Saturday Politics: Race For CA-34 U.S. House Seat (Not Yet) Crowded

Cue the musical chairs! Last week California Governor Jerry Brown announced his intention to appoint U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra to replace U.S. Senator-elect Kamala Harris as California Attorney General. Becerra, 58, is currently my congressman, representing California's 34th congressional district; he would become the first Latino attorney general in the history of the state (in 2016!)

Becerra had been a rumored candidate in the race to replace Barbara Boxer that Kamala Harris ultimately won over another Latino candidate, Loretta Sanchez. Within hours of the announcement that a rare safely Democratic Los Angeles-area Congressional seat was open, former Speaker of the House John Perez announced his candidacy for the race. Soon after that, my state Assemblyman, Jimmie Gomez, also announced his intention to run for the seat. Activist Wendy Carillo has also declared she is interested. Surprisingly, my City Council person Jose Huizar has so far declined to enter the race to replace Becerra, as has fellow Councilperson Gil Cedillo. For the special election, you just need to be a resident of California (and a U.S. Citizen and over age 25).

Today comes the surprising news that Perez is withdrawing from the race, citing an unnamed health condition which is serious enough that it will prevent him from running a rigorous race in the 2017 special election, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Citing a recent diagnosis of a serious health problem, former California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez said Saturday he is dropping out of the race to replace U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles).
"I've got to focus on my health right now," Pérez said in an interview. "But it was a very hard decision."
The 47-year-old Democrat declined to offer specifics about his condition, citing a desire to keep it private. But he said it was serious enough that it would keep him from waging a vigorous political campaign in 2017.
"The treatment is one that doesn’t lend itself to the intensity of a campaign that the community deserves," he said.

Almost certainly there will be other prominent (and not so prominent) Los Angeles area politicos joining the race. MadProfessah will keep you posted, since it is literally happening in my back yard!

SATURDAY POLITICS: Speaker Pérez Passes On Joining Huizar-Molina Race

Oh well, it would have made many Los Angeles political junkies salivate, but former Assembly Speaker John Pérez has decided not to join the Jose Huizar-Gloria Molina battle royale for the right to represent District  14 on the Los Angeles City Council.

Last weekend on Saturday Politics we got the news that the long-serving Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina had decided to challenge the incumbent instead of retiring peacefully after more than 3 decades in elective office.

It's doubtful that Pérez, who is in his mid-40s is thinking about retirement either, could he maybe be eyeing the United States Senate seat currently occupied by Barbara Boxer which could conceivably be an open seat in 2016 if the now-73-year-old junior senator decided to call it a career. Surely his cousin Antonio Villaraigosa, 2-term Mayor of Los Angeles, former Speaker of the Assembly and former 14th District Los Angeles City Councilman would have a better claim to Boxer's seat.

In another interesting twist, Huizar apparently asked Pérez for his endorsement for re-election and Pérez declined to do so.

David Zahniser of the Los Angeles Times quotes Pérez as saying:

“He wasn’t able to convince me to endorse him. He didn’t make a persuasive case,” said Pérez, adding: “I’m happy to do another meeting, with any and all of the candidates.” 

Hmmm, could it be conceivable that Pérez could endorse Molina over Huizar? The mind boggles....

Acting Governor Of California Today Is Lesbian Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins

Toni Atkins is the openly lesbian Speaker of the California Assembly. But, today, she will serve as Acting Governor of California for roughly 8 hours, because Governor Jerry Brown and Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Senate Leader Darrel Steinberg all have business outside the state. So, even though she is fourth in line, Atkins will become the first openly gay Governor of California today (for about 8 hours, until Governor Brown returns).

Business Insider reports:

For eight hours today, California will have its first openly gay governor. State Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D) will serve as acting governor until tonight, when Gov. Jerry Brown (D) returns from a trade mission in Mexico. 

Atkins is one of four officials who served as governor this week in California, following Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who left for a Special Olympics event, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D), who departed the state Wednesday morning for Chicago.  

Atkins also served as the first openly lesbian mayor of San Diego in 2005, and as the first openly lesbian Assembly speaker, which is the position she currently holds. She is also the third woman to hold the high post.

Interestingly, the previous Speaker of the Assembly was openly gay John Perez, but he was never lucky enough to become Acting Governor.

