Category: Women in Politics

I Hope You Dance

On November 20, 2018

In Politics and Elections, Women in Politics

In America, money and race always matter, and usually, they rule the day. And yes, as Sister Stacey Abrams points out in her phenomenal speech, politics “can be as rotten and rigged as you’ve always believed.”

But still, when everything you love is on the line, I hope you dance.

So yes, the race is over. But no, this is also “not a concession speech.”

The High Cost Of Housing Is Killing Us

When I announced my candidacy for Mayor of Oakland, I talked about how ‘the high cost of housing is literally killing us.” Today and for the last week, we watch helplessly, knowing that the recommendation to stay indoors – at home- because the very air we breathe is poison, is not an option for 6,000 Oaklanders. Most of them Black and Brown. This is the reality of the painful failures of the Libby Schaaf administration.

I cannot congratulate or celebrate those failures. I will not condone nor accept the “systemic cruelty” of our response to the homelessness crisis documented by the United Nations.

Thank You So Much

For this moment, for Oakland, despite the disappointing outcome, it was worth the fight. So I say thank you to all those who gave their time, money, heart and commitment to this fight. To those who staffed the office, wrote the postcards, dialed the numbers, text the message, walked the cards, and went to church, thank you. Whether you gave $800 or $15, thank you.

To all those, who wore the purple shirt with pride, thank you.

We helped turn out the vote in a historic way. We pushed the vote in June in the race for DA. For November, we went back to those places where we knew voter turnout was low, and pushed some more. 99,879 ballots were cast in Oakland in June. So far, 164,700 ballots were cast in the Mayor’s race.

We bet on Oakland because Oakland has always been there for me. My mentor, Howard Moore Jr., taught me a long time ago, if you take care of the people, the people will take care of you.

So once again, I can say to my family, friends and supporters near and far, I’m ok. I survived the fight and live to fight another day. And thank you for being “the wind beneath my wings.”

I Hope You Dance

And to all those who stand on the edge of the Arena, not sure if you can make it, I hope you dance.

“When the funds are low and the debts are high, don’t quit.” Everyone of us has an obligation to “keep the faith” and finish the race.

Our children are watching. A Luta Continua.

The Political Power of Incumbency

By pypriceesq

On November 12, 2018

In Politics and Elections, Women in Politics

The Political Power of Incumbency

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf

Why is it so difficult to defeat an incumbent politician? Because the incumbent:

(a) has more money so she can buy a campaign,

(b) is automatically endorsed and supported by the party machine,

(d) is usually able to convince people that she will do better in her next term fixing the things she ignored in her last term.

Oakland’s Women In Power

Of the 10 largest cities in California, Oakland has the highest percentage of women serving on the City Council. Yet, Mayor Libby Schaaf clearly lacks a commitment to maintaining female leadership on the Council. In the 2018 general election, all of Mayor Schaaf’s first rank choices for City Council were men. Schaaf’s consistent vocal attacks on two of the strong women on the Council – Rebecca Kaplan and Desley Brooks – are legendary. With the defeat of Councilwoman Brooks by one of the three Schaaf-backed candidates, there is only one Black woman on the Council.

Fortunately, the defeat of Mayor Schaaf’s major ally on the Council – Councilmember Abel Guillen – by community-backed challenger Nikki Fortunato Bas maintains the same number of women on the Council.

Desley Brooks Is the Exception to the Rule

Despite Desley Brooks’ defeat in this election, the power of incumbency generally rules the day. In 2016, despite a ballooning housing crisis and horrifying episodic accounts of police misconduct, all five (5) incumbent Councilmembers were re-elected.

Councilmember Larry Reid was first elected to the City Council in 1996. He has held the seat for 21 years. He has served as the Chair of the Alameda County Transportation Commission and President of the Joint Powers Authority overseeing the Oakland Coliseum. Under his stewardship, East Oakland is facing an economic crisis fueled by the loss of both the Warriors and the Raiders. Indeed, East Oakland is trapped in a morass of potholes, illegal dumping and economic stagnation. The prolonged construction of the BRT line through the heart of East Oakland has accelerated displacement of longtime residents and destroyed small businesses.

Of course, Reid and District 4 Supervisor Nate Miley both endorsed and supported Mayor Schaaf’s re-election. Why not – look at how much she has done for East Oakland!

Incumbents Are the Rule

Sept. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

In 2018, all of the incumbent Board of Supervisors supported District Attorney Nancy O’Malley’s re-election. They helped her in spite of her horrible record of racial bias and unwavering support for police murders and misconduct.

O’Malley was also endorsed and aided by the Alameda County Democratic Party. Yet, her policies, practices and allegiances are clearly against our democratic values.

