SATURDAY POLITICS: John Duran Snubs Sheila Kuehl In L.A. Supervisor Runoff

In a pretty shocking turn of events, openly gay West Hollywood city councilman John Duran has endorsed Bobby Shriver instead of openly lesbian Sheila Kuehl in the run-off for Los Angeles County Supervisor. Kuehl placed first and Duran third in the June 3 primary election.

Karen Ocamb reports for Frontiers L.A.:

“A lot of our old assumptions are no longer true,” Duran told Frontiers on July 7. “The idea of the first gay this or that has run its course. We just had a lesbian Speaker of the Assembly replace a gay Speaker of the Assembly. We have a gay City Controller and gay City Councilmembers in L.A. and West Hollywood. It was a big issue in the 1990s, and we fought hard for it—to have LGBT people immersed in the power structure. Now we’re in it. We are it. Now how people vote is based not on whether someone is gay or straight—but on whether we agree or disagree with them—and that’s how it should be.” 

Duran said he decided on Shriver after having lunch with both candidates and participating with them in 25 debates. “In all those debates, I found myself agreeing with what Bobby was saying—in particular, his experience and how he perceives local government—and many times I was in disagreement with Sheila.”

This is a very disappointing development. John Duran is a friend of mine and I am stunned to read that he thinks that LGBT people have made so much progress that it is not important whether one of the most powerful important elected positions in the country (Los Angeles County Supervisor) should be filled by an openly gay politician. I vehemently disagree with this sentiment. Even if the person involved was not Sheila Kuehl, one of the smartest politicians ever to serve in the California Legislature (and who was the first openly LGBT member of that body), Duran would still be wrong. The fact that he is endorsing someone other than Kuehl when she is still in the run-off makes Duran's decision worse than wrong.

Taking Subway To Westside Getting More Likely In Los Angeles

Check out this picture of the proposed extensions to the purple and exposition lines which will mean that in the near future one can take the Metro to places that people will actually want to go.

Officials from Metro and the Federal Transit Administration signed a pair of agreements this morning in Washington D.C. for a $1.25-billion federal grant and a $856-million federally-backed loan to build the first phase of the Purple Line Extension subway under Wilshire Boulevard. We’ll post video of this morning’s event later. 

The agreements clear the way for construction activities to begin later this year on the 3.9-mile addition to the Purple Line, which currently terminates at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue. The first phase of the project will extend the line to the intersection of Wilshire and La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Three new stations will be included in the first phase: at Wilshire and La Brea Avenue, Wilshire and Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire and La Cienega. 

The first phase of the project is scheduled for completion in 2023 with a project budget of $2.821 billion. The Metro Board of Directors is scheduled this summer to select a contractor to build the first phase. The subway is one of 12 transit projects funded in part by the Measure R half-cent sales tax increase approved by more than two million voters in Los Angeles County in 2008 (the measure passed with 67.93 percent approval).

This is very exciting news! Kudos to Mayor Eric Garcetti with moving forward with this. The next 3rd District County Supervisor will also be involved in making sure this project happens.

Hat/tip to L.A. Observed

SATURDAY POLITICS: Will L.A. Have An Openly Gay County Supervisor?

Hmmm! The plot thickens in the low-profile but incredibly important Democratic primary election for Los Angeles County Supervisor on June 3rd. The L.A. County Supervisor is one of the most powerful elected positions in the country, with each of the 5 Supervisors representing roughly 2 million Angelenos, more than several U.S. Senators. There are two Districts up for election this year, District 1 where Gloria Molina is being termed out and is likely to be replaced by former Congresswoman (and Obama Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis) and District 3 where 8 candidates are vying for the top two slots, with two openly gay candidates are serious contenders. MadProfessah has already endorsed Sheila Kuehl. Kuehl announced her intentions to run for this seat years ago and has had a historic political career as the first openly LGBT member of the Assembly and the Senate. Kuehl has also won the endorsement of the Los Angeles County Democratic Club and the East Area Progressive Democrats.

Last Sunday the Los Angeles Times picked John Duran over Kuehl in its endorsement for the 3rd District, possibly upending the race.

Kuehl, to be sure, has a strong record in those areas as well, and her knowledge of and experience in state government would be of great benefit to the county, which gets much of its funding and many of its programming guidelines from Sacramento. Of the two, though, Duran gets the nod because he is also the one most likely to lead the county toward new and better ways of thinking about and doing its business.

