All my Los Angeles friends are driving me crazy about down-ballot races. We all have our ballots and everyone wants to vote NOW. So, here are my suggestions. The only candidates endorsed by Blue America-- so the only thoroughly vetted candidates are incumbent Congressman Ted Lieu and for Los Angeles County District Attorney challenger George Gascón. All the rest is just my personal preferences. I'll start with Congress:
• CA-23- Although I'm not big on lesser of two evils candidates, Kim Mangone isn't that bad and she's running against Republican minority leader Kevin McCarthy. If I lived up in the northern Antelope Valley I'd vote for her.• CA-25- No recommendation- Conservative Democrat Christy Smith will probably win and be a Garbagecrat in Congress. I would never vote for her or her GOP opponent.• CA-26- No recommendation- New Dem Julia Brownley doesn't deserve progressive support.• CA-27- Judy Chu is an excellent progressive.• CA-28- Adam Schiff is a former Blue Dog and current New Dem who I have made a point of not voting for. He's gotten better over time and I'm going to vote for him this time.• CA-29- Crooked Democrat Tony Cardenas stinks and progressive reformer Angélica María Dueñas would make an excellent congresswoman.• CA-30- No recommendation-- Brad Sherman is too anti-Palestinian.• CA-32- Grace Napolitano deserves to be reelected.• CA-33- Ted Lieu is one of the best members of Congress.• CA-34- Incumbent Jimmy Gomez isn't terrible-- but a disappointment in a blue district that deserves a fiery progressive leader. If I lived there-- it's a few blocked from where I do live, I'd vote for David Kim, the kind of fiery progressive districts this blue should demand.• CA-35- No recommendation-- Norma Torres is too conservative for the district.• CA-37- Karen Bass deserves reelection• CA-38- No recommendation but I'd probably vote to reelect Linda Sánchez• CA-39- Gil Cisneros is running for reelection against a terrible Republican but he's a terrible Democrat ("ex"-Republican). I recommend not voting for either.• CA-40- Lucille Roybal-Allard deserves reelection.• CA-42- Though not actually in L.A., I couldn't pass up the opportunity to plug the progressive Democrat taking on Crooked Ken Calvert, Liam O'Mara. If you can't vote for him, please contribute to his campaign here.• CA-43- Maxine Waters deserves to be reelected.• CA-44- Nanette Barragán deserves to be reelected.• CA-47- Alan Lowenthal deserves to be reelected.
Before we get to the state legislature, let me mention that David Ryu has been a good City Council member (my district) and that his opponent, Nithya Raman may turn out to be even better. I will probably decide at the very last second. I would vote for Holly Mitchell over Herb Wesson for the Board of Supervisors OK, state Senate first:
• SD-21- no recommendation.• SD-25- Anthony Portantino deserves reelection.• SD-27- Henry Stern deserves reelection.• SD-29- Josh Newman can actually flip a GOP held seat.• SD-33- Lena Gonzalez deserves reelection.• SD-35- Steve Bradford deserves reelection.
There are a lot of Assembly races and the first one is disgusting and I urge you to NOT vote for either dreadful candidate:
• AD-36- Republican Tom Lackey sucks. Democrat Steve Fox is just as bad.• AD-38- No recommendation in this R vs R race to replace fake Democrats Christy Smith now running for Congress.• AD-39- Luz Maria Rivas deserves reelection.• AD-41- Chris Holden deserves reelection.• AD-43- No recommendation-- Laura Friedman is my own Assemblymember. She's vaguely progressivish but not really and she favors charter schools. I'd never vote for her.• AD-44- No recommendation.• AD-45- No recommendation.• AD-46- Adrin Nazarian deserves reelection.• AD-48- No recommendation, but I would never vote for conservative Democrat Blanca Rubio (who is running unopposed).• AD-49- Edwin Chau deserves reelection.• AD-50- Richard Bloom deserves reelection.• AD-51- Wendy Carrillo deserves reelection.• AD-52- No recommendation-- Conservative Democrat Freddie Rodriguez was not earned reelection.• AD-53- D vs D race-- incumbent Miguel Santiago was been pretty good. I would vote for challenger Godfrey Santos Plata who I think will be even better.• AD-54- No recommendation.• AD-55- Andrew Rodriguez could flip this district blue.• AD-57- No recommendation.• AD-59- Reginald Jones-Sawyer deserves reelection against a conservative Democrat.• AD-62- No recommendation.• AD-63- Maria Estrada would make a better Assembly Member than Speaker Anthony Rendón, who helped Gavin Newsom derail Medicare-for-All.• AD-64- Fatima Iqbal-Zubair would make a much better member than crooked-crap conservative Mike Gipson.• AD-66- No recommendation.• AD-70- No recommendation. Conservative Democratic incumbent Patrick O’Donnell sucks and should not be reelected.
Let's get to the ballot measures. L.A. County has one-- J, which increases funding for housing and mental-health while decreasing it for the police. I'm voting yes. And here are the state ballot measures:
• 14 - Yes on stem cell research funding• 15 - Yes on increasing revenue on commercial property taxes for public school funding• 16 - Yes on affirmative action• 17 - Yes on restoring voting rights to parolees• 18 - Yes to allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the general election• 19 - No on another trick to expand Prop 13• 20 - No to increasing penalties for low-level offenses and handing more power to corrupt police forces• 21 - Yes to allow local governments to establish rent control• 22 - No to classifying ride-share and delivery companies as independent contractors, and not employees• 23 - Yes on requiring dialysis facilities to operate more safely• 24 - No to this proposal to allow companies to charge consumers to not sell their personal information. (I would rather see the death penalty for people who sell private records but I know that will never happen so voting against this will have to do for now.)• 25 - Yes to end cash bail.
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