Along with casting votes for their favored 2016 presidential candidate, Democratic voters in San Francisco will also be voting on the June 7 primary ballot for who they want to lead the local Democratic Party.
Candidates from the city's two state Assembly districts will be running for seats on what is known as the Democratic County Central Committee, referred to as the D-triple-C for short.
Not only do members of the body elect a party chair from amongst themselves, they also decide which candidates to endorse in local races as well as which municipal ballot measures the party supports.
Thus, the winners in June will determine whom the local Democratic Party backs in the odd-numbered supervisor races next November. Their decision could be influential, as the party's support continues to be seen as a key advantage for candidates as it opens the door to financial backing and placement on the party's slate card sent to voters.
With progressives holding a 6-5 majority on the Board of Supervisors due to Aaron Peskin's election last month as District 3 supervisor, the fall election presents the city's moderates a chance to tip the balance of power back to their camp. Both political factions are sure to run candidates for DCCC in order to impact the party's endorsement process next summer.
The race, now held during presidential election years, has traditionally drawn a long list of candidates, including of late a number of sitting supervisors. Apart from wielding influence in local politics, a DCCC seat can also be a launching pad for those interested in running for political office themselves one day.
The DCCC race also attracts a sizeable contingent of LGBT community leaders. Three out candidates have already pulled papers, with the total set to increase as the March 11 filing deadline nears.
Surveyed by the Political Notebook over the last week, a majority of the current 11 lesbian, gay, and bisexual DCCC members �" there are no elected transgender members on the body �" plan to seek re-election next year to another four-year term on the oversight body.
In addition to the out incumbents planning to run, so far one gay candidate, Shaun Haines, has already pulled papers to seek one of the 17th Assembly District DCCC seats. A native San Franciscan who is African American, Haines in May was appointed to serve on the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance Task Force and also sits on the LGBT advisory committee to the city's Human Rights Commission.
Haines told the Bay Area Reporter his interest in serving on the DCCC stems from his wanting to help diversify the Democratic Party and the city's elected leadership.
"It is something I have been trying to take a close look at," said Haines, 37, an Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club member who serves on its board. "I want to use my personal experience to work on addressing that problem."
The lone out person on the DCCC representing the city's western 19th Assembly District, which has 10 elected seats on the body, is already raising money for his campaign. Joel Engardio was tapped in July by party chair Mary Jung to serve out the term of gay longtime DCCC member Arlo Hale Smith, who resigned due to health reasons.
"Championing common sense in San Francisco will be a two-step process in 2016: The DCCC election in June and the supervisor race in November," wrote Engardio, a columnist for the San Francisco Examiner who unsuccessfully ran for the District 7 supervisor seat in 2012, in an email last month to readers of his column that also asked for donations to his DCCC campaign.
Most of the 10 out DCCC members from the 17th Assembly District, which covers the city's eastern neighborhoods, are planning to run again for one of the 14 seats on the DCCC assigned to that district.
The only one to have filed to date, however, is Carole Migden, a lesbian and former state lawmaker. She also reported having $4,588.69 in her campaign account as of October 17, based on her most recent filing with the city's ethics commission.
Seven of the other incumbents told the B.A.R. they would be seeking another term, including lesbian library commissioner Zoe Dunning, the outgoing co-chair of the politically moderate Alice club, and former Alice co-chair Rebecca Prozan .
"I haven't filed yet but absolutely plan to run," Prozan told the B.A.R., adding that her motivation for doing so is to elect Hillary Clinton president "and work to keep our country a nation of immigrants!"
Gay former District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty , who recently resigned as Mayor Ed Lee 's homeless czar, and gay attorney Rafael Mandelman, a onetime president of the more progressive Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, both said they would be running again for DCCC seats.
"I'm running to help elect progressive Democrats to state and national offices and to continue pushing our local party in a more liberal, reform-oriented direction," Mandelman, who is traveling in Asia, wrote in an emailed reply.
Gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener , a former chair of the local party, will also be seeking re-election to the DCCC, on which he has served since 2004. He will appear on the June ballot twice, as he is also running in the primary for the Senate District 11 seat, which includes all of San Francisco and portions of northern San Mateo County.