Pretty cool, huh?

SATURDAY POLITICS: Pérez Ends Recount Effort, Concedes Defeat To Yee In State Controller Race

One of the closest electoral battles in California history ended Friday when John Pérez ended his bid for a recount and conceded that he had placed 3rd in the June 2014 primary, a mere 481 votes (out of more than 4 million balllots cast)  behind 2nd place finisher Democrat Betty Yee. Pérez continued insistence on a recount was roiling Democratic circles especially since he had failed to pick up many votes and since the Secretary of State had estimated that a full hand recount of all the votes could have taken until early 2015 (2 months after the general election is scheduled to occur!) The Chairman of the California Democratic Party started suggesting the 44-year-old, openly gay former Assembly Speaker was starting to damage his future political prospects.

Pérez sent an email to supporters, saying:

“Today I have made the decision to bring the recount process to an end, and pledge my full support to Betty Yee to be California’s next Controller.   

While I strongly believe that completing this process would result in me advancing to the General Election, it is clear that there are significant deficiencies in the process itself which make continuing the recount problematic. Even in the effort so far, we have found uncounted ballots, but there is simply not enough time to see this process through to the end, given the fact that counties must begin printing ballots in the next few weeks in order to ensure that overseas and military voters can receive their ballots in a timely manner.  

I began this process because every vote deserves to be counted fairly and accurately, and as the recount has made clear, California needs to rethink our approach and incorporate best practices from across the nation. This effort was not about the outcome of a particular election, but the integrity of every election, and the issues brought to the light over the last two weeks need to be addressed in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner. 

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in the Assembly these last six years, and to have led the Assembly at a time when we’ve turned multi-billion dollar deficits into multi-billion dollar reserves, expanded healthcare for more than three million Californians and made college affordable again by enacting the Middle Class Scholarship Act. I am grateful for the support my campaign has received from everyday Californians who have seen the work my colleagues and I have done in the Legislature, and embraced our vision of fiscally responsible and progressive government which expands opportunity for all Californians. We built a tremendous record of accomplishment together, and I look forward to making contributions to build on that record of progress in the future. 

In the immediate term, I will be continuing my service in the Assembly, and working hard to help elect Democrats up and down California.”

Now, Yee will face Republican Ashley Swearingen in November with Democratic pride to keep all of California's constitutional office in blue hands on the line.

SATURDAY POLITICS: Yee (Currently) Leads Pérez BY 659 Votes

Last week's Saturday Politics discussed the insanely close vote count between Democrats Betty Yee and John Pérez for the #2 slot in the California State Controller race. Last week, Pérez had a lead but in the latest update on Friday evening by the Secretary of State, Yee now leads by 659 votes (out of well more than 4 million votes cast in this race) over her Democratic rival, with a total of 876,670 compared to 876,011. The two are basically tied with 21.7% of the vote while a Republican is currently well ahead for the #1 run-off spot with 24.8%.

Regardless of who is declared to be the winner, it is very likely there will be a recount, and also likely that a Democrat will end up winning the general election. (After all, if you add up the Republican-leaning votes in the current tally, it only totals 45.8% of the vote.)

SATURDAY POLITICS: Nailbiter Election Between Yee and Pérez For State Controller Run-Off Slot

John Pérez, former openly gay Speaker of the California Assembly and Betty Yee, current member of the powerful but little-understood State Board of Equalization are in an incredibly tight race for the second slot in the Top 2 general election in November 2014. Pérez and Yee are both Democrats, and each won about 21.7% of the ballots cast in the June 3rd primary election, second behind Republican Ashley Swearingen, the Mayor of Fresno, who earned 24.9% of the more than 4.3 million votes cast in the state controller race. Swearingen was endorsed by the Los Angeles Times while neither Perez nor Yee were able to obtain the 60% threshold required for the state or county Democratic Party endorsement.

Yee and Pérez are currently just a few hundred votes apart with the lead switching multiple times as vote counting has continued since June 3rd. On election night, both Democrats were behind a second Republican, Dave Evans who now has 21.2% (and who spent an astonishing $600 on his campaign). A Republican has not been elected to any statewide constitutional office in the last general election of 2010 and the specter of Democrats being shutout from a slot on the ballot due to the Top 2 primary system shocked many observers. As of 5:44pm on Friday June 13th, Pérez has 852,243 and Yee has 851,921, a lead of 322 votes, or 0.008% of all votes cast. That is basically a tie!

