If you are looking for the San Diego Free Press 2016 GENERAL ELECTION Progressive Voter Guide, click here.
By Doug Porter
Over the past few months the San Diego Free Press has reported on the candidates and causes central to the June 2016 primary elections. We have combined our research and analyses with information from public sources to create a progressive voter guide for electoral contests appearing on ballots in the San Diego region.
This guide includes links to candidate websites, symbols indicating endorsements and a short overview of contests, along with links to our reporting.
We take elections seriously around here. Our views are informed by years of activism for causes big and small. Founded in 2012, as an all-volunteer, non-commercial website promoting progressive views and grassroots news, the San Diego Free Press draws upon the legacy of the alternative press in advocating for economic justice, and against the social constraints limiting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people.
Our Process of Endorsement
The candidacy of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has spurred a much-needed debate on our side of the political aisle over questions of policy, driven by economic, gender and racial disenfranchisement/oppression.
The question of how good is good enough? to deserve the support of progressives was of particular importance as the SDFP editorial board (see link for who we are) pondered endorsements for this year’s primary elections.
Our decisions reflect the necessity for situational analysis. A traditional liberal as the only Democrat running in a far right district can be a better choice than not voting at all. A self-proclaimed Democrat being funded by interests historically opposed to progressive aspirations is never a good choice.
Then there are the subjective factors: experiences we’ve had with candidates in the course of our activism, debate performances and questions of competency. We have little tolerance for those who are not politically or socially mature enough to carry out their duties.
It should be said that not everybody on the SDFP board agreed with all the endorsements. We worked hard towards consensus. We understand that not everybody who calls themselves progressives will agree with our calls.
There is no rule or law that says everybody has to vote on every item on the ballot, but it is important that the decision not to vote for a particular candidate or cause, be a reason for failing to at least read all the way through the ballot. The last item on the City of San Diego ballot (Proposition I), for instance, involves giving tens of thousands of hourly workers the opportunity to earn paid sick days.
Endorsement Codes
(Mostly for local contests)
Republicans 💀
Democrats➕
Central Labor Council ⊕
Run Women Run Ϣ
Trump Endorser TR
Bernie Endorser Bern
SDFP Endorsements ♥ ♥
Federal Offices
President of the United States
Senator Bernie Sanders (D) ➕ ♥ ♥
Hillary Clinton (D) ➕ Ϣ
We did not consider any other of the 1742 candidates for this election.
SD Free Press Presidential Coverage
United States Senator
California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D)➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Representative Loretta Sanchez (D)
We did not consider any other of the 34 candidates for this election.
SD Free Press Senate Race Coverage
House of Representatives
(Clicking on the District number will give you info about its location, etc)
SD Free Press Coverage (In General)
NOTE: We declined to endorse the incumbent Democrats in three contests. Too many of their votes on issues ran counter to our values. Too many office holders are too eager to embrace corporate causes rather than the needs of their constituents.
California 49
Doug Applegate (D) ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Darrell Issa (R, Incumbent) 💀 TR
Ryan Wingo (No Party Preference)
California 50
Patrick Malloy (D) ➕ Bern ♥ ♥
Duncan D. Hunter (R, Incumbent) 💀 TR
Scott Meisterlin [R]
David Secor (D)
H. Fuji Shioura (No Party Preference)
California 51
No Endorsement ♥ ♥
Juan Vargas (D, Incumbent) ➕ ⊕
Juan Hidalgo [R] 💀
Juan “Charly” Mercado-Flores (D) Bern
Carlos Sanchez [R]
California 52
No Endorsement ⊕ ♥ ♥
Scott Peters (D, Incumbent) ➕
Terry Reagan Allvord[R]
Jacquie Atkinson [R]
Mike Canada [R]
Denise Gitsham [R]
John Horst [R]
California 53
No Endorsement ⊕ ♥ ♥
Susan Davis (D, Incumbent) ➕
Jim Ash [R]
James Veltmeyer [R] 💀
California Legislature
SD Free Press Coverage (In General)
Senate, District 39
Toni Atkins (D) Ϣ ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
(We love Toni, wish she’d up her game when it comes to issues like utility oversight)
Bribiesca [R]
Richard M. Fago [R]
John Renison [R]
Assembly, District 71
No Democrats filed. The three rabbits and a turtle we contacted for comment about the lack of a contest did not respond.
