You are here:
Rick -> Rick's Election Analyses -> June 3, 2008

Tuesday, 2008-06-03 Statewide Direct Primary Election

Notes by Rick Moen

Last updated 2008-06-04

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 02:41:00 -0700
From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
To: Deirdre Saoirse Moen, Cheryl Morris, Dani Renan, Ross Bernheim
Subject: California primary election today

This is the first year that California's presidential primary has been moved to February, but that still leaves the June primary. Which is today, Tuesday, June 3rd.

To my knowledge, the only issue on the ballot (with possible exceptions for local districts, etc., that aren't near our house in Menlo Park) is two ballot propositions:

98: Curbs abuses of eminent domain real estate "takings", but also bans rent control and other renter protections. Backed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers' Association (HJTA - real estate interests).

99. Curbs abuses of eminent domain real estate "takings".

Make up your own mind, but I'm voting for 99. 98 strikes me as pure HJTA opportunism, attempting to ride the backlash against the USSC decision "Kelo v. City of New London" in 2005 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London ).

No on 98. Yes on 99.

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 04:10:45 -0700
From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
To: Deirdre Saoirse Moen, Cheryl Morris, Dani Renan, Ross Bernheim
Subject: Re: California primary election today

I wrote:

> To my knowledge, the only issue on the ballot (with possible exceptions
> for local districts, etc., that aren't near our house in Menlo Park)
> is two ballot propositions:

Er, forgot the obvious:

o Primary campaigns for: All state Assemblymen. Many state Senators. All members of the House of Representatives.

o Superior Court judges in some places.

o Members of party central committees.

o County boards of supervisors.

o City/town councils (for those who live in cities or towns).

o County measures. San Mateo County wants to add a 1/8% sales tax increase, to fund parks, recreation centres, afterschool programmes, trails, recreation areas. I'd urge NO. Sales taxes are regressive!

o Various city and special-district parcel tax proposals.

I'm voting this slate:

Congressional 14th District: Anna G. Eshoo
11th State Senate District: Joe Simitian
21st State Assembly District: Ira Ruskin

Members of the Democratic Party Central Committee (S.M. County):
Barbara Arietta
April Vargas
Gregory Loew
Daniel Kahn Yost
Carole G. Dorshkind

Judge of the S.M. County Superior Court, Office #7:
Don Franchi
(This is an interesting race. See:
http://homepage.mac.com/davstrom/davewriting/dave_vote_2008_06.html
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=91832)

S.M. County Supervisor, 1st District:
Demetrios Nikas
(see: http://www.theburlingamedailynews.com/article/2008-5-20-supes-district-1
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=92632)

S.M. County Supervisor, 4th District
Rose Jacobs Gibson

S.M. County Supervisor, 5th District
Adrienne J. Tissier (unopposed)

Prop. 98: NO! (Howard Jarvis Taxpayers' Assoc.)
Prop. 99: Yes.

S.M. County Measure O (regressive sales tax increase): No.

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 22:31:04 -0700
From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
To: Deirdre Saoirse Moen, Cheryl Morris, Dani Renan, Ross Bernheim
Subject: Election results

http://www.shapethefuture.org/elections/results/june2008/cumulativeresults.asp (S.M. County Registrar of Voters) has semi-official data representing data from all 553 county precincts.

Anna G. Eshoo won 100% of the Democratic vote for 12th Congressional Dist.

Joe Simitian, ditto for 11th State Senate.

Ira Ruskin, ditto for 21st State Assembly.

Democratic Central Committee for S.M. County, 3rd District: My recommendation, and Deirdre's and my vote (vote for 5) was:

Barbara Arietta
April Vargas
Gregory Loew
Daniel Kahn Yost
Carole G. Dorshkind

Starting with the candidate (of 9 listed) who got the most votes, in descending vote order, these five won:

April Vargas
Carole G. Dorshkind
Jon S. Levinson
Cecily Harris
Gregory Loew

Judge of the Superior Court, Office #7: This was the interesting, rare contested judicial race to fill the seat of retiring justice John Runde. Mr. Jerry E. Nastari had the endorsement of all of the sitting judges. Mr. Don Franchi promised to concentrate on unprestigious Family Law.

Jerry E. Nastari: lost, 48.9%
Don Franchi: won, 51.1%

Wow! An upset and a real squeaker. Our votes really counted.

Member, Board of Supervisors, 1st District: This is where darkhorse retired airline mechanic Demetrios Nikas, whom I recommended, was trying to unseat veteran supervisor Mark Church.

Demetrios Nikas: lost, 16%
Mark Church: won, 84%

Member, Board of Supervisors, 5th District: I supported incumbent Rose Jacobs Gibson.

John B. Bostic: lost, 32%
Rose Jacobs Gibson: won, 68%

State Proposition 98 (the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assoc. one)
Yes: lost, 39.0%
No: won, 61.0% <- I urged

State Proposition 99 (just eminent domain reform)
Yes: won, 62.5% <- I urged
No: lost, 37.5%

County Measure O (sales tax increase):
Yes: lost, 39.7%
No: won, 60.3% <- I urged