It's likely (but not certain) that whichever Democrat comes second will be favored to win the Controller's race in November as the Party unites to keep its lock on the state constitutional offices in California in the 2014 general election.

SATURDAY POLITICS: Toni Atkins Sworn In As 1st Lesbian Speaker Of CA Assembly

History was made this week as openly gay Speaker of the Assembly John Perez presided over the swearing in of another openly gay Speaker of the Assembly, the first time the head of a state legislature has transitioned between two openly LGBT people. The new Speaker of the Assembly is Toni Atkins from San Diego.

Here is an excerpt of what Speaker Atkins said after she was sworn in:

We want to restore the Golden State that provided our kids the best education and good jobs. We want to ensure that the California Dream is alive and well for everyone in our state, and for everyone who, like me, comes here to achieve their dream. We want the Golden State to be the Gold Standard that others strive towards. 

For the last decade, and especially in light of the Great Recession, we’ve had to work our way back. And, California has finally turned the corner. 

We are still the 8th largest economy in the world. And members, regardless of how it may be misrepresented, we aren’t really in competition with Texas. We are in competition with Brazil and Italy and France. We are a $2 trillion dollar economy. We are the number one state for venture capital. We have 3.4 million small businesses that provide more than half the jobs in California. And last year we enacted 18 new business-friendly laws that will help business owners by removing regulatory burdens, restoring some investment tax breaks and by creating the “Made in California” program.

Hat/tip to Karen Ocamb 

CA State Senate Abandons Attempt To Restore Race-Conscious College Admissions

Bad news today out of the Democratic state senate, where a state constitutional amendment that would place a partial repeal of Proposition 209 on the November 2014 ballot has been tabled. Proposition 209 passed in 1996 and banned the use of race, ethnicity or gender in public education, public contracts or public employment. The state senate had passed SCA 5 by a vote of 27 to 9 on January 30, 2014.

Speaker John Perez (and State Controller candidate) announced today that the Assembly would not consider the measure. According to the San Jose Mercury-News Asian-American state senators switched from support to opposition due to pressure from the community.

Last week, saying they had received thousands of calls and emails from constituents, senators Leland Yee, D-San Francisco; Ted Lieu, D-Torrance; and Carol Liu, D-La Cañada/Flintridge asked Assembly Speaker John Perez to stop the bill. 

"As lifelong advocates for the Asian-American and other communities, we would never support a policy that we believed would negatively impact our children," they wrote in a letter to Perez. 

In 1996, California became the first state to outlaw affirmative action in public university admissions and state hiring, a policy that took effect in 1998. The amendment would have allowed voters to lift that ban, either this fall or in 2016. 

Hernandez and others have said that misinformation about what affirmative action would mean -- such as racial quotas for new freshmen -- spread quickly, stoking parents' fears about their children's chances of getting into UC, the state's public research university system. 

Using racial quotas in admissions would be unconstitutional; recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions have strictly limited consideration of race in public university admissions. UC officials last week said any suggestion of quotas is irresponsible: "We have never done that, and we never would," said Nina Robinson, UC's associate president and chief policy adviser.

 Hopefully the legislature will realize that it is important to be able to use race as a factor in college admissions.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Toni Atkins Elected 1st Lesbian Speaker Lesbian of CA Assembly

Toni Atkins of San Diego has been elected by the Democratic caucus of the California Assembly to be the next Speaker.

Frontiers L.A. reports:

Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins of San Diego has been chosen by her Assembly Democratic colleagues to succeed Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez as the next Speaker of the Assembly.  “I am humbled, grateful, and ready to get to work,” says Atkins.  “From the drought we are experiencing to ensuring a healthy business climate and a world class educational system, California is facing important issues in the near future.  I look forward to leading the State Assembly in working with the Senate and the Governor to meet our challenges and to move our great state forward.  I thank my Assembly colleagues for their confidence and support. I also am very grateful to Speaker Pérez for his support and mentorship and I look forward to working with him on a smooth transition.” With her selection as Speaker, Atkins becomes only the second Democratic woman and second member of the LGBT community to hold the post.  As Majority Leader, she is already responsible for the day to day operation of the Assembly Floor and has served as a member of Speaker Perez's leadership team. Atkins represents a coastal San Diego district and was elected to the Assembly in 2010 following eight years on the San Diego City Council.

