You missed the mark on your rent board endorsements. George Perezvelez is not only a progessive candidate, he is also the only LGBT candidate as well as the only minority candidate on the ballot. Aside from the fact he has a number of key endorsements, a solid platform, and a commitment to the City not present in the same old slate.

The answer to the question "when does 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 +1 = 0 ? Answer = when one (like SFBGZZ) choses those tired old six candidates who can't run on their own merits" Don't follow SFBG's advice - simply because they were "told" select those candidates (vs getting to know the candidates and understanding that Berkeley deserves a rent board as diverse as it citizens!) Viva George P. (and also, vote for George Beier or Ces in District 7 and Jim N in District 4 - other choices that make sense as well!)

The 6 of us went through an interview process and a public meeting of progressives, complete with Q&As, followed by IRV voting, that featured more than 100 people and representatives from Cal Dems, Young Dems, Green Party, Peace & Freedom Party, & BCA. We went through a public screening process that 99.9% of candidates never face at any point in their careers. Perezvelez took part in this open process and was not chosen by the 100+ attendees as a candidate.

In part, this was because Perezvelez said that he'd run even if he wasn't chosen by this convention of progressives. The 6 of us who were voted onto the Progressive slate DID make the promise to not run against the slate for the following reason- we remember when tenant slates battled BPOA slates (Berkeley Property Owners Association, who are generally very anti-rent control). When the BPOA-backed candidates had a majority in the mid-90s, rents skyrocketed. Unity among progressive rent board candidates has been key to keeping the rent board even-handed (4 of the 6 of us are small landlords) and available to both tenants and property owners.

Mr. Perezvelez and, apparently, his powerful backers have decided that his candidacy is more important than the community-chosen, tenant-friendly slate. I'm proud to be part of an open, public process. It's unlike pretty much any other method of how someone becomes a candidate for public office.

With all due respect to Mr. Perezvelez, who has done good work on the Police Review Commission, we have a talented group of candidates who have various skills directly applicable to the work of the RSB- 5 of us have served on the board for between 7 months and 4 years and have proven records of accomplishment on the RSB.

Thanks for reading this, Jesse Townley
e-mail: rentboard2010@gmail.com

P.S.- Interesting that the anonymous pro-Perezvelez poster above calls Perezvelez a progressive and then goes on to endorse the 2 main opponents to the top 2 progressives on the City Council. The SFBG endorsed the top 2 progressives on the City Council: Jesse Arreguin & Kriss Worthington.

I have worked closely with all 3 of the sitting Councilmembers whom the SFBG has endorsed (Linda Maio is the 3rd) on West Berkeley issues, Ranked Choice Voting, seismic safety, and many other issues, and I've personally endorsed all 3 due to this direct experience.

Yes, Robert Raburn is the better candidate for the position on the Board. He has a pro-active stance on the use of police presence on the train. He will hold managements feet to the fire for properly maintaining the trains. He is the citizens candidate that you can trust will have the interest of the community at hand and how their tax dollars are being spent.

Rent Board Endorsement My Aunts Red Herring Patooki! I believe the other one clueless politically opportunistic candidate with no background in civil work or true grassroots representation/involvement said it first. You can put Make up on a pig but it is still a pig- any one need 6-LOL

A pending police report, in this country anyway, does not necessarily imply guilt. In this case, I am sure they will find that charges are not warranted.

Eric Panzer taunted the No on R table the entire day with his sign. This, too, is permitted in this country, but it doesn't make it either mature or becoming of a former City Council candidate. What happened was not right and I'm sure the volunteer (not, a VOLUNTEER and NOT JESSE!) who wrested the sign away from him regrets what he has done, but even taunting a panda enough times might get under the skin of the panda.

And if we want to talk low blows, how about Rent Board candidate George Perezvelez's partner getting in the face of Jesse's parents, who were also manning the table? Has HE offered an apology?

I really hope we can get past the stupid finger-pointing and improve the tenor of the local campaigns in the 2 weeks that remain.

The Guardian may be helping secure the mayoral victory of Don Peralta by not listing Jean Quan as the #1 candidate of choice. Rank voting is only worthwhile if someone doesn't get the majority vote-the Guardian should have pushed for Jean Quan to get that majority vote straight up. Sure Rebecca Kaplan sounds great and she has great politics but she doesn't have the experience. Let her come back in four years after she's tried out the waters some. I'd hardly say that 6 years at AC Transit and 18 months on the Oakland City Council gives her much experience at all. Jean Quan, though certainly not as progressive as Kaplan, knows how the City works and how to get things done, and i dare say she always comes out on the right side.
The Guardian endorsed Ron Dellums over Nancy Nadel in the last Oakland mayor election again choosing someone who sounded good but had no on-the-ground experience running a city. (Unlike Kaplan, he also seemed to have little interest in the task) And look what a disasterous mayor Mr Dellums made.) I guess the Guardian won't learn from their faulty endorsements but i certainly have learned not to trust their opinion on certain races.
Keep Don Perata out, rank Jean Quan as the #1 mayoral choice for Oakland.

Helen

P.S. And before I get accused of anything, I was not one of those who claimed that Ralph Nader was responsible for George Bush's victory. Al Gore was responsible for it.

I would have expected a more sophisticated analysis from SFBG about what the 21st century version of a "progressive" is than accepting the spoon-fed, so called "true progressives" from Berkeley. At least two of your endorsed candidates champion affordable housing while living subsidized by their parents and opposing any future housing supply that would create housing options in the future for people not so fortunately born. The folks that repeat the mantra of "true progressive" in Berkeley have not pulled their heads out of their rent-controlled, pre-prop 13, trust-funded, childhood bedroom long enough to update their politics and realize that Berkeley will become Piedmont (with a University) if we don't create more housing opportunity. The tired argument of development equals greed is the "progressives" way for keeping things the same. "I got mine" - why change? Lack of housing diversity equals lack of population diversity equals we're like every other rich, white suburb. Thanks, SFBG.

As for Sunday at the North Shattuck festival, check out where the comment thread ended at the DailyCal. Jesse, you don't deserve to hold public office.

http://www.dailycal.org/article/110839/city_council_member_s_chief_of_st...

What I know is that Arreguin & co. do not walk around harassing people with Brown-Shirt tactics. From last year's referendum interfered with by Libertarian-Authoritarian thugs to attacks on the few remaining progressives now, we see the culmination of the Bush years: violence, intimidation and lies are fine if they help you get your way. The idea that your side will lose on the merits when facing informed voters is too hideous to accept, so whip out the nightsticks, propaganda and lies.

Oh, and don't forget to wrap yourself in Green and Progressive rhetoric.

As to insisting on a right-wing hack in office because they are LGBT - smacks of quotas, doesn't it? And the last thing we need is another Clarence Thomas.
I believe you, Jesse Townley.

How come i can't find anything on the 11 judicial appointments we are being asked to vote yes or no. I have searched the internet for hours and came up with zero...and SF Bay Guardian is usually very good in adding all endorsements including judicial choices. Can anyone help me?