Local Dems Praise Labor Opponent as "Progressive"

Mayor Hosts Awards Presentation For "Progressive" Emeryville Resident

Emeryville Mayor Ruth Atkin, hosting a fete organized by the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club, bestowed awards on four people for advancing social justice Sunday at Oakland's Washington Inn. Sharing the awards for creating "social equality" with Congresswoman Barbara Lee, was a man who should be well known in Emeryville, John Gooding.

Mr. Gooding is a man who wears many hats. He serves as chair of Ms. Lee's 'One Voice' Political Action Committee, raising money for the only member of congress to oppose resolutions enabling former President Bush to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. Ms. Lee lauded Mr. Gooding from the podium, praising his skill at bundling political contributions by acknowledging Mr. Gooding as her "biggest individual source of contributions."

But raising money for Ms. Lee isn't Mr. Gooding's only job. He's also a longtime board member and recent President of the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce, working tenaciously on behalf of its members. He's also led the Chamber's Political Action Committee, EMPAC, which seeks and often succeeds in helping elect pro-business candidates to Emeryville's City Council. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on the other hand, recently rated Ms. Lee's voting record at 26 percent out of 100 for generally opposing that Chamber's positions.

Raising money for political candidates has long been Mr. Gooding's forte. He's apparently not shy about working both sides of the fence. He provided $500 to the campaign of California Governor Pete Wilson, a Republican best known for injecting wedge issues, such the immigrant-baiting Proposition 187 and the 3-strikes law, into California politics. Prop. 187 sought to bar undocumented immigrants from public schools, public medical care and other government programs. It was found unconstitutional. Mr. Gooding also provided $1,000 to Ed Zschau, a Republican Congressman who unsuccessfully tried to unseat Democrat Alan Cranston in 1986. Zschau ran on a platform of eliminating capital gains taxes---taxes paid on money made from investments. The move would have reduced the tax burden on those living off investments but presumably requiring higher tax rates on people earning money from a job to make up the difference.

In Emeryville, Mr. Gooding is perhaps best known for his work attempting to block 2005's Measure C, a voter approved ordinance that granted a $9-per-hour minimum wage to hotel workers and reduced the number of rooms workers clean, easing their "sweatshop-like" workloads.

To those in the room Sunday, all of that was ancient history, if it were even known. Mr. Gooding was lavishly praised for advancing social equality and was introduced as a "true progressive." If any in attendance were aware of the irony of the whole thing, they kept it to themselves.

After the presentation, a representative of the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club expressed ignorance and "concern" after it was revealed that Mr. Gooding had actively opposed Measure C and helped Republicans up and down the state. The representative said that the group will investigate further.

The fundraiser was attended by many of the East Bay's progressive luminaries including many Berkeley and Oakland Council members and Emery Schools Superintendent John Sugiyama.

As attendees were filing out Sunday, Mr. Gooding threatened to sue the Tattler if there is a story featuring him. "Remember, I'm not an elected official" he said as a warning, referring to the difficulty politicians have in suing the press.