Interim mayor Ed Lee. File photo by Luke Thomas.
By Luke Thomas
September 22, 2011
Yesterday’s failed attempt by the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) to muster enough votes for a third-place Asian-American mayoral candidate endorsement vote was blocked by interim Mayor Ed Lee, according to Senator Leland Yee’s campaign consultant Jim Stearns.
“Once again, it is evident that calls for Chinese American unity by the Ed Lee campaign and his supporters are self serving and hypocritical,” Stearns wrote in a statement. “For them, unity only matters if it helps Ed Lee, not if it helps the community.”
“Ed Lee’s calls for unity are a complete sham,” Stearns added. “We had an historic opportunity for the Democratic Party to endorse an Asian-American for mayor and Ed Lee prevented it.”
As Fog City Journal reported last eve, the DCCC failed by a close 14-16 vote to vote for a third-place candidate endorsement. According to Stearns, the vote was derailed by Lee’s “operatives” on the DCCC, namely Arlo Hale Smith (brother of Ace Smith, Lee’s campaign consultant), Mary Jung, and Leslie Katz.
What’s interesting about this development is that after the DCCC on August 17 voted for its (failed) third-place mayoral candidate endorsement – in which Lee received one vote, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu received three votes, and Yee received eight votes – Lee went on the offensive stopping short of accusing the DCCC of racism for not endorsing him or other possible Asian-American mayoral candidates.
“Even though our Chinese-American population is growing so powerfully in this city, and even though we have a Chinese-American board president and an interim mayor, there are still some political associations that don’t think that we deserve their attention,” Lee reportedly said September 2 during a ceremony held by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.
Supervisor John Avalos and City Attorney Dennis Herrera were the only mayoral candidates endorsed by the DCCC at its August 17 meeting.
Lee supporter and Chinatown powerbroker Rose Pak, never one to shy away from playing the race card when things don’t go her way, accused DCCC Chair Aaron Peskin of being a racist in an op-ed published by the Beijing-aligned Sing Tao Daily.
Responding to Stearns’ claims, Lee campaign spokesperson Tony Winnicker wrote via email: “Is he (Yee) really attacking other candidates because their supporters didn’t vote for him? That’s pretty rich. One could just as easily ask why Leland Yee’s supporters didn’t vote for Mayor Lee? Or David Chiu? Or Phil Ting? Why didn’t the other candidates ask their supporters to vote for Leland Yee? Talk about sour grapes! The simple truth is that Leland Yee and Aaron Peskin picked a fight they couldn’t win and now that they’ve been rejected, their only excuse is to blame Mayor Lee. These are the kind of politics Mayor Lee has worked hard to change these last 8 months to get things done. It’s really getting a bit silly. Is there anything these guys won’t try to attack Mayor Lee over at this point?”
As to why Peskin called for last night’s vote? Reliable sources told Fog City Journal the DCCC needed a third candidate on the Democratic Party slate to help pay for endorsement literature.
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Follow Me:
The Hunger Site
September 28, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Nice pic Luke.
Ed kissing up to Willie and Rosie.
2011
BAUM
AVALOS
ADACH
HALL
2012
GIANTS.
September 24, 2011 at 9:59 am
Adachi for Mayor!
Then Baum and Avalos and Hall. Between Yee and Lee and Herrera they have spent a quarter million dollars just this week in slinging mud at one another. Thank you lord for that.
Cardinals and Braves both losing in 3rd inning.
If Cards lose 5 in a row and Braves lose 4 and Giants win 5 then we play a one game playoff against Braves for the Wild-Card spot.
Likely?
Here ya go for the last time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfUYuIVbFg0
Remember that the candle burned longest here.
h.
September 24, 2011 at 7:06 am
I realize most endorsements are helpful, but I really wonder whether the DCCC really matters anymore. Look at all the DCCC shenanigans over the Supervisor candidates in the last election and the election results. What happened here is just more of the same old shenanigans — no better or no worse.
September 23, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Ed Lies — Don’t vote for him. As for Leslie Katz — nothing but a party hack. Never did anything as sup. Useless.
September 23, 2011 at 1:59 am
This analysis/discussion is really sick.
September 22, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Ah yes,
“As day gave way to night the crowd lit torches and made their way to the Inn of the Buck and made merry and spoke with the tongues of men and angels while Roman soldiers watched them from their chariots in the streets.”
Go Giants!
h.
September 22, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Just received the following response to Winnicker from Stearns:
“The vote last night was not voting for a particular candidate, it was a vote simply to allow the party to consider a third endorsement. Leland Yee believes the Democratic Party should have the right to vote — for any candidate they choose. Ed Lee’s supporters demonstrated complete hypocrisy by not allowing the vote to take place.”