Tony Teora [R]
Randy Voepel [R] 💀
Assembly, District 75
Andrew Masiel (D) ➕ ♥ ♥
Go figure – a Native American running for office in the North County
Marie Waldron [R, Incumbent] 💀
Assembly, District 76
Rocky Chavez [R, Incumbent] 💀
No Endorsement ♥ ♥
My notes say something about “hell” and “no”
Assembly, District 77
Melinda Vásquez (D) ➕ ♥ ♥
Brian Maienschein [R, Incumbent] 💀
Assembly, District 78
Todd Gloria (D) ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Please be the activist Todd Gloria we’ve grown to know and love.
Kevin D Melton [R] 💀
Assembly, District 79
Shirley Weber (D, Incumbent) Ϣ ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
One of our favorites
John Moore [R] 💀
Assembly, District 80
Lorena Gonzalez (D, Incumbent) Ϣ ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Off to a great start
Lincoln Pickard [R]
Louis J Marinelli (I) Bern
County & City
San Diego County Board of Supervisors
SD Free Press Coverage (In General)
Ugh. There is so much not to like about the Supes. Maybe it’s that they’re building detention centers for immigrants (Cox) instead of housing for the homeless. Even Republicans agree (for the wrong reasons) that decades-long tenure (Jacobs) isn’t necessarily a good idea. And we found the idea of voting for a flawed Democrat (Roberts), even if he’s the only one, distasteful. Only the sleaziness (Abed) and inexperience (Gaspar) of his opponents gives us a reason to reconsider.
District 1
Greg Cox [R, Incumbent]
No Endorsement ♥ ♥
District 2
Rudy Reyes (D)➕ ♥ ♥
Dianne Jacobs [R, Incumbent]
District 3 (Split Decision)
Dave Roberts (D, Incumbent) ➕
Hold Your Nose ♥ ♥
Sam Abed [R] 💀
Kristin Gaspar [R]
No Endorsement ♥ ♥
City of San Diego Mayor
SD Free Press Coverage (Races In General)
Here’s the deal: whatever gets incumbent Kevin Faulconer to less than 50%+1 over the vote, thus making him run again in November, is the desired result. We are assured that neither challenger can beat him outright in the primary, but together they can stop him.
We like both Ed Harris and Lori Saldaña, so look at the endorsements and vote for either.
Ed Harris (D) ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
SD Free Press Coverage
Lori Saldaña (No Party Preference) Ϣ Bern ♥ ♥
SD Free Press Coverage
Kevin Faulconer [R, Incumbent] 💀
SD Free Press Coverage
San Diego City Council
SD Free Press Coverage (In General)
District 1
Republicans are pouring a buttload of money into this contest, hoping to change the balance of the city council. Ellis and his friends are once again running a less-than-honorable campaign, which is why incumbent/termed-out Councilwoman Sherri Lightner’s husband jumped into the race.
Barbara Bry (D) Ϣ➕♥ ♥
Ray Ellis (R) 💀
Kyle Heiskala
Bruce D. Lightner (R)
Louis A. Rodolico
District 3
This is maybe the easiest contest to call. All kinds of entities and individuals with a history of bad intentions are pouring money into Bernal’s campaign. Ward is a true progressive.
Chris Ward (D) ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Anthony Bernal (Says he’s a D)
Scott Sanborn
District 5
Kersey is reportedly Faulconer’s heir apparent for the top job. Unfortunately, we cannot endorse either Democrat running against him.
Mark Kersey (R) 💀
Fotios “Frank” Tsimboukakis (D) ➕
Keith Mikas (D)
No Endorsement ♥ ♥
District 7
Caballero has been involved in many local activist causes. DeCesare is a nice guy Democrat with more experience. We couldn’t decide.
Scott Sherman [R, Incumbent] 💀
Jose Caballero (D) Bern ♥ ♥
Justin A. DeCesare (D) ➕ ♥ ♥
District 9
Both Gomez and Saez are great candidates. Some of us have worked with one or both of them on various causes. Flores, on the other hand, is raking in the bucks from the Chamber of Commerce, an organization whose vision for D9 likely includes tearing much of it down while hiring the immigrants who are about to be evicted to do the demolition and telling them they should be grateful for having a job, even if the pay is crappy.
Georgette Gomez (D) ➕ ♥ ♥
Sarah Saez (D) Ϣ ➕ ⊕ Bern ♥ ♥
Ricardo Flores (D)➕
Araceli Martinez (D)
Tami Le Murillo (R- Write-in)💀
City Attorney
Two SD Free Press stories about why this race is important, here and here.
This contest has seen a lot of debates. We’ve been to some, moderated others and watched with interest. The Democratic Party rated all their candidates acceptable. We think, based largely on debate performance, that Cabrera is the best choice.
