By Savannah Blackwell

The California Democratic Party is now free to open its coffers to help Sup. Gavin Newsom become mayor of San Francisco and to stop the Green Party from winning the top post in one of the Democrats' longest-running municipal strongholds.

At the Nov. 12 meeting of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, the official governing body of the local Democratic Party, 21 out of 32 members voted to endorse Newsom in the runoff.

The upshot: the San Francisco Democratic Party, known of late as a liberal stronghold, is putting its clout and reputation behind a candidate who some local dems say acts more like a Republican.

And now Newsom, already known for breaking fundraising records, will be the beneficiary of potentially huge campaign resources as state party heavyweights move to fend off a major challenge from the Greens.

Debate at the meeting centered on whether DCCC members had an obligation to endorse the one Democrat running – or whether local disenchantment with the party's move to the center, and away from its working-class roots, provided justifiable cause to break ranks.

The five members who voted "no endorsement" or abstained had been supporters of either Sup. Tom Ammiano or former supervisor Angela Alioto. State Board of Equalization member Carole Migden was the only Bay Area elected official to decline to endorse Newsom; she is staying neutral.

"I feel like the Democratic Party has lost the temerity to advocate for justice," said Tracy Baxter, who is also a member of the Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club (which endorsed Gonzalez). "Now they're talking about taking aim at poor people with Prop. M [the anti-panhandling measure that passed on November's ballot and was sponsored by Newsom]."

Others who stuck with the party – and who did not necessarily vote for Newsom in the general election – attacked the Greens for throwing the presidential election to George W. Bush in 2000. In addition, some attacked Matt Gonzalez for sending out a campaign mailer critical of Ammiano.

"[The Green Party] screwed Al Gore, one of the most progressive presidential candidates we've had," DCCC chair Connie O'Connor, who had initially supported city treasurer Susan Leal, said at the meeting.

High-ranking party officials, including state chair Art Torres and party director Bob Mulholland, had called members of the DCCC the day after the election to strongly urge them to support Newsom in the runoff (see Campaign Watch, 11/12/03).

As recently as the weekend before the vote, state senator John Burton – who has clashed repeatedly with Newsom over poverty and homelessness issues – had put out the word that it was all right for Democrats to defy the party leaders. But by Wednesday, Burton had reversed his position. State assemblymember Leland Yee called the Bay Guardian before the vote to say Burton and others had said endorsing Newsom was the way to go.

"Party loyalty and all that," Yee said.

Despite giving the nod to the conservative Democrat in the mayor's race, the DCCC headed to the left in its overwhelming endorsement of incumbent district attorney Terence Hallinan. Shortly before the vote, rumor had it that supporters of challenger and machine-backed candidate Kamala Harris would walk out of the room, leaving the committee without a quorum and unable to take a vote. That didn't happen. In fact, Harris was not even nominated. The results: 18 Hallinan, 12 "no endorsement."