign has centered on what Greuel and Garcetti agree is a dire financial outlook facing America's second most populous metropolis, and the political clout commanded by the city's public employee unions. 

[...] 

The latest USC Price/LA Times poll indicated Garcetti had built a lead by forging an unusual coalition of liberal and conservative supporters and by winning over voters in the suburban and largely middle-class San Fernando Valley, which had been expected to be Greuel's stronghold.

Garcetti also has a slight lead in money spent, $9.4 million to  $8.9 million but has had more cash on hand in the final stretch than his opponent, but outside groups (mostly unions of city employees) have been breaking records to spend money to support Greuel, who is considered the slightly more conservative candidate.

I think Garcetti is going to take it (and I hope he does) but don't forget about the other races. Openly gay Ron Galperin is running for Los Angeles City Controller (against Dennis Zine) and openly gay David Vela is running for Los Angeles Community College District (Seat #6) against incumbent Nancy Pearlman. Progressive and very strong straight LGBT ally Mike Feuer is running against Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich. As for the three(!) marijuana measures on the ballot, I voted  Yes on Measure D and No on Measure E and No on Measure F.