'Progressive Populist' Priforce Manages to Beat Back Conservative Tide in Local ADEM Election
Northern Alameda County Democrats have selected Emeryville City Councilman Kalimah Priforce to serve as a delegate for the state party in Assembly District 18, the lone progressive among a field of 13 other winners backed by Washington DC based Israel lobbying concerns. Mr Priforce was the only candidate to win from the ‘People’s Slate’, a group of 11 progressive candidates in the 18th District ‘ADEM’ race. The other group of candidates, called the ‘Housing and Climate Progressive Democratic Slate’, was backed by the pro-Israel lobby. A much more conservative slate than the People’s Slate, the ‘Housing’ group won every delegate seat except Mr Priforce, a marked difference in the race run two years ago when the Housing and Climate Progressive Democratic Slate won only one delegate to the People’s Slate's 13, a near total victory for progressives. In 2022, Assembly member Mia Banta, an elected official characterized as a 'corporate Democrat' by some, endorsed the losing conservative slate.
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| Emeryville City Councilman Kalimah Priforce Progressive Populist Winner in ADEM Election Again The sole progressive and independent to win the 18th Assembly District ADEM election. The rest of the winners are endorsed and supported by the Israel lobby. |
White Faces
Council member Priforce will sit on a much changed 18th Assembly District ADEM delegate board moving forward. Notably, he will be the only man of color on the new 14 member delegate board representing northern Alameda County, a remarkable change over previous 18th District ADEM boards.
The near total victory for the white conservative slate this election, compared with the near total victory for the progressive slate last time, calls into question the influence of the nation-wide Israel lobby inserted into local Alameda County politics.
The remarkable two year shift to the right demonstrated by District 18 Democrats as characterized by the vote this year has been challenged by at least two voting Democrats; a rank and file member, Paola Laverde, as well as David Weintraub of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club Coordinating Committee, both of whom registered complaints with Democratic Party of Alameda County honchos highlighting campaign irregularities that would tend to benefit conservatives in the election. Responses to election integrity complaints have not been widely distributed by party officials if they came at all.
The ADEM boards control what the Democratic Party statewide will prioritize, and as such, they are considered very influential within the party that controls politics in California. The ADEM delegates help select the Democratic Party platform, among other duties. Here, they serve under the statewide Assembly member representative Mia Bonta, for District 18.
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| Illegal Campaigning and Unattended Ballots The conservative slate placed campaign flyers directly on the table where voting happened, a violation of the rules. Also, ballots are not filed and are out in the open. Progressives registered complaints about the rules violations, after the fact. |
Council member Priforce, having won the delegate race in the two lopsided elections, speaks to his ability to transcend partisan politics, at least outside of Emeryville. Here in highly partisan Emeryville, Mr Priforce has been frozen out by his more conservative Council colleagues, even suffering a censure and a sanction for violating Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) rules, the same violation as the anti-Priforce Mayor, David Mourra, who also violated FPPC rules. The fact that the anti-Priforce majority on the Council has not censured and sanctioned Mayor Mourra for the same violation, is particularly informative as to the partisan culture that has seized control of and degraded Emeryville politics.
The 18th Assembly District is comprised of Oakland, Alameda and Emeryville. It is considered one of the most progressive assembly districts in the United States. Emeryville, now having three ADEM board members, is represented far over its population in the District it should be noted.
The Democratic Party election just completed for ADEM representatives for the 18th District, is now represented by seven men, six of whom are white; the highest albedo level for an 18th Assembly District ADEM board in more than a generation.
ReplyDeleteI'm so tired of the Israel lobby inserting itself into everything in our country. I have to comment anonymously because I'd get called an anti-semite if I used my name and I might get doxed. It used to be OK to be against the government of Israel while being for Jews. Now that's no longer considered acceptable. That's the power of the Israel lobby.
You are not alone. Here in Berkeley the Israeli lobby has infiltrated the Berkeley CIty Council, many of whom work on behalf of lobby groups and against the public. That's why Berkeley has not adopted a ceasefire resolution,, because many of our elected officials have been bought by Israel. Former mayor, Jesse "I sell myself to the highest bidder" Arreguin went on a trip to Israel paid for by lobby groups.
Delete5 more vastly qualified women got more votes than Mr. Priforce but he got a seat over them because of an equity requirement to have an equal number of men. He didn't win based on merit like you imply. Get a grip.