The primary election is less than two weeks away. Voting has been going on  by mail for at least two weeks already. Thanks to a stupid ballot initiative that passed in June 2012, California now has a "Top 2 jungle primary" which means that regardless of party, only the Top 2 candidates will be on the November ballot after surviving the primary. I have my absentee ballot and will be giving my endorsements next weekend.

It would be incredibly exciting if the top two candidates are openly gay, but most likely Bobby Shriver and either Kuehl or Duran will make the cutoff. If both LGBT candidates do make the run-off there will be an internal lesbians versus gays fight like we have not seen since the 2012 battle between Torie Osborne (Kuehl's former lover and longtime ally) and Betsy Butler (Duran's straight best friend who has served on the board of Equality California). In fact some say that Duran's entry into the Supervisor race is basically payback for some of the chicanery that occurred in the bitter fight in 2012 for the 50th Assembly District (where both their candidates lost and Richard Bloom ended up winning the seat).

Hopefully this time an LGBT candidate will emerge victorious, instead of bloodied and defeated.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) Announces Retirement

The political landscape of Southern California is recovering from an announcement that has the impact of an earthquake: a sitting Congressman announced his retirement. 20-term incumbent Henry Waxman announced on Thursday that after spending 40 years in Congress he wants to do something else with his life. Waxman represents California's 33rd district which includes the "West Side" of Los Angeles, and is one of the wealthiest Congressional districts in California (and thus the nation).

The sudden appearance of an open seat to a high-profile position of Congressperson without the possibility of term limits will surely be attractive to many local politicians. The Los Angeles Times runs down the list of people expected to run for this heavily Democratic seat:

Potential contestants include state Sens. Ted Lieu of Torrance and Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills; Assemblyman Richard Bloom of Santa Monica; Secretary of State Debra Bowen, a former South Bay lawmaker; local radio host Matt Miller; women's rights activist Sandra Fluke — all Democrats — and Manhattan Beach businessman Bill Bloomfield, an independent and former Republican who spent $7 million of his own money in an unsuccessful 2012 race against Waxman. 

Even before the congressman announced his 20th term would be his last, two other political independents had stated their plans to run: Brent Roske, a television producer and director, and Marianne Williamson, the author of several self-help books. 

Amid Thursday's swirl of rumors and speculation, with fresh names surfacing almost hourly, a few possible contenders took themselves out of the race. 

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he would not run. Sheila Kuehl, a former state senator and assemblywoman who represented the Westside and the Valley, and Bobby Shriver, a former mayor of Santa Monica and nephew of President Kennedy, both said they would continue their campaigns for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. 

The retiring supervisor they aim to replace, Zev Yaroslavsky, did not explicitly rule out a try for Waxman's seat but made it seem highly unlikely. "My first reaction is [that] to be a [congressional] freshman at the age of 65 is not something I've longed to do all my life," Yaroslavsky said.

Open Congressional seats are very rare indeed and this should be a fascinating race. Wendy Greuel, who lost the 2013 Los Angeles Mayor's race to Eric Garcetti last May announced her intention to run almost immediately, while State Senator Ted Lieu waited until Friday to do so, and included several high-profile endorsements of politicians who represent pieces of the 33rd District.

Saturday Politics: Sheila Kuehl Running For LA County Supervisor

Sheila Kuehl was the first openly gay person
elected to the California State Legislature in 1994

Sheila J. Kuehl, one of the smartest LGBT politicians in the country and the first openly gay person elected to the California State Legislature, announced her long-rumored run for Los Angeles County Supervisor this week.

In an email to supporters, Kuehl wrote:

Friends --

I’m very pleased and excited to tell you, if you haven’t heard already, that I’m running to succeed our great Supervisor from the Third District in L.A. County, Zev Yaroslavsky, when he’s termed out next year. 

When I termed out of the California Legislature after fourteen years, I thought long and hard about where I might best use all the information, experience and skills I had gained and it’s clear: the LA County Board of Supervisors is absolutely the best place.

As Speaker pro Temps, Chair of the Judiciary, Health, Natural Resources and Water Committees, as well as the Budget Sub-Committee on Resources and Energy, a member of virtually every committee in both houses including Public Safety, Human Services, Appropriations, Budget, Local Government, and Environmental Quality, and as the author of the bill that established the Expo Line Authority, and 170 other bills that were signed into law, I have been steeped in the very issues that are under the purview of our Supervisors every day.

LA County is the implementing and policy arm for more than 10 million people - almost one-third of the state - on social services, healthcare, juvenile justice, transportation, environmental protection, local jails, and so much more, as well as serving the functions of city governments in the unincorporated areas.  These are the very policy areas I have spent my professional and political life addressing.