Look at our political structure in Alameda County. Most of the Board of Supervisors are long-term incumbents:

Keith Carson Elected 1992 – 26 years in position

Scott Haggerty Elected 1996 – 22 years in position

Nate Miley Elected 2000 – 18 years in position

Wilma Chan Elected 1994 – 2000, 2010 -present – 14 years in position

Richard Valle Elected 2012 – 6 years in position

Women are the majority in Alameda County but we only have 1 woman on our Board of Supervisors. By comparison, both Contra Costa and San Francisco have a female majority on the County Board of Supervisors.

In Alameda County, as in most places, the power of incumbency “trumps” any commitment to your constituents. It often compels you to support the status quo without regard to the needs of the community. If you are in the boat, you do not want to be the one to rock the boat. So you sit silently by, even when the boat repeatedly crashes against the hard rocks of the shore.

Too many of our elected incumbents sit by silently while lives are lost, families are destroyed and communities are displaced. Because you see, their elections do not rest on the power of the people – their elections are assured by the power of incumbency.

Courage & Compassion

By pypriceesq

On August 3, 2017

In Humanity, Politics and Elections, Women in Politics

I have learned in my life that “it is always darkest just before the dawn.” Last week was so dark. I sat watching “with fear and trepidation” as the Republicans threatened to end healthcare for 16 million Americans. Even as I supported efforts to stop them, I felt like the freight train was running out of control.

A New Dawn in America

Then, Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono stepped up to speak on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Every time I watch her speech, I am moved to tears. Her courage in sharing her story, including her fears, her family’s struggles, her unique path to the U.S. Senate, all of it. The shining sincerity of her compassion is so beautifully overwhelming, born of her uniquely American experience. Raised as a poor Japanese immigrant, she has never forgotten where she came from.

Her call for compassion, I believe, is what sealed the deal. As we all know, Senator John McCain‘s “no” was the deciding vote, following the tie-making opposition of Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Why is compassion so compelling? Compassion is not simply a human emotion. There is evidence that animals are also quite capable of giving and receiving compassion. We also know that compassion in animals is not limited to animals of their same species. A dog can show kindness to a cat. A mother hen can adopt a lost baby duck. A lion can hug a man who loved him without harming him. It seems that in the natural world, compassion has no bounds.

It seems that we are all capable of giving and receiving compassion. The response to Sen. Hirono’s empassioned plea to vote against repeal of Obamacare suggests that we are all vulnerable to the message of compassion. Sen. Hirono noted that when she was diagnosed with cancer, even Republican senators expressed their concern for her. They showed her kindness and compassion. Sen. Hirono called upon the Republican senators to show Americans the same compassion they had shown her. And it worked.

The Courageous Women Who Defied Trump

We should not overlook the significance of the courage displayed by two other female Senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. No. 45 actually threatened the residents of both of their states to retaliate against the Senators. Whereas some Republican senators caved in to pressure from the Trumpster, Senators Collins and Murkowski stood firm and represented their constituents.

Their votes demonstrate that when courageous women are present in positions of power, the conversation changes. But for the courage of Senators Collins and Murkowski, Sen. John McCain would not have had his historic opportunity to say “no.” In voting “no,” Sen. McCain also stood fast to represent the best interests of his constituents in Arizona. For the first time in my life last weekend, I was “proud” to be in Arizona.

Health Care Is A Civil Right

Healthcare in America has been denied and fought for like every other civil right.

Credit The Atlantic

In 1966, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King declared that “Of all the inequalities that exist, the injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhuman.” Racial disparities in health care have persisted since 1966. A 2016 study by the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation found that in 2014, 55% of all uninsured persons were people of color. Seventy-one percent ( 71%) of Whites were insured privately and only 21% had Medicaid or public insurance. By comparison, 51% of Blacks had private insurance, and 37% had Medicaid or public insurance. The Kaiser study concludes that “people of color have much to gain from health care reform.”

President Barack Hussein Obama was inspired to make health care his signature piece of legislation. Indeed, arguing for health care reform in 2009, President Obama cited the death of his own mother from cancer and the challenges she faced obtaining insurance because her cancer was deemed a pre-existing condition. His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was a White woman.

So, we know that cancer makes no preference based on race, religion, age, national origin or political beliefs. “Some may call me a dreamer” but maybe one day, we can make the same statement for compassion: it makes no preference based on race, religion, age, national origin or political beliefs. I am inspired by Sen. Hirono’s compassion and courage in facing her cancer and using it to uplift a nation. And every time I watch the video of her speech, I think that from the darkness of the Republican night, there might just be a new dawn in America. Hopefully “I’m not the only one.”

To learn more about the fight to provide healthcare for all, go to HealthyCalifornia.org or Citizen.org or NationalNursesUnited.org. Also check out Healthy California’s latest video.