Gil Cabrera (D) ➕ ♥ ♥
Rafael Castellanos (D) ➕
Mara W. Elliott (D) Ϣ ➕
Bryan Pease (D) ➕ Bern
Robert Hickey [R] 💀
Chula Vista City Council
We’re going to swim against the tide here. Seat 4 is the poorest part of Chula Vista. Reyes relocated from Bonita (Not so poor). Ramirez, who has held office before, voted against the MTS operating budget in 2014, saying it was to protest the systemically inequitable transportation system and the inhumane treatment of riders.
Seat 4
Eduardo Reyes (D) ➕ ⊕
Mike Diaz (D)
Rudy Ramirez (D)➕ ♥ ♥
Emmanuel Soto (R) 💀
Ballot Measures
State Proposition 50: California Suspension of Legislators ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
San Diego (Propositions A-H are revisions to the City Charter)
Proposition A: Redistricting Commission Update ➕ 💀 ♥ ♥
Proposition B: Bond Authorization Process Update ➕ 💀 ♥ ♥
Proposition C: Property Tax Charter Language Clarification ➕ 💀 ♥ ♥
Proposition D: Amendment on Setting City Titles & Salaries ➕ 💀 ♥ ♥
Proposition E: Budget Approval Process Update ➕ 💀 ♥ ♥
Proposition F: Financial Operations Process Update ➕ 💀 ♥ ♥
Proposition G: City Audit Language Update ➕ 💀 ♥ ♥
Proposition H: Kersey’s Infrastructure Scheme 💀
PLEASE VOTE NO ON H!!!
Proposition I: Earned Sick Leave and Minimum Wage ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
PLEASE VOTE YES!!!!
Education Elections
San Diego County Board of Education
District 1
Gregg Robinson (D, Incumbent)➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Mark Powell [R] 💀
District 2
Guadalupe Gonzalez (D, Incumbent)➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Jerry Rindone [R] 💀
District 4
Mark Anderson (D, Incumbent)➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Paulette Donnellon [R] 💀
District 5
Rick Shea (D, Incumbent)➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Richard Smith
Mark Wyland [R] 💀
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College Board
Seat 4
Elena Adams (D) ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Timothy Caruthers 💀
San Diego Community College Board
District B
Bernie Rhinerson (D, Incumbent)➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
District D
Mary Graham (D, Incumbent) Ϣ ➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
Alyce Pipkin-Allen ➕
San Diego Unified School Board
District A
John Lee Evans (D, Incumbent) ➕ ♥ ♥
Stephen Groce
District D
Richard Barrera (D, Incumbent)➕ ⊕ ♥ ♥
District E
LaShae Collins (D)➕
Sharon Whitehurst-Payne (D, Incumbent) ⊕ ♥ ♥
UPDATE: Help us make this better. If you spot factual errors (the opinions will remain) or bad links, drop me a line at the email address below. I shouldn’t have to say this, but politely worded requests will be responded to promptly. If you think a mistake was made because there’s a conspiracy against your candidate and send an angry email, I’ll take my sweet time. Whatever floats your boat….
One final note: We are making no recommendations in the contests for Democratic Central Committee because we lack enough information to cover them all.
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Doug Porter
Latest posts by Doug Porter (see all)
- Last Call. Last Column. - December 14, 2018
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Thanks for refusing to endorse Scott Peters, and thanks for the hard work on the props which, even an intelligent voter often feels sick at not knowing. I also appreciate deeply the undivided and definite NO on Prop H, which is an omnibus spending bill that pledges support for infrastructure improvement without sufficient oversight of spending by a council too friendly to developer interests.
What about judges?
The more I looked at it, the less I liked any of the candidates. The system is rotten. There are only two races on the ballot. Here is the story I wrote earlier about judicial contests.
Empty. Dana Levy, why not give us what you know about issues currently dividing the unions? That would be more interesting than a simple expression of your disgust.
If I lived within the 52nd Dist. I’d vote for a roach before I’d vote for Scott Peters. Unfortunately, I don’t have the opportunity.
Thank you, Doug, so pleased to find your this. Been looking for an accurate go-to progressive voting list – used to use The League of Women Voters but haven’t been able to find them lately : )
Thank you, Doug. So pleased to find this. I’ve been looking for a go-to progressive voting recommendation list. Used to seek out the League of women Voters, but have been unable to find them lately : )
Incredible work – thanks so much, dude Doug. You have made it easy to peruse the candidates and propositions.
