Dear family and friends in the LA area:
Below is how I'm voting in the June 3 primary election. I look forward your feedback re: how you plan to vote, and why... I hope we ALL vote on the "buddy system" -- telling our networks of friends how we plan to vote, so we can encourage participation and engagement with the issues.
Let us all remember: if you don't vote, you vote REPUBLICAN! Generally speaking, the right wingers only win when everybody else fails to turn out to vote in sufficient numbers. High turnout in 2008 got Obama elected with a Democratic Congress - low turnout in 2010 got us the Tea Party Republican Congress.
PS: When I put my ballot in the mailbox, I plan to salute it and say the following: "I salute all those Americans who risked and spent their lives to secure and protect my right to vote!" I hope you'll do the same! Let's put some "heart" into this process through a bit of ritual - see more about this in a piece I wrote recently: Voting: A Ritual -- http://tcpc.blogs.com/musings/2013/06/voting-a-ritual.html
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Governor: Jerry Brown - I have high hopes that with his last term in public office after his long career, he'll get really bold and tackle the state's toughest problems - with lots of wind at his back!
Lt Governor: Gavin Newsom -
Secretary of State: Dan Schnur. This is a really unusual pick for me, because he's a former Republican campaign manager/advisor who dropped out of the party to register as an independent. I happen to know him personally because I have him speak to my public policy class at the USC graduate School of Social Work every year. He's a well-known media commentator on California politics, by virtue of his role as head of USC's Unruh Center. He's on a mission to clean up campaign finance and limit fundraising by politicians during legislative sessions. I think he might be well-positioned to use this "bully pulpit" to get both Democrats and Republicans to agree on some new and fairer campaign finance rules.
Controller: John Perez - who is being "termed-out" as Speaker of the State Assembly.
Treasurer: John Chiang, who's done a good job as State Controller (now termed-out).
Attorney General: Kamala Harris - a champion of justice for the most vulnerable among us, sometimes bucking what's popular....
Insurance Commissioner: Dave Jones, who's done a good job in this role.
Board of Equalization - only one choice in my district, Jerome Horton.
US Representative, Congress: Adam Schiff. Defender and interpreter of Obamacare -- smart, capable guy.
State Senator: Amy Howorth. She's the mayor of Manhattan Beach, a moderate Democrat. I think she has more credibility and understanding of the issues than the higher-profile candidate, women's rights activist Sandra Fluke.
State Assembly: Mike Gatto. Incumbent doing a good job.
Judges of the Superior Court: I always follow the endorsements of the LA Times for these offices, about which few of us, including myself, have a clue:
#22: Matsumoto, #48: Calderon, #54: Losnick, #61: Lewis, #72: Frisco, #76: Estrada, #82: Park, #87: Stein, #90: Murillo, #97: Armstead, #107: Castro, #113: Wiese, #117: Pierce, #138: Armstrong, #157: Cooper
State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Marshall Tuck. I went with the LA Times endorsement on this office (I always take the LA Times endorsements into serious consideration, generally). I believe that the state must stand up to the very powerful teachers' unions on some important policy questions, and I think Tuck is more likely to do that than is the case with the incumbent, Torlakson.
County Assessor: John Morris. LA Times endorsed him and the reasons looked good - somebody who can make needed changes after the disastrous tenure of John Noquez.
County Sheriff: Jim McDonnell. He's the Long Beach Chief of Police, so he has the needed experience in this kind of role. He seems the most committed of the candidates to the agenda of the Justice Not Jails campaign, which is aimed at reducing mass incarceration statewide. I'm on the board of Progressive Christians Uniting, which is the lead organization for the faith community in this campaign. He's also the LA Times' pick for the job.
County Supervisor, 3rd District: Sheila Kuehl. I have admired her for years when she was a state senator, championing universal, single-payer health insurance for California. I think she grasps the issues of the county more than any other candidate. I vacillated between her and John Duran, member of the city council of West Hollywood - also a very strong candidate, but less savvy about the county's many problems.
State ballot measures:
#41: Veterans Housing Bond: Yes -- incurs debt for the state for funding housing for veterans and their families.
#42: Public Records - Open Meetings: Yes -- requires local governments to give public access to meeting records - and to pay for making that access possible.
JIM BURKLO
Website: JIMBURKLO.COM Weblog: MUSINGS Follow me on twitter: @jtburklo
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Associate Dean of Religious Life, University of Southern California