Atkins is the second Democratic woman to be elected Speaker, after Karen Bass, who is African-American and now a Congressperson representing California's 37th District; Bass was Speaker from 2008-2010. Congratulations to Speaker Atkins!

CA Openly Gay Assembly Speaker Announces Historic Run For Statewide Office

John A. Pérez, the powerful, openly gay Speaker of the California Assembly, and the cousin of the former Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, announced today that he is intending to run for State Controller in 2014.

From the press release:

California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez Announces Run For State Controller  
Vows Financial Stewardship To Strengthen California’s Recovery 

Los Angeles, October 9, 2013 - John A. Pérez, Speaker of the California Assembly and state legislator from Los Angeles, today announced his campaign for the office of California State Controller in 2014. 

In describing his reason for seeking the office, Pérez emphasized that while California’s economy has improved significantly in recent years, considerable work remains. 

“California has made great strides in its path to recovery, but our work is far from complete. I’m running for Controller to ensure our government reflects the values of the people of California and increases prosperity, by managing our finances smartly, efficiently and effectively,” Pérez said.  

Pérez noted that when he first joined the State Assembly, California’s budget deficit was more than $60 billion, over half the state budget for the year. “Fiscal restraint has been crucial to putting our finances back in the black, and will remain vital to ensuring a prosperous future for our state,” Pérez added. 

Pérez also noted the important role of the Controller in expanding opportunity for California families, an aspiration that has guided his career. “Balancing our books is essential, but this job is about even more. It’s about promoting the financial stability that can offer every Californian the opportunity to succeed and contribute to our state’s prosperity. I will continue to advance smart investment decisions that help businesses, create jobs and unleash California’s full potential,” he said. 

Since Pérez became Speaker of the Assembly in 2010, his leadership has helped California make significant strides in strengthening opportunity for the middle class and restoring fiscal responsibility, including: 

Passing On Time and Balanced State Budgets. Pérez has led the State Assembly in passing balanced and on-time budgets three years in a row – a first in 30 years. The budgets have eliminated the state’s structural deficit, balanced its books and improved California’s credit rating – as the nation’s credit rating declined. As a result, California has spent $480 million less in debt financing this year alone. The Assembly also laid the groundwork for a November 2014 ballot initiative to create a Rainy Day Fund that will protect the state budget during boom and bust cycles. 

Helping Businesses, Creating Jobs. Pérez introduced and led the passage of legislation creating GoBiz, to improve the state’s efforts to attract new businesses and investments in California. Under his tenure, the legislature also strengthened key industries like tourism and trade that employ millions of Californians, provided tax credits for emerging industries like green manufacturing, and made reforms to state efforts to encourage business activity in distressed communities. 

Making Work Pay. Pérez helped secure passage of legislation that raises the state minimum wage to $10 per hour, which will boost an individual’s earnings by $4,000 per year and put $2.6 billion into the hands of California workers. 

Passing Middle-Class Scholarships. Landmark legislation authored by Pérez will put higher education within the reach of more California families, cutting student fees at UC and CSU by up to 40% for middle-class families. 

Expanding Access to Health Care. Pérez helped lead California’s implementation of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, including the expansion of Medi-Cal coverage to over one million low-income and uninsured Californians. He also authored legislation creating Covered California, the first health benefits exchange in the nation, offering health insurance at a lower cost to more than two million California families and small businesses.
Pérez has dedicated his career to improving the lives of Californians and advancing the prosperity of our state. Growing up in the working class communities of East Los Angeles, his parents taught him the value of hard work and community service. He served in the private sector labor movement prior to joining the state legislature, and has also served on numerous boards and commissions focused on public policy at the city, state and national level. 

As the first openly gay person to be elected to the position of Assembly Speaker in the country, Pérez has been a longtime advocate on behalf of the LGBT Community. He has been especially active in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He has been a leader with AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Latino Coalition against AIDS, and the California Center for Regional Leadership.

