endorsements

LA Times Endorsement: Kamala Harris in Democratic race for state attorney general

bleubitz — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:29:35 -0700

The Democratic field for attorney general of California is crowded but mixed, divided among several capable candidates and several who do not have the background or vision worthy of the office. Those who merit serious consideration by voters are San Francisco Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris, former Facebook executive Chris Kelly and Assemblyman Ted Lieu (D-Torrance). The Times sees strengths in all three, but endorses Harris.

To dispense with the bottom of the field first: Rocky Delgadillo was a deep disappointment as Los Angeles city attorney and has done nothing since to suggest that he would do better in a higher office. Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) has a legislative record to be proud of but offers no compelling vision for the office he's seeking. Assemblyman Alberto Torrico (D-Newark) is focused almost exclusively on his campaign to pass an oil extraction fee in order to fund education, a perfectly defensible notion but one that has little to do with being attorney general. Attorney Mike Schmier has neither ideas nor experience worth noting.

Among the leading candidates, Lieu is a thoughtful legislator with a solid record in Sacramento. He proposes innovative ideas for building on the current duties of the attorney general's office while recognizing its essential functions — defending the state, enforcing its laws and protecting its residents. He also has waged an uncommonly civilized campaign, evidence of his character and decency.

Kelly's background makes him a unique candidate in this field, though one familiar in this election cycle: the public-spirited business leader. He views the office as a platform for protecting consumers, among other things, and would bring fresh ideas for improving the state's technological capacity. He hews to most Democratic Party tenets — support for same-sex marriage, environmental protection and the death penalty — while suggesting that he would not be captive to the party's leading constituencies, such as labor, because he comes from outside the political establishment.

Endorsements

bleubitz — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:55:23 -0800

Statewide and National Elected Leaders

California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg
U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Congressman Norman Mineta (Ret.)
Congresswoman Diane Watson
Congressman, Lt. Gov., Senator and Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (Ret.)
Former California Attorney General John Van de Kamp
Former California Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin
State Board of Equalization Chair Betty Yee
Former San Francisco Mayor and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown

California Legislative Black Caucus
Senate Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose)
Senator Dean Florez (D-Shafter)
Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco)
Senator Curren Price (D-Los Angeles)
Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco)
Senator Dan Boatwright (Ret.)
Senator Sheila Kuehl (Ret.)
Senator Joseph Dunn (Ret.)
Senator Kevin Murray (Ret.)

Assemblyman Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles)
Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-Marin)
Assemblyman Rusty Areias (Ret.)
Assemblywoman Dion Aroner (Ret.)
Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (Ret.)
Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (Ret.)
Assemblyman Mike Roos (Ret.)

Law Enforcement Leaders

Los Angeles Chief of Police William Bratton (Ret.)
San Diego Chief of Police William Lansdowne
San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón
San Francisco Sheriff Mike Hennessey
Police Chief Anthony Batts (personal endorsement)
East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis
Half Moon Bay Police Chief Don O’Keefe
San Francisco Police Commissioner David Onek
Officers for Justice Peace Officers Association
Los Angeles District Attorney Ira Reiner (Ret.)
Merced District Attorney Larry Morse
Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua
Plumas County District Attorney Jeff Cunan

Labor Leaders & Organizations

United Farm Workers Co-Founder Dolores Huerta
California Federation of Teachers
United Educators of San Francisco
Carpenters Local 22
San Francisco Firefighters Local 798

Local California Leaders & Organizations

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson

San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros
San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting
San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu
San Francisco Supervisor Michaela Alioto-Pier
San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos
San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu
San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty
San Francisco Supervisor Sean Elsbernd
San Francisco Supervisor Sophie Maxwell

Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson
Alameda County Treasurer Don White
Alameda City Councilmember Frank Mataresse
Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein
San Jose City Council Member Madison Nguyen
San Jose City Council Member Ash Kalra
Oakland City Council President Ignacio de la Fuente
Oakland City Councilwoman Jean Quan
Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan
Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby
Berkeley City Council Member Darryl Moore
Millbrae City Councilwoman Gina Papan
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal
San Rafael Councilmember Damon Connolly
Walnut Creek City Councilmember Kish Rajan

Community Organizations

Alameda County Democratic Lawyers Club
Asian American Action Fund
Black Women Organized for Political Action
Cal Berkeley Democrats
California League of Conservation Voters
California LIST
College Democrats at UC Santa Cruz
EMILY’s List
Indian American Leadership Initiative
Los Angeles Women’s Political Committee
Mexican American Bar Association
National Women's Political Caucus
San Diego County Young Democrats
San Francisco Women’s Political Committee
San Francisco Young Democrats
South Asians for Opportunity
USC College Democrats
Women's Campaign Forum

San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón Endorses Kamala Harris for Attorney General

bleubitz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:48:53 -0800

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón, a thirty year law enforcement veteran who has also served as Assistant Chief of the LAPD and Chief of Police in Mesa, Arizona, today announced his endorsement of Kamala Harris for California Attorney General.

“While I’ve long admired Kamala Harris’ record of innovation and success, since my appointment as Police Chief in San Francisco I’ve come to know the District Attorney as a steadfast and effective partner in our efforts to fight crime here in our city,” said Chief Gascón. “I believe that Kamala Harris’ ‘smart on crime’ approach, with its proven track record in San Francisco, is what California needs to get tough and smart on crime.”

“Chief Gascón is recognized as a national leader in the law enforcement community, and I’m honored to have earned his support for my candidacy,” said Harris. “He has been a terrific partner here in San Francisco, and when I am Attorney General I will continue to work with the Chief to fight gangs, get assault weapons off our streets, go after financial criminals, and to make our criminal justice system work better.”

Police Chief George Gascón took lead of the San Francisco Police Department in August 7, 2009. Prior to his move to San Francisco, California, Chief Gascón was the Chief of Police for the Mesa Police Department in Arizona for three years. Chief Gascón proudly served the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for more than 28 years. In his final assignment before joining the Mesa Police Department, Gascón served as LAPD's Assistant Police Chief and Director over the Office of Operations.

Chief Gascón joins law enforcement leaders around California in backing Harris’ candidacy, including former Los Angeles Chief of Police William Bratton, San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne, San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey, East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis, Half Moon Bay Police Chief Don O’Keefe, and Officers for Justice POA.

As San Francisco’s District Attorney, Harris has used her nearly 20 years of prosecutorial experience to focus intensively on fighting violent crime. She increased felony conviction rates, expanded services to victims of crime and their families, created new prosecution divisions focused on child assault, public integrity and environmental crimes, and launched innovative initiatives to prevent re-offending.

This work is paying off – the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office has more than doubled its trial conviction rate for gun felonies to 90 percent. Under her leadership, the office has sent 70 percent more serious and violent offenders to State Prison. According to the State of California Department of Justice, the office’s overall felony conviction rate is at its highest point in nearly 15 years. Due to the success of her innovative crime-fighting initiatives, Harris recently participated in the White House Conference on Gang Violence Prevention and Crime Control.

For more information on Harris, please visit www.KamalaHarris.org.