I will bring continuing stability to County government, as well as innovation and diversity, big picture thinking as well as attention to the daily lives of those who depend on us, an open door and an open mind, collaboration with anyone willing to work with me, years of experience and lots of energy. 

The June 2014 primary is only a little more than a year away and I am asking for your support starting now!  This race will likely cost 1.4 million dollars and early fundraising will be key to my success.

This is very exciting news. I think she may be underestimating the amount needed to run for Supervisor, though.

Saturday Politics: L.A. Mayoral Race Heating Up

Garcetti (left), Greuel (center) and Yarosalvsky (right) are
statistically tied in a poll of voter preferences for L.A. Mayor

The Los Angeles Times reported on the upcoming March 2013 primary election to become the next Mayor of Los Angeles earlier this week by discussing the results of a poll of the presumptive and announced candidates. Former Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry and former investment banker Austin Beutner are the names most people are discussing to replace current mayor Antonio Villaraigosa when he is termed out in July 2013.

The poll of 1605 randomly selected Angelenos (with roughly equal numbers of "Whites," "Blacks," "Asians" and "Latinos") was conducted February 1 to March 2, 2012 by Loyola Marymount University's Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles has some interesting results:

The first feature which jumps out the viewer is the whopping 65.75% who respond they do not know who they prefer to be mayor. Of the remaining 34.25% who did have a response, the results are: 22.19% Garcetti, 21.74% Greuel, 19.11% Yaroslavsky, 17.06% Perry all closely lumped together. In fact, if you consider the margin of error of the poll is ±2.89 percentage points the four are essentially statistically tied.

Another curious feature of the race to be Mayor is that Yaroslavsky has not even announced that he is actually running. The three current and former councilmembers (Greuel, Garcetti and Perry) have been officially or unofficially running for the better part of a year (if not longer). The thing is, it is unlikely that any political types in Los Angeles will be able to focus on the Mayoral race until after the federal elections are decided in November, meaning that it will basically be a 4-month sprint to the finish from November 7th 2012 to March 5, 2013.

Congratulations to Supervisor Ridley-Thomas

MadProfessah-endorsed candidate Mark Ridley-Thomas was sworn in as Los Angeles County Supervisor (District #2) on Monday December 1st at noon. There is now a strongly pro-LGBT equality majority on the LA County Board of Supervisors (including Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky).

Yaroslavsky, Molina and Ridley-Thomas all publicly opposed Proposition 8.

LA County Supervisors To Vote To Join Prop 8 Lawsuits

Now this is interesting. Los Angeles County Supervisors are going to vote tomorrow to join a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8. Here is the text of the motion:

AGN. NO.____
MOTION BY SUPERVISORS ZEV YAROSLAVSKY AND
GLORIA MOLINA NOVEMBER 12, 2008

On Tuesday, November 4, 2008 the California electorate approved Proposition 8 by a vote of 52.5% to 47.5%. Proposition 8 eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry, in effect overturning the California Supreme Court decision of May, 2008 which found the ban on same-sex marriages to be unconstitutional.

On Wednesday, November 5, 2008 three lawsuits were filed in the California Supreme Court seeking a writ of mandate ordering the State to refrain from enforcing Proposition 8 pending a determination by the Supreme Court of the constitutionality of the ballot measure. One of these lawsuits was filed by a group of government agencies which, like Los Angeles County, are responsible for the issuance of marriage licenses and thus face the dilemma of balancing enforcement of Proposition 8 with upholding the equal-protection rights of all citizens. All of these lawsuits seek to overturn Proposition 8 on the grounds that equal protection is such a foundational principle of the California Constitution that the right of the electorate to pass an initiative constitutional amendment does not include the right to overturn, by simple majority vote, a principle as fundamental as equal rights for all.

WE, THEREFORE, MOVE that the Board instruct County Counsel to immediately file a lawsuit, or join in an existing lawsuit, as appropriate, that will seek to uphold the equal rights of all California residents by challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8.

According to Queerty, they Supes better hurry, because the California Supreme Court may rule on the lawsuits challenging Proposition 8 as early as this week.

Also, from Joe.My.God comes the word that over 1/3 of all California Legislators, including the Speaker of the Assembly Karen Bass and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata have filed an amicus brief joining the lawsuits challenging Proposition 8.

There are currently three lawsuits challenging Proposition 8: one filed by a bunch of LGBT groups on behalf of Equality California and same-sex couples that want to get married, one filed by celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred on behalf of married clients Robin Tyler and Diane Olson and one filed by the City and County of San Francisco. It is the last one, that Los Angeles County and the state legislators are joining.