San Francisco isn't the only city where LGBT candidates are seeking local office. In fact, this year a bevy of out candidates is running for positions in city council, college board, and municipal districts in the East Bay and San Mateo County.
San Francisco races
First though, recommendations in a few more San Francisco races.
For San Francisco Superior Court, we endorsed attorney Daniel Flores in the June primary. Flores is a straight ally who stands out to us because of his experience on the civil and criminal sides of the legal profession. More than 20 judges have endorsed his candidacy and he would be an asset to the bench.
For assessor-recorder we endorse incumbent Carmen Chu , who has been effective in running the office. Chu, a straight ally, is unopposed.
For public defender, we endorse incumbent Jeff Adachi . He has recruited top attorneys who represent some of the city's most vulnerable defendants. A straight ally, Adachi is unopposed.
Now on to our recommendations for regional races.
Oakland City Council
For District 2 on the Oakland City Council we recommend Abel Guillen, a former Peralta Community College trustee. District 2 includes Lake Merritt, Grand Lake, Crocker Highlands, Cleveland Heights, and Gold Coast. Pat Kernighan of District 2 and the current council president has endorsed him. Public safety is his top priority and he wants to expand walking, beat, and bike police patrols, smart moves in a district with a lot of public space and merchant corridors. According to his website, he will also work on citywide efforts to create more affordable housing options linked to public transit. Guillen, who identifies as two-spirit, would be an important voice on the council for LGBTQ youth funding, a critical issue this year.
Berkeley City Council
In District 7, we endorse longtime incumbent Kriss Worthington. A gay man who is a 17-year veteran of the council, Worthington has led on issues affecting UC Berkeley students, tenants, and others, including LGBTs. On affordable housing, according to his website, Worthington successfully sponsored a ballot measure to protect seniors and disabled tenants. On diversity, Worthington appointed students, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and women commissioners. He also helped small businesses by sponsoring a diversity study to encourage more such shops, as well as local work and minority-owned contracting opportunities. Worthington is an effective councilman and deserves another term.
In District 8, we recommend Lori Droste , a lesbian mom who told us the council lacks the perspective of someone with a young family. She is also concerned with housing affordability, and safety issues, from safe streets for pedestrians to sexual assaults. Droste has been active in the city of Berkeley for years. She is the chair of the city's Commission on the Status of Women and vice chair of the Alameda County Human Relations Commission, so she has local government experience. The district includes the Elmwood neighborhood.
Emeryville City Council
Emeryville, which borders Oakland, has a competitive race for its City Council and we recommend John Bauters . A two-year resident of the city, Bauters, a gay man, is a policy director for a nonprofit housing agency. His top priorities, he told us, include affordable housing for families, particularly city staff, and the city's schools. Long known for its commercial corridors and big box retailers, young families are moving to the area. Bauters has the support of lesbian City Councilwoman Ruth Atkin and gay Berkeley City Councilman Darryl Moore.
El Cerrito City Council
Voters in El Cerrito have an opportunity to elect a gay man who has deep experience in city government: City Council candidate Gabriel Quinto. He serves on the city's Human Relations Commission and Committee on Aging. Quinto is also concerned about affordable housing, particularly near the city's two BART stations. Quinto told us that he realizes the importance of being one of the few elected officials living with HIV, should he win. But it's a sense of community �" he's a 17-year city resident �" that drove Quinto to seek a council seat. And he would tackle the basics �" ensuring adequate funding for public safety and first responders �" if he's successful in his race. He would be a good fit for the council.
Peralta Community College Board
The Peralta Community College District includes campuses in Berkeley, Oakland, and the city of Alameda. In the race for Area 7 we recommend Richard Fuentes, a gay man who came up short in his bid for an Oakland school board seat two years ago. This time around, Fuentes has better organization, some name identification, and the support of numerous elected officials, including Assemblymen Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), Richard Gordon (D-Menlo Park), and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). If elected, Fuentes would succeed the aforementioned Guillen in the seat. Fuentes has been involved in education issues for many years. He stated on his website that he is committed to ensuring that students have access to community colleges and that the schools have the programs that will meet students' needs in this new economy.
East Bay Municipal Utility District
In the race for EBMUD Ward 3, we endorse Marguerite Young , who is keenly aware of the significant challenges ahead given the drought and its effects on the East Bay's primary water board. Young is a lesbian who is a third generation Californian and a 24-year Oakland resident. The agency's ability to deliver reliable and adequate supplies of clean water also depends on infrastructure, Young says on her website; effective response to fires and earthquakes also depends on this. Much of EBMUD's 4,000 miles of pipelines are reaching the end of their lifespan and Young wants to be part of the change that is needed in the district. She is endorsed by key EBMUD board members (current and retired), and water officials from other agencies. She would bring a fresh perspective to the board.
In the Ward 4 seat, incumbent Andy Katz has our endorsement. Katz is a bi man who was first elected in 2006. He's a clean air attorney and public health advocate for Breathe California. He supports the district's efforts to expand water conservation programs and double recycled water projects. According to information on the EBMUD website, during his time on the board Katz initiated policies protecting tenants in apartment buildings from water service termination and expanded the district's customer assistance program for low-income households.
Richmond City Council
Recent media accounts have publicized the anti-gay verbal bullying that lesbian Richmond City Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Jovanka Beckles has endured since winning her seat four years ago. Now she is up for re-election and we strongly urge voters in the East Bay city to return her to office. In her first term, she initiated a minimum wage increase in the city, assisted in the creation of a workplace bullying policy, and improved police-community relations, according to her website. Beckles helped small business owners and supported efforts to bring more jobs to the Port of Richmond. She's a strong progressive voice on a council who has worked effectively with residents and community leaders to improve the city.
San Mateo County Harbor Commission
For this municipal race, we recommend incumbent Robert Bernardo, a former South San Francisco planning commissioner. Bernardo, who is a gay man, works at the Port of Oakland but has long lived in San Mateo County. The harbor district oversees the operation of two public harbors, Oyster Point in South San Francisco and Pillar Point near Half Moon Bay. During his first term, according to information on the harbor commission website, Bernardo championed a budget to pay off the district's $19.7 million debt a year ahead of schedule. He has been an effective commissioner and will continue working for policies to enhance the harbors.