If Perez wins he would be the first openly LGBT person elected statewide in California and one of slightly more than a handful of people who have done so anywhere around the country. John Chiang the current state Controller is termed out since all statewide elected officeholders can only serve for two four year terms. Pérez's departure will mean that there will be leadership vacuum in the Assembly, which will likely be filled by another openly LGBT person, Toni Atkins of San Diego, who herself would be termed out in 2016. The head of the State Senate, Darrel Steinberg, is also termed out at the end of the 2014 legislative session so both heads of California's legislative bodies may have new leaders after next year's elections. Steinberg is expected to be replaced by Los Angeles' Kevin de Leon.

Although he is not confirmed it, most observers expect California Governor Jerry Brown to run for an unprecedented 4th term next year, and almost certainly win. Brown served two terms as Governor when was in his 30s in the 1970s (well before term limits were enacted) and is currently 75 years old.

Hat/tip to Karen Ocamb

Support For Marriage Equality In CA Reaches 61%!

Wow. It's hard to keep up with the rapid change of popular opinion on marriage equality. The Field Poll, the most respected poll in California politics, has a new poll on marriage equality among registered voters which shows that support is almost twice opposition (61% approve to 32% disapprove). Last year, the Field Poll results showed that marriage equality was leading 59% to 34% in February 2012.

Field puts the latest results in historical perspective, demonstrating the astonishing reversal in public opinion on this question since 1977:

In 1977 the Field Poll found 28% approving and 59% disapproving of same-sex marriages. In nine periodic surveys taken between that time and 2012, there was a steady increase in support for allowing same-sex couples to marry. The latest survey shows 61% of voters approving and 32% disapproving, a record high level of support. 

[...] 

Examining the results across subgroups of the voter population reveals that there is now majority support for allowing same-sex couples to marry across partisan, ideological, ethnic, age, marital status and the major geographies of the state.  

A comparison of the changes in opinions among the sub-groups during just the last three years shows a decline in disapproval among all groups and a correspondingly increase in approval of same-sex marriages.  

The only subgroups where majorities remain opposed are registered Republicans and conservatives.  

Opinions are about evenly divided among voters age 65 or older and Protestants. 

I want to emphasize that statement again: "The only [groups] where majorities remain opposed [to marriage equality] are registered Republicans and conservatives."

It's very cool that this poll result comes out in a week in which various parties from the United States Justice Department, major corporations, Republicans, the State of California, pro-gay football players and many others have filed briefs urging Proposition 8 to be struck down by the United States Supreme Court.

Oral arguments in Hollingsworth v Perry are on Tuesday March 26th.

Saturday Politics: CA Dem's Fragile Supermajority

As a result of the 2012 elections California Democrats finally have a super-majority above the crucial two-thirds threshold in the California legislature. They have 55 seats in the 80-member Assembly and 29 seats in the 40-member Senate. Out of 120 California legislators, just 35 are  Republicans (10 in the state senate and 25 in the state assembly). A two-thirds majority in the Assembly is 54 seats and 27 seats in the Senate.

With a two-thirds majority in the legislature Democrats can completely control what legislation becomes law in California and can dictate all aspects of public policy.

However, the Democratic supermajority is likely to be short-lived and evanescent over the next year or so due the political musical chairs caused by politicians moving from Sacramento to Washington, D.C. as well as the impact of the upcoming Los Angeles municipal election. (Los Angeles City councilmembers have a salary which exceeds that of a state Assemblymember or state Senator.)

San Jose Mercury News reports:

"There will be a very short window that Democrats will have the supermajority," said Eric Bauman, vice chairman of the state Democratic Party. "So I've been cautioning party activists to be patient."

Assembly Democrats will lose their two-thirds majority in late April if, as expected, Assembly members Ben Hueso, D-Chula Vista, and Norma Torres, D-Pomona, win special elections for seats that open when two state senators leave for Congress. And the Assembly will likely lose two other members when one runs for the Los Angeles City Council and another leaps to the Senate after another senator also runs for the council. If that all happens, Assembly Democrats won't be able to recapture their supermajority until January 2014.

Even with the resignation of State Senators Gloria Negrete McLeod and Juan Vargas to join the 113th Congress, the Democrats still have a two-thirds majority in the senate, but will likely lose a two-thirds majority in the Assembly when Hueso and Torres run for those state senate seats. If they win, then the Democrats will no longer have a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, but after the Los Angeles municipal elections on May 21, 2013 it will become clearer when or if Democrats will regain their supermajority in the legislature.

