Politics & Government
Endorsements for City Council Race: Who's Backing Whom in District 1
From the Sierra Club to the Oakland Police Officers Association, candidates for the District 1 seat on the Oakland City Council have been racking up endorsements from groups and individuals. Here's a look at some of them.
Barack Obama has Alicia Keys and George Clooney. Mitt Romney has Clint Eastwood (local connection — attended Oakland Tech) and Kid Rock.
Endorsements, whether from celebrities, newspapers, organizations or individuals, are a traditional part of American poitical campaigns. Do they really matter?
Absolutely, says the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), which devotes a webpage to giving candidates and groups tips on how to obtain endorsements. Not as much as they used to, says the Daily Cal in an article about this year's local races in Berkeley.
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Celebrities aside, endorsements are just one tool voters can use in deciding among candidates. They may be most useful in providing hints about a candidate's political alliances and connections.
It's important to realize that not all endorsements are created equal. Some organizations look carefully at a candidate's voting record (for incumbents and previous offices holders). Some interview all candidates and take their answers into account. Some essentially poll their members, which may work against newcomers. Endorsements from indviduals are especially tricky — they may represent substantial agreement on political issues or simply reflect a personal friendship.
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With all those caveats, here's a look at some of the organizations and individuals who have endorsed one or more of the seven candidates for the District 1 seat on the Oakland City Council. It's a very incomplete list — all candidates have listed dozens or even hundreds of endorsements on their campaign websites (listed at the bottom of this article). Endorsements have been taken from those websites and not independently confirmed.
We focused on the following categories: political parties, clubs and organizations; business and labor groups; environmental organizations; and current local office holders and appointees.
POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS
Alameda County Democratic Party: Dan Kalb
Alameda County Democratic Lawyers Club: Dan Kalb
Alameda County Democratic Lawyers Club: Dan Kalb
East Bay Stonewall LGBT Democrats: Dan Kalb
John George Democratic Club: Dan Kalb, Amy Lemley, Richard Raya
Metropolitan Greater Oakland (MGO) Democratic Club: Dan Kalb
Oakland East Bay Democratic Club: Dan Kalb
Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club: Dan Kalb
Alameda County Green Party: Don Macleay
Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party: Don Macleay
Oakland Rising Action: Richard Raya (1st), Dan Kalb (2nd)
BUSINESS
East Bay Small Business Council: Amy Lemley
Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce: Amy Lemley
OakPAC (Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce's Political Action Committee): Amy Lemley, Richard Raya
LABOR
Alameda County Labor Council, AFL-CIO: Dan Kalb
Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council: Dan Kalb, Amy Lemley
International Association of Firefighters, Local 55: Amy Lemley, Richard Raya
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 595: Don Link
Oakland Education Association: Amy Lemley, Don Macleay
Oakland Police Officers Association: Amy Lemley
Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 1021: Dan Kalb
ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
Sierra Club: Dan Kalb
ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS
Oakland City Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente: Richard Raya
Oakland City Councilmember Pat Kernighan: Amy Lemley
Oakland City Councilmember Larry Reid: Amy Lemley
Oakland City Councilmember Libby Schaaf: Amy Lemley
Oakland Parks & Recreation Commissioner Susan Montauk: Don Link
Oakland Planning Commission Chair Vien Truong: Richard Raya
Oakland School Board member/vice president Jumoke Hinton Hodge: Richard Raya
State Senator Loni Hancock: Dan Kalb
State Assemblymember Nancy Skinner: Dan Kalb
State Assemblymember Sandré Swanson: Dan Kalb, Amy Lemley, Richard Raya
Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson: Dan Kalb, Amy Lemley
Alameda County Superintendent of Schools Sheila Jordan: Amy Lemley
Candidates' Campaign Websites
Craig Brandt, craigforoakland.com
Dan Kalb, dankalb.net
Amy Lemley, amylemleyforoakland.com
Don Link, linkforoakland.org
Don Macleay, oaklandgreens.org/don/
Len Raphael, lensforchange.com
Richard Raya, www.rayaforoakland.com
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