Check out Kip’s website here.

http://cbs5.com/local/human.rights.campaign.2.780492.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COALITION THROWS THE ‘LEFT OUT PARTY: A GENDERFUL GAYLA’ ACROSS THE STREET FROM HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN DINNER

ELECTED OFFICIALS, INCLUDING FORMER KEYNOTE SPEAKER AND L.A. MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA, BOYCOTT HRC GALA AND SUPPORT INCLUSIVE ENDA

July 26, 2008

Today, a coalition of queer progressive organizations will hold “The Left OUT Party: A Genderful Gayla,” an alternative to the Human Rights Campaign’s annual fundraising dinner in San Francisco. The Left OUT Party will be held outside of the Westin St. Francis hotel on the west side of Union Square, and will feature performers, live bands, speakers, and “Human Rights Heroes” award recipients all showing their support for federal non-discrimination legislation including protections for both gender identity and sexual orientation.

Thursday marked the deadline for turning in in-lieu petitions. The petitions are nominally a way to avoid paying the filing fee to run for office, but at 50 cents a signature, they aren’t a very efficient way of doing that. They are, however, a pretty good gauge of which campaigns have broad enough support to get over 1000 signatures of voters in their district.

It looks like John Avalos in District 11 turned in 2,000 signatures, which is a pretty impressive number. David Chiu in D3 submitted 1,900. Eric Quezada in District 9 hit 1,500 (of which I collected something like 75), while David Campos edged him out with 1,600. No word on how many Mark Sanchez or Eric Storey were able to come up with.

San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee Vote Tally

Issue: Election of Chair
Candidate

Peskin
Michael Bornstein X
David Campos X
David Chiu X
Chris Daly X
Michael Goldstein X
Robert Haaland X
Joe Julian X
Hene Kelly X
Rafael Mandelman X
Eric Mar X
Jake McGoldrick X
Aaron Peskin X
Debra Walker X
Betty Yee X
Carole Migden X
Leland Yee X
Fiona Ma X
Tom Ammiano X

TOTAL: 18

Weiner

Tom Hsieh X
Mary Jung X
Leslie Katz X
Meagan Levitan X
Jane Morrison X
Melanie Nutter X
Connie O’Connor X
Arlo Hale Smith X
Laura Spanjian X
Matt Tuchow X
Scott Wiener X
Dianne Feinstein X
Nancy Pelosi X
Jackie Speier X
Mark Leno X
August Longo X

SIGN THE PETITION: SUPPORT THE HRC SF GALA DINNER BOYCOTT

On Saturday, July 26th, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is hosting its annual San Francisco gala dinner and fund raiser at the Westin St. Francis hotel. They’ll raise money, cheer and applaud their apparent successes in Washington DC, announce a sudden, renewed interest in marriage, and claim that they are advancing the nation’s LGBT agenda.

But we in San Francisco’s LGBT community are preparing our OWN July 26th party in the streets, outside of the Westin St. Francis. We also encourage others in the LGBT community and our allies to boycott HRC’s gala event, due to HRC’s ongoing refusal to advocate for federal legislation that protects all Americans from discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

Published in today’s SF Bay Guardian

HRC’s failed strategy on ENDA has needlessly divided our community at a time when we are poised to make great gains in civil rights

By SF Pride at Work

OPINION On July 26, the Bay Area’s gay and lesbian elite will gather at the posh Westin St. Francis to raise money for the Human Rights Campaign in the name of securing and protecting LGB rights. Despite flip-flopping its position on a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which should include protections for gender identity as well as sexual orientation, HRC will rake in money to further advance a version of human rights in the political world of Washington, DC in which transgender and gender-non-conforming people are apparently less than human.

Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin’s proposals for two November ballot tax measures deserve the best of luck. Fiscal belt-tightening can only go so far to reduce our city government’s $338 million deficit. Eventually, the city needs to find ways to raise new revenue to keep its government going. Government doesn’t run for free.

The above comments are basic common sense. They’re also things the Bay Guardian have been rightfully arguing for years.

Far better writers than me can advocate for Peskin’s proposals from a number-crunching and practical policy standpoint. I want to focus on the human nature problem in getting Peskin’s proposals passed by November’s voters.

Vote for CHANGE - Peskin for Democratic Party Chair
”
Wednesday, July 23, 7pm
State Building, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, Milton Marks Auditorium

By Chris Daly

July 21, 2008

I’ve written on several occasions about the importance of the local Democratic Party and the heavy hitting going on behind the scenes for its top leadership post. Well, it all gets decided this Wednesday night, and you are invited!

The next leader of San Francisco’s Democratic Party will not only set the course for our local Party over the next two years, they will have significant influence over the Democratic Party program this Fall, when 7 Supervisor seats get filled.

—– Forwarded Message —-
From: Plan C San Francisco
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 4:15:00 PM
Subject: ACTION ALERT - Ask Fiona Ma to Vote Wiener, DCCC Chair

Help re-elect Scott Wiener as DCCC Chair! This Wednesday, July 23, there will be an election of the chair of the Democratic County Central Committee. This obscure body is one of the most powerful in the city, because it controls the endorsements of the Democratic Party for candidates and ballot measures (including those on this November’s ballot).