Saturday Politics: Lesbian Wins NoCal Senate Seat

Cathleen Gagliani won a hotly contested State Senate race to
give Democrats 29 votes and the LGBT caucus an 8th member

Cathleen Galgiani made news last year when she came out of the closet to become the 8th member of the California LGBT Legislative Caucus. At that time she came out she was an Assemblymember representing the 17th District in Northern California, in the Republican-leaning sections of Sacramento and San Joaquin counties. Galgiani decided to run for the 5th Senate District this year in another conservative district against Republican assemblyman Bob Berryhill and was trailing when votes were tallied on election day.

However, it looks like she has won the tightly contested race when absentee and provisional votes were counted:

After trailing since Election Day, Democrat Cathleen Galgiani overtook Bill Berryhill by more than 2,100 votes Wednesday night, assuring her of victory in their hotly contested 5th Senate District race. 

Thomas Lawson, Galgiani's campaign manager, said the trend is clear and that her victory will make Thanksgiving Day even sweeter. 

Berryhill's campaign consultant, Duane Dichiara, stopped short of conceding defeat but admitted, "It's a tough row to hoe" now. 

Galgiani inched ahead of her Republican opponent on the strength of her showing in San Joaquin County.She started Wednesday about 1,500 votes behind and now leads by 2,111 votes.

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/11/cathleen-galgiani-overtakes-bill-berryhill-in-hot-senate-race.html#storylink=cpy

If Galgiani's win is confirmed it will mean that Democrats will have 29 seats in the 40-member Senate, 2 more than the two-thirds super-majority needed to place constitutional amendments directly on the ballot and pass new taxes. Astonishingly, Democrats will also have a super-majority in the Assembly, and openly gay Speaker John Pérez will lead the largest Democratic caucus in a century, with at least 54 members in the 80-member lower house.

There is also good news for the California LGBT Legislative Caucus, which will maintain its status as the nation's largest, with 8 members (tied with Maryland).

The openly LGBT members of the California legislature from 2012-2014 will be:

John A. Pérez (Assembly District 53) 

Toni Atkins (Assembly District 78) 

Richard Gordon (Assembly District 24) 

Tom Ammiano (Assembly District 17) 

Susan Eggman* (Assembly District 13) 

Ricardo Lara* (Senate District 33) 

Cathleen Galgiani* (Senate District 5) 

Mark Leno (Senate District 11)

California would have had a record NINE openly LGBT members if my friend Luis Lopez had won his intra-party race against Jimmie Gomez in my Assembly District (the 51st in Los Angeles), but unfortunately that did not happen.

Saturday Politics: 5 State Houses Have LGBT Heads

Tina Kotek, 46, will become the first lesbian to head a
 state legislative body in the United States

As a result of the elections in blue states in which Democrats made significant gains, opportunities have opened up for openly LGBT people in state legislatures to assume historic leaderships positions. Before the election, Gordon Fox of Rhode Island and John Perez of California were the only openly LGBT heads of state legislative bodies.

Since then Mark Ferrandino of Colorado, Tina Kotek of Oregon and Ed Murray of Washington have all been selected by their peers to lead the respective caucuses of their state legislative bodies. Ferrandino was selected to become the first openly gay Speaker of the Colorado House, Murray was selected to become the first openly gay Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate and Kotek became the first lesbian to head a legislative body, the Oregon house.

Local television station KATU reports:

Kotek said she didn't set out to break barriers but is honored to represent the gay community. It's important for the gay community to have role models in leadership positions, she said.

"We all look for people out there who look like us," she said.

"I have had emails and text messages from people who are very excited," Kotek said. "I think any time you have a 'first' it's an important thing for the community."

Kotek has represented a liberal district in the heart of Portland since 2007. She became the No. 2 leader in the Oregon House in 2011 after convincing her Democratic colleagues to oust her predecessor following a legislative session that left many of them frustrated by Republican successes. She oversaw campaign efforts that helped her party pick up four House seats and grab the majority last week.

Kotek ran unopposed for speaker, and her colleagues selected her for the job in a closed-door meeting Thursday evening. She won't formally take over as speaker until the new Legislature convenes in January.

"Now the real work begins," Kotek said in a statement after the vote. "Oregon continues to face many serious challenges, and the public is counting on us to tackle them head on." 