Thanks so much for this, it was indispensable in filling out my ballot! You might consider linking to your article about the judges in the main body of this article at least; I found the article on judges helped me make a (more) informed choice.
Thanks again!
Thanks, Doug. Since CityBeat went all milquetoast, you seem to be the only source for progressive perspective.
Priceless information. Thank you x100
Tonight’s KUSI Mayoral debate (May 24, 9 pm) : A survey is now available showing Faulconer 48% Saldaña 26% Harris 20%
Check the details at www. IVN.us http://bit.ly/IVN_Poll
Follow along on Twitter at #SDMayor
“The poll targeted registered voters of the city of San Diego on Facebook and connected their party registration to their poll choices, according to the IVN San Diego. The poll was weighted to match voter turnout of the two previous Presidential primary elections.
“When people were asked which candidate they would vote for, Mayor Faulconer received a little over 48 percent of the vote with Lori Saldana at 26.41 percent and Ed Harris at 20.47 percent. 5.06 percent of people selected other.
“Ed Harris received the biggest boost of about 3 percent when party affiliations were included.
The poll was taken by more than 600 people and has a margin of error of 3.5%.”
I can’t find your endorsements for judges of the superior court. Can you help?
Hi Diane. There’s a reason the judges aren’t included in this list. Check out Doug Porter’s earlier column on the judicial contests. As he’s said elsewhere, “the more I looked at it, the less I liked any of the candidates.”
Sanders and http://www.voteprogressiveca.com say to vote NO on Prop 50.
The idea is that most of the state senate currently are corrupt, so raising the bar to 2/3 instead of half makes it harder to suspend someone who IS corrupt because the honest minority will never get the allies they need to meet the 2/3. It does more to cement those in power.
I also say vote NO on Prop 50. Here’s why:
This measure is supposed to be an incentive for our state reps to be good and to provide a punishment if they aren’t. It would allow both senators and assemblypersons to be suspended for a certain period without pay and benefits. (Currently, legislators can be suspended, but they continue to occupy offices in the capitol and draw their regular pay.)
That’s good except for one thing: currently, suspension needs a majority vote, while Prop 50 would mandate a 2/3 vote. The argument in the voters booklet says this would “guard against political misuse.”
I think they have made a provision that has great promise for voters – no pay for no work – but also has a condition so stringent that it will probably never be implemented. This measure is a proposed Constitutional amendment submitted to voters by the legislature for ratification. Rather than amend the Constitution with something that isn’t as good, I say, let’s stick to the imperfect law we now have.
If you are looking for a progressive Berniecrat voter guide, please see http://www.voteprogressiveca.com
Very much appreciate your efforts. Thank you. Definitely a “lesser of two evils” situation a couple times, I appreciate your perspective — ended up going Green for Senator because both the current (D) candidates don’t seem to have a lesser evil version. Had my mind blown when I went to your link about the judges, too.
Found this site via Google while comparing 2016 endorsements. Your page was the best researched and written. I have bookmarked sandiegofreepress for future perusal.
Thank you again for your work.
Thank you for this helpful guide. For the record, Sarah Saez is a strong Bernie supporter, and was not given the endorsement code to reflect that.
Ooops! THat’s an oversight and has been fixed…
Doubt understand the yes cite on C. Isn’t it dangerous to mess with Prop 13???
Nobody we know of from any ideological persuasion says it messes with Prop 13. Got a source for that?
What about Judges????
There’s a reason the judges aren’t included in this list. Check out my earlier column on the judicial contests. As I said elsewhere, “the more I looked at it, the less I liked any of the candidates.”
Thank you for referring me to the article. I learned something I really wanted to know and that is that Mangione is a Democrat.
Also, I looked at Paul Ware’s FB page and it really spooked me. Too many comments there are similar to comments Trump supporters make on his FB page.
Thanks for this. I do love the little handy images next to all candidates.
How about Country Central Committee 79th Assembly District?
See the end of the story. “One final note…”
For US Senator, did you look at Steve STokes? He’s a Bernie supporter and activist..
Can’t find a Bernie supporter suggestion for 76th district Dem Assembly.
Also…Kamala Harris should NOT be recc….she’s right there in the corruption tank with Clinton. Please change this to Steve Stokes, a Bernicrat. Thanks!
Who can set up a blog which will have all council reps and mayor report to us as to contacts with lobbyists, campaign contribs, progress on platform items, income not set by statute and the like. Make reps our employees?
If they refuse, deny them our vote….back others who do report