"I'm committed to continuing to build the party as we head into a Presidential election year - a year when we need to get Kamala Harris elected to the U.S. Senate," Wiener told the B.A.R. "I look forward to getting a terrific group of Democrats elected to the DCCC so that we can do that work."
City attorney spokesman Matt Dorsey , a gay man who serves as the DCCC's secretary, is also planning to seek another term. As the only person on the body living with HIV - and believed to be the only HIV-positive person in the city serving in an elected role - Dorsey said he wants to ensure the HIV community continues to have a voice within the party.
"I am proud of the work I did as secretary to revamp the party's website," said Dorsey, adding that he also "worked hard to rewrite the bylaws to accommodate having" five supervisors, at one time, serving on the DCCC so that the committee did not violate the state's open meetings rules that govern politicians.
"I think I have done a good job of reaching out to people I disagree with to find common ground," said Dorsey.
Mayoral spokesman Francis Tsang , appointed to fill the seat vacated by former supervisor David Chiu after he won election last year to the state Assembly, told the B.A.R. he now plans to seek election to a full term on the DCCC.
"As the only Asian incumbent in AD17 and among the few LGBT members on the DCCC, I'm going to run a vigorous campaign to retain my seat," wrote Tsang in an emailed reply. "Next year is an important year as we have an opportunity to elect the first woman president of the United States. I want to continue the work I am doing to keep the community engaged and ensure they have a voice on important issues that affect our city."
Both gay District 9 Supervisor David Campos , who is termed off the board next year, and bisexual police commissioner Petra DeJesus, an attorney, said they have yet to decide if they will run again for a DCCC seat.
Gay man eyes SF D7 supe race
In addition to running for re-election to his DCCC seat, Joel Engardio is also eyeing another campaign for the District 7 supervisor seat next fall.
Three years ago Engardio, considered a moderate, came up short in his bid to represent the district centered west of Twin Peaks. The winner, Norman Yee, has already pulled papers to seek re-election to a second, and final, four-year term.
In his fundraising appeal sent out last month for his DCCC race, Engardio wrote that he was seeking donations through December 31 and added, "Then we can focus on fundraising for supervisor soon after the start of the new year."
Asked if he was running for supervisor, Engardio told the B.A.R. he had yet to pull papers because he has not made a final decision on if he would run against Yee, who is part of the board's more progressive bloc of supervisors.
"While raising funds for my DCCC race, the number one question from donors was when could they give for supervisor. My DCCC donors are motivated and some even said they wanted to wait until I was a supervisor candidate and give then," wrote Engardio via a Facebook message as he was in Taiwan visiting his husband's family during Thanksgiving week.
He added, "I would like to run for D7 supervisor again because D7 residents deserve better representation on issues the homeowner majority district cares about. I will focus on raising my DCCC funds now and then consider the D7 supervisor race in the new year."
Gay PA congressional candidate visits SF
Local supporters of gay Pennsylvania Democratic state lawmaker Brian Sims are hosting fundraisers this week for his congressional campaign. It is part of a West Coast fundraising swing for the up-and-coming politico.
Sims is seeking his state's 2nd congressional district seat centered in Philadelphia. Three years ago he became the first out person elected to his state's Legislature when he won his House of Representatives seat based in the heart of the liberal city.
Beloved within the gay bear community, the bearded Sims is no stranger to tapping into Californians' wallets. In 2013 he held events in Los Angeles and San Francisco in search of donations for his statehouse re-election campaign.
He is once again looking for support in both cities, with several stops Thursday, December 3 in southern California and then events in San Francisco the following day.
He will first be at a private fundraiser in Noe Valley followed by a more public event at 7:30 p.m. Friday hosted by Joe's Barbershop, at 2150 Market Street.
The suggested donation is at least $25 to attend. To purchase a ticket online, visit https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/joesbarbershop?refcode=facebook.
For questions email Raven McShane, a campaign consultant for Sims, at [email protected] or call (206) 892-8298.
The Political Notes online column will return Monday, December 7.
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Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail [email protected].