More LGBT history made in 2012!

Celebrity Friday: Gay Man Selected CO Speaker

Mark Ferrandino, openly gay Speaker of the Colorado House

Democrat Mark Ferradino has been elected as the first openly gay Speaker of the Colorado House. One of the little noticed results of the elections was the advances Democrats made in state legislatures around the country. This was particularly notable in Colorado, especially for gay Democrats.

Before Tuesday, Republicans had previously had a very slim 1-vote majority in the House and the Republican Speaker of the House had used that power to kill a pending civil unions bill in the legislature last year. After Tuesday the Democrats won a 37-28 advantage in the state House and have chosen openly gay Mark Ferrandino to lead their caucus and become the first openly gay Speaker of the Colorado House:

“Twenty years ago, Amendment 2 passed in Colorado,” an emotional Mr. Ferrandino said after his election, referring to a 1992 state constitutional amendment passed by voters that banned laws protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination. “And now we have our first openly gay speaker. I think that is an amazing turnaround for our state. It speaks volumes for how much we’ve grown.”

Amendment 2, which led some to call Colorado “the hate state,” was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. A separate 2006 amendment to the state Constitution defined marriage as being only between a man and a woman.

Mr. Ferrandino said that the economy and education were legislative priorities, but that in terms of expanding rights for gay men and lesbians, “civil unions is the thing we really are pushing for.”

Now that is what I call pay back! Amazingly, Colorado almost had gay men as heads of both houses of the legislature as openly gay Pat Steadman ran to become President of the Colorado Senate but lost the vote in the 20-member Senate Democratic caucus to John Morse.

Openly gay Speaker of the House John Perez congratulated Ferrandino and also acknowledged that Oregon State Representative Tina Kotek may become the nation's first openly lesbian Speaker of the House soon.

Openly Gay CA Speaker Addresses Democrats

Openly gay Speaker of the California Assembly John Perez, cousin of Los Angeles Mayor (and Democratic National Convention chair) Antonio Villaraigosa addressed the gathering on the issue of how Democrats fight for LGBT rights.

hat/tip to LGBT Think Progress.

Watch CA Speaker John Pérez Say "It Absolutely Gets Better "

Speaker of the California Assembly John Pérez, one of the highest ranked openly gay officials in the country, has released a "It Gets Better" video for the holiday season, which he recognizes can be a difficult one for LGBT teens.

CA and MD Openly LGBT Caucuses Reach Seven Each

Congressman-elect David Cicilline (RI-01)

Last night was a big night for openly LGBT candidates, with the most ever being elected nationwide, including a fourth openly gay member of Congress in David Cicilline, the openly gay mayor of Providence, Rhode Island who was elected to represent the 1st Congressional District.

There are now five African Amererican LGBT state representatives around the country: Simone Bell (GA), Mary Washington (MD), Marcus Brandon (NC), Jason Bartlett (CT) and Gordon Fox (RI). Two states have the largest LGBT legislative contingents ever: seven in both Maryland and California.

Maryland: Senator Rich Madaleno (D-18) and Delegates Maggie McIntosh (D-43), Heather Mizeur (D-20), and Anne Kaiser (D-14), Bonnie Cullison (D-19), Mary Washington (D-43), and Luke Clippinger (D-46)

California: Senators Mark Leno (SD-3) and Christine Kehoe (SD-39), Assemblymembers John Perez (AD-46), Ricardo Lara (AD-50), Tom Ammiano (AD-13), Toni Atkins (AD-76) and Rich Gordon (AD-21)

So, it's not all bad news out there.

Hat/tip to Denis Dison of the Victory Fund.

MadProfessah Endorsements for CA's November 2, 2010 General Election

Finally, the moment you have been waiting for!  Here are MadProfessah's positions on how I will be voting in the November 2 Statewide General 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), CA League of Women Voters and Courage Campaign's Progressive Voter Guide. Previously, I had posted my endorsements for the June 8, 2010 primary election.

