Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club

MGO Endorsements for the November 2018 Election

Posted on September 26, 2018 Updated on November 12, 2018

Nov. 2nd Update: Download a PDF summary of our endorsed candidates and measures here for your own reference or to forward to friends. Also, learn more about MGO via our November 2018 printed newsletter or by joining our email list. Furthermore, join MGO for the following events:

• Sun 11/4, 12.00-1.00pm – informal pre-election brunch and coffee at La Boulangerie, 5500 College Ave., Rockridge
• RESCHEDULED: Tue 11/20, 7.00-8.30pm – general membership meeting at Montclair Presbyterian Church, 5701 Thornhill Dr.; program will feature local journalists and commentators who will review election results

A huge thank you to all the candidates, MGO members, and audience members who participated in MGO’s three endorsement meetings on September 28th, October 5th, and October 12th! In particular, MGO is deeply grateful to all the candidates for their availability on Friday nights filled with campaign and personal priorities.

MGO is pleased to announce its slate of endorsed candidates for the November 6, 2018 election. Any races not listed are ones in which MGO made no endorsement. An endorsement requires 60% of the votes cast for that particular race. With so many impressive candidates, it is with regret that MGO can only endorse one candidate per race.

City of Oakland
Oakland Mayor: Libby Schaaf
Oakland City Council, District 2: Abel Guillén

Regional
BART Board of Directors, District 4: Robert Raburn
Peralta Community College District, Area 5: Cindi Reiss
Alameda County Assessor: Phong La

Federal
U.S. Senate: Kevin de León
U.S. Congress, California District 13: Barbara Lee

State
California State Assembly, District 15: Jovanka Beckles
California State Assembly, District 18: Rob Bonta
California State Board of Equalization, District 2: Malia Cohen
California Governor: Gavin Newsom
California Attorney General: Xavier Becerra
California Secretary of State: Alex Padilla
California State Treasurer: Fiona Ma
California State Controller: Betty Yee
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tony Thurmond
California State Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara

Additionally, MGO is pleased to endorse the stated “yes/no” positions on the following ballot measures:

YES, California Prop 1 – authorizes bonds to fund specified housing assistance programs
YES, California Prop 2 – authorizes bonds to fund existing housing program for individuals with mental illness
YES, California Prop 3 – authorizes bonds to fund projects for water supply and quality, watershed, fish, wildlife, water conveyance, and groundwater sustainability and storage
YES, California Prop 4 – authorizes bonds funding construction at hospitals providing children’s health care
NO, California Prop 5 – changes requirements for certain property owners to transfer their property tax base to replacement property
NO, California Prop 6 – eliminates certain road repair and transportation funding; requires certain fuel taxes and vehicle fees to be approved by the electorate
NO, California Prop 7 – conforms California daylight saving time to federal law; allows Legislature to change daylight saving time period
YES, California Prop 8 – regulates amounts outpatient kidney dialysis clinics charge for dialysis treatment
YES, California Prop 10 – expands governments’ authority to enact rent control on residential property
NO, California Prop 11 – requires private-sector emergency ambulance employees to remain on-call during work breaks; eliminates certain employer liability
YES, California Prop 12 – establishes new standards for confinement of specified farm animals; bans sale of noncomplying products
YES, Measure E – Peralta Community College District – parcel tax
YES, Measure G – Peralta Community College District – bond issue
YES, Measure V – City of Oakland – cannabis business taxes
YES, Measure W – City of Oakland – vacant property tax
YES, Measure X – City of Oakland – graduated real estate transfer tax
YES, Measure Y – City of Oakland – amending eviction ordinance
YES, Measure Z – City of Oakland – minimum wage and employment standards for Oakland hotel workers
YES, Measure AA – City of Oakland – parcel tax for education
YES, Measure FF – East Bay Regional Parks District – extension of existing parcel tax

For your reference, please review a PDF version of the state voter guide here and the text of the local measures here.

Also, many thanks to MGO’s Judy Cox, Gary Sirbu, Steve Statler, and Annie Flores for their work in organizing these endorsement meetings and in keeping MGO running, and to Arlinda Befort, Linda Olvera, and Karan Balaji in helping count votes!