ReplyDeleteYou want to take an anti-Priforce view, I understand, and you’re free to do it at the Tattler. But this story isn’t about pro-Priforce or anti-Priforce ideologies at war. The story is about how the two diametrically opposed slates, one conservative and one progressive (despite the conservative side using the word “progressive” in their title) ran candidates in two successive elections in the most left wing part of the Bay Area and the first election the progressive side won in a landslide (as you would expect) while in the second election the conservative side won in a landslide, something remarkable. The imposition of the Israel lobby into the race is the most likely difference that would explain this conundrum.
DeleteHow Councilman Priforce, the progressive slate standard bearer in both elections fits into this is the fact he is the only candidate that won both elections; meaning he is seen by the Democrat rank and file as a politician that is less partisan, less for his side only and ultimately fair to all.
No matter how much you want to diminish Council member Priforce, your neighbors in Northern Alameda County disagree with you. They like Kalimah and they voted for him twice, regardless what the Israel lobby threw at the race trying to defeat him (and all the others on the People’s Slate). It is a remarkable and very newsworthy story, no matter how much the conservative Priforce haters scream and shout that it’s not.
The slates are not "diametrically opposed". That's spin and nonsense. Neither is either one "conservative". You are literally pulling that out of thin air. Have you interviewed every single slate member? Looked at their voting records? Looked at their associations? donations? etc. Because I have. There isn't anyone in the two slates hasn't show themselves to be anything but a progressive and activist on some front. Stop the lies.
DeleteThe "Housing and Climate Progressive Democratic" slate only ran 6 men. Priforce won only because they didn't have a 7th male candidate - you can see his vote totals are far below anyone else on the other slate. It's not a sign that he's seen by the Democrat rank and file as less partisan at all.
DeleteThe People’s Slate, from their website says they stand for “…anti-gentrification, tenant protections, climate justice and a labor-led clean energy economy”. They also said they would refuse corporate backing. These things and more make the slate progressive. The ‘Housing and Climate Progressive Democratic Slate, despite its name with the word ‘progressive’ in it, is noted for its corporate backers, notably the Real Estate Investment Trust lobbying group YIMBY California. They put stripping local housing policy to make way for more corporate landlords at the top of their to do list. They also received support from at least one pro-Israel lobbying group. These are things that make it conservative. Progressive vs conservative…the two are diametrically opposed. The conservative slate is pro-corporate, anti-democratic. The progressive slate is anti-corporate and pro-democratic. It’s hard to get more diametrically opposed than that.
DeleteThe candidates moved into the slates that best represented their values. An anti-corporate candidate would not run in a slate of candidates that’s pro-corporate and vice versa. That’s why there are slates to begin with. As I reported, no men of color ran in the conservative slate. That’s because it’s hard to find conservative men of color in the East Bay. White men tend to be more conservative so it’s easy to find them.
There’s no lying going on…just normal politics cleaving into two diametrically opposed camps. It’s totally normal and expected. In the Bay Area, progressive voters make up the majority so conservatives have to hide their conservative predilections in order to stand a chance of winning. That’s why the ‘Housing and Climate Progressive Democratic Slate put the word “progressive” in their title…to get people to vote for them.
Priforce won because people like him. The fact that he’s the only person from the People’s Slate to win shows people think he is so good that they pulled him out and singled him out for their vote, this done in an election season that was money bombed by the Israel lobby. He is considered good enough to vote for by conservative voters. That proves he is seen as less partisan than the other People’s Slate candidates by conservative voters who came out in droves for their candidates (plus one that wasn’t their candidate).
DeleteYou seem to be assuming all pro-Israel people are automatically
ReplyDeletepro-Netanyahu people. Millions of Israelis despise him and his
aggression on Palestinians.
And yet millions of Israelis have not protested Israel's genocide against Palestinians, and lots have participated in the genocide and cheered it on.
DeleteWho’s assuming that? But then … why are you making your comment anonymously? We desperately need such Israelis to be vocal in their opposition to Netanyahu and genocide. And in favor of dismantling the apartheid state. Speak up!
DeleteI disagree with the commenter that says everybody on these slates are all equally progressive. The idea there are two sides is axiomatic for how all political discussions evolve. There is clearly a left wing side and a right wing side. People get tripped up thinking right wing necessarily means pro-Trump or something. It's a spectrum.
ReplyDeleteNew to Emeryville and first time I've seen this site. So much to catch up on!
ReplyDelete