This week is all about weddings…
Congratulations to Phyllis and Del, finally, legally married in the state of California. And congratulations to Shannon Minter and the entire team at NCLR, and all the other supporting organizations, who made a compelling case to our Supreme Court.
you may kiss…, originally uploaded by katerw.
It was an absolute pleasure to attend my dear friend Abby’s wedding last weekend. She and Avram hosted an unbelievable retreat in Brandeis, CA, that included a talent show, a campfire, kickball and lots of swimming. Oh, and a marriage. Mazel Tov!
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the only downside to Abby and Avram’s weekend was that it meant missing the McLjubicich merger… err… celebration, back in New York. Congratulations Lauren and Erin, I plan on toasting you in person when you return from your honeymoon.
Last weekend I went on a little road trip with some friends down to Anaheim to spend the weekend in the Disney-plex. The impetus to go was to attend a preview of the new Toy Story Mania ride that opens
this weekend.
In our less than 36 hours down there we learned a some valuable lessons:
1. Gas is expensive. But who hasn’t learned that by now…
2. I totally suck at interactive games/rides like Toy Story and Buzz Lightyear. I got creamed by my fellow road trippers. (That is my score on the right, and just for context, Eoin scored in the 100K range.) You should see my embarrassing Astroblaster score…
3. Disneyland is empty at 7:15 am… making it a whole lot easier to ride Space Mountain over and over.
4. Sometimes, Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth.
After a quick weekend jaunt down to Disneyland, I’m catching up on some web work, tomato alerts and the presidential race. The reaction to Hillary’s speech last Tuesday further proved to me that most of the talking political heads had a vested self-interest in perpetuating the ongoing Clinton/Obama battle that was paying their bills. Even though I too grew tired of the campaigning, I resented all of the commentators who blasted Hillary not conceding last week. Watching CNN after her speech, I found it surprising that James Carville came across as the most level headed, arguing that Hillary would bow out soon enough. Granted he is a close Clinton ally, but he was pleasant to see someone not just jumping on another opportunity to bash her. I too had faith that she would soon fall in line behind Obama for the good of the party and of the country. And she sure did… While I was driving south on the 5, Hillary gave her best speech of the year… possibly of her career. And proved herself worthy of all those 18 million votes, including mine. So, if you haven’t already, take a half hour out of your day to listen. And be a little proud of America for breaking some serious ground this election cycle. P.S. At the very beginning of the speech the camera pans around my favorite Washington building, the National Building Museum. It is gorgeous… the camera doesn’t quite do the Great Hall justice, so go visit when you are in town.a moment to love hillary
Now that the crew (and guests) have seen WALL•E, a few unofficial reviews have been posted. Since I have absolutely no ability to judge the film, it is encouraging to read such glowing appraisals.
Reading them also led to me to several vignettes were new to me… and had me laughing out loud. I love our little robot. (If you only watch one, check out the first clip.)
Hey there fellow Californians, here’s our second chance to hit the polls this year. If you haven’t already dropped off your absentee ballot I offer a few last minute election suggestions. My recommendations are based my research and the endorsements of San Francisco Bay Guardian and the SF League of Young Voters. In the case that they disagree I have included both of their opinions.
By the way, if you don’t know, you can find your polling place at Smart Voter.
Statewide Ballot:
No on 98
Yes on 99
San Francisco Ballot Initiatives:
| Prop # | Prop Name | Young | Guardian |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | School Parcel Tax | YES | YES, YES, YES |
| B | City Retirement | YES | YES |
| C | Moral Turpitude | NO | NO |
| D | Diversity on Comissions | YES | YES |
| E | PUC Board | YES | YES |
| F | 50% Affordable Housing | HELL YEAH | YES |
| G | Fake Affordable Housing | HELL NO | NO |
| H | Campaign Finance Reform | n/e | NO |
State Senate - Disrict 3 (SF, Marin): No suggestion
I am truly torn on this one. In my heart I want to vote for Carole Migden. Even though she’s not perfect, she has an outstanding record of fighting for progressive causes both here in San Francisco and up in Sacramento. However, Mark Leno is an equally impressive legislator who has dedicated his life to championing queer rights. (Not that Migden hasn’t.) Truly this race has come down to one of personality and style. And it has been an ugly fight. The momentum seems to be behind Leno and there are all sorts of rumors floating that voting for Migden is really a vote for the third candidate, Joe Nation. The fear is that all the nasty infighting within the queer community will split the vote allowing Nation to win tomorrow’s primary.
In some ways this whole Midgen/Leno mess has been worse than the arguments between Clinton and Obama supporters. And on the eve of this election I feel similarly frustrated with the choice we all have to make. So, officially, I give no endorsement on this whole debacle. I just hope the progressive queer community can heal after tomorrow.
State Assembly, District 13: Tom Ammiano
If it weren’t for those pesky term limits, we wouldn’t be in the above mess. But the silver lining is that Tom gets to represent more than the Mission now. We’re going to miss him down here in the city, and I still wish he had become our mayor… but Tom’s going to be great in Sacramento.
Superior Court Judge, Seat 12: Gerardo Sandoval
From what I understand he’s been a decent supervisor, and the divided supporters of Leno and Migden seem to easily agree on Sandoval.
San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee - Dist 13 (Eastside)
The DCCC is said to be the most expensive and most competitive race to win that no one’s ever heard of. Since the majority of the SF readers of this blog live in District 13, I’m limiting my table to that race. For more detail on how all the candidates stand up to one another, check out the fantastic spreadsheet created by the League. They also have one for the West side of the city, District 12.
Just a note that the Guardian endorsed the entire “Hope Slate”, a crew of progressives who teamed up to campaign together. The League of Young Voters differs slightly on their recs. (Just to make it easier, the rows will sort if you click the header.) FYI… You get to vote for 12 people for the DCCC.
| DCCC Dist 13 East | Young | Guardian |
|---|---|---|
| James Hermann | ||
| Rebecca Rottman | ||
| Stuart M. Smith | ||
| Linda Richardson | ||
| Michael R. Farrah, Jr. | ||
| Holli Their | ||
| Gilbert F. Criswell | ||
| Michael Goldstein | YES | YES |
| Rick Hauptman | YES | |
| Rafael Mandelman | YES | YES |
| Chris Daly | YES | YES |
| Aaron Peskin | YES | YES |
| Luke Klipp | ||
| Shirley Golub | ||
| David James Villa-Lobos | ||
| Catherine Dodd | ||
| Louise Fischer | ||
| Eric Quezada | YES | YES |
| Bill Barnes | YES | YES |
| Scott Weiner | ||
| E. Nicole | ||
| Joe Julian | YES | YES |
| Rodney Hauge | ||
| Laura Spanjian | YES | |
| David Chiu | YES | |
| David Campos | YES | YES |
| Debra Walker | YES | YES |
| Robert Haaland | YES | YES |
| Howard Grayson | ||
| Leslie Katz | ||
| Darolyn Davis | ||
| David Cruise |
There you have it. Now get out there and vote. Polls are open from 7am to 8pm.
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