Proposition        ME   LAT  CALITICS CA DEM LA DEM LWV
19 (Marijuana)     YES   NO    YES    ---    YES   ---
20 (Redistricting) NO    YES   NO     NO     NO    NO
21 (State Parks)   YES   NO    YES    YES    YES   ---
22 (Local Funds)   NO    NO    ---    NO     NO    ---
23 (Suspends AB-32)NO    NO    NO     NO     NO    NO

24 (Ends Tax Cuts) YES   NO    YES    YES    YES   YES

25 (Majority Vote) YES   YES   YES    YES    YES   YES

26 (2/3 Fee Vote)  NO    NO    NO     NO     NO    NO

27 (Undoes Prop 11)YES   NO    YES    YES    YES   NO

Statewide Races          ME         LA TIMES DEMOCRATS
Governor                 Brown      Brown    Brown

U.S. Senator             Boxer*     Boxer*   Boxer*
Lieutenant Governor      Newsom     Newsom   Newsom
Attorney General         Harris     Cooley   Harris
Secretary of State       Bowen*     Bowen*   Bowen*
Treasurer                Lockyer*   Lockyer* Lockyer*

Controller               Chiang*    Chiang*  Chiang*
Insurance Commissioner   Jones      Jones    Jones   
Supt. of Public Inst.    Torlakson  Aceves   Torlakson

Bd. of Equalization, #1  Yee*       ---      Yee*    

Bd. of Equalization, #2  ---        ---      Parker

Bd. of Equalization, #3  ---        ---      Christian-Heising

Bd. of Equalization, #4  ---        ---      Horton*  

Jerome Horton is an African-American incumbent, but when he was in the state legislature he was an unreliable vote on LGBT issues. He has since tried to make amends, but MadProfessah can not in good conscience endorse him, although I will note that the Stonewall Democrats have.

There are several judicial races on the ballot for which it is often hard to get information on.

Other Races                ME        LA TIMES        DEMOCRATS
CA Sup. Crt. Chief Justice ----      Cantil-Sakauye

CA Sup. Crt. Justice       Moreno    Moreno          Moreno

CA Sup. Crt. Justice       ----      Chin            ---

Superior Court, No. 28     Ameli     Hammock         Ameli

Superior Court, No. 117    Schneider Schneider       Schneider

L.A. County Assessor       Noguez    Yong            
Noguez 
     

Additionally, every Court of Appeals Justice and three State Supreme Court justices are up for re-election (or re-appointment). The Los Angeles Times basically says that every incumbent justice is worthy of re-election. However, Justice Carlos Moreno is the only State Supreme Court justice that thought Proposition 8 violated the state constitution. Ming Chin was in the minority of the 2008 In Re Marriage Cases decision and should NOT be re-appointed. Tani Cantil-Sakauye is Governor Schwarzenegger's nominee to replace Chief Justice Ron George; if approved she'll be the first female and Phillipine-American to head California's highest court. Since we know so little about her, I can't support voting to confirm her. I think it's silly that George didn't wait until the new Governor to be elected  before retiring earlier this year anyway.

There are numerous openly LGBT people running for elected office. John Noguez for Los Angeles County Assessor. In statewide legislative districts there is Ricardo Lara (AD-50) and John Perez (AD-46).

CA LGBT Legislative Caucus Increasing to ≥ 7

Back in May 2008 I predicted that the next California LGBT legislative caucus (January 2009) would have five members. I was correct on the numbers (5), but not on the names (Assemblymembers Perez, Ammiano, Senators Kehoe, Leno and Ashburn). And the last of these was not out until a scandal this year.

The LGBT legislative caucus of the 2011-2013 session should have at least 7 openly LGBT members, 5 in the Assembly and 2 in the Senate.

June 2010   (FIVE)         January 2011 (SEVEN)
ASSEMBLY                     
Tom Ammiano (AD-13)        Tom Ammiano (AD-13)
John Perez (AD-46)         John Perez (AD-46)                                    

                           Ricardo Lara (AD-50)                                    

                           Toni Atkins (AD-76)                                    

                           Richard Gordon (AD-21)

SENATE
Christine Kehoe (SD-39)    Christine Kehoe (SD-39)
Mark Leno (SD-3)           Mark Leno (SD-3)
Roy Ashburn (SD-18)

Ashburn is not running for re-election, but makes history as the first openly gay Republican member of the California Legislature (who was out wile still serving).

Additionally, there is a good chance that former Assembyman John Laird may re-join the caucus as its 8th member if he wins a special election in the 15th Senate District in August.