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December 12-18, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 5
No doubt about Milk remembrances
When considering the two marches and their merits one need only ask, “Which would Harvey have gone to?” [“Housing takes center stage at Milk-Moscone vigil,” December 5.] Those of us who were around when Harvey was with us know the answer. Ric West San Francisco
New neighbors for Delancey tree lot
The former site of Delancey Street’s Christmas Tree Basement, at Noe and Market streets, is now filling with luxury housing, causing them to move their tree lot 10 blocks from your neighborhood to mine – now at 25th and Castro streets. I’d leave it at that, because I’m a bah humbug type in December – except for the story Delancey Street Foundation President and CEO Mimi Silbert, Ph.D., told in the letter she wrote to neighbors introducing themselves (and apologizing for the noise and loss of some on-street parking). “Aside from the lot managers and cashiers, a number of [these Delancey Street ‘residents’ ex prisoners] are somewhat new ... quite uncomfortable with talking with ‘square people’ (smiley face) and really have to learn to expand their vocabulary and get along with people who are different from their prior lives. ... In a much more important fashion [than merely raising money], it helps many of our residents learn to talk with and get along with people who come for trees. They are thrilled to learn to care about you, their neighbors, during Christmas. They want to help everyone get the right tree, and make sure you’re excited about the holidays they had a little part in helping.”
What more can be said about the part of meaning during this season? Having crossed the street to meet the guys, I’m the lucky one because you have to drive (lots of free parking available I can attest). There is so much unspoken between us squares – gay couples without kids, and all kinds of families with kids, and our good fortune, perhaps sharing visions of caring and carrying on that have undoubtedly been missing in some Delancey Street residents past and present. Now l have something far more positive to look forward to every December. I encourage you to come meet the guys, too. Charlie Spiegel San Francisco
Mandela tribute MIA in Castro
Around the city and the world, millions of flags have been lowered to show respect for the recently deceased great humanitarian Nelson Mandela. President Barack Obama and Mayor Ed Lee have ordered flags on public property to fly at half-mast to honor Mandela’s life and valuable legacy. Sadly, one prominent flagpole that was not used in any way to link the LGBT community with the people of South Africa and Mandela is the flagpole on municipal land at Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro. The Merchants of Upper Market Castro and political leaders are using the Republican Party of No playbook, so no accommodation was made to use the Harvey Milk Plaza flagpole and display solidarity from gay mecca with everyone across the globe honoring Mandela. If Harvey were alive, I’m sure he would have created a way to use that public flagpole to honor Madiba. Michael Petrelis San Francisco
Katz fails to secure Stonewall endorsement
by Matthew S. Bajko
A
n East Bay bisexual Assembly candidate is hoping the proverbial “third time’s a charm” proves true after failing for a second time to secure a local LGBT Democratic club’s endorsement. East Bay Municipal Utility District board member Andy Katz fell short of the 60 percent threshold he needed to secure the backing of the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club when it voted December 3 to consider giving Katz its sole endorsement in the race for the 15th Assembly District seat. Now the club intends to open up its endorsement process to all of the candidates irrespective of their sexual orientation in the race. It plans to hold a third endorsement vote sometime in March. The club had initially voted to award a sole endorsement to its former chair Peggy Moore over Katz when it held its first early endorsement vote in October. But the day prior to Halloween Moore, an out lesbian and former Obama campaign staffer, announced she had decided to drop out of the race. Due to her surprise decision, the Stonewall club elected to hold a re-vote on giving Katz, now the sole out candidate in the race, its early endorsement nod. The club is not releasing the vote totals but Katz reportedly came very close to winning the club’s support. Asked about the outcome of the second endorsement vote, Stonewall political action committee Chair Michael Colbruno told the Bay Area Reporter he couldn’t reveal the final vote tally but did say that had Katz “put in a minimal amount of effort he’d have been endorsed.” Katz, 33, a Berkeley resident who is the government affairs director at Breathe California, told the B.A.R. that the night of the vote coincided with a number of local city council meetings as well as the annual holiday party hosted by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), resulting in scheduling conflicts for a number of his supporters within the club. “So I expect many more support-
Katz for Assembly campaign
Assembly candidate Andy Katz
ers will be available for the next vote,” said Katz. “I think it may have been the smallest endorsement meeting that the club has ever had.” Katz declined to comment directly when asked if he remains confident of his chances in securing the club’s backing come March. He did note that a number of Moore’s supporters within the club have now signed on to his campaign after she dropped out of the race. “What I can say is that my campaign will be working hard to engage the East Bay LGBT community to get involved in the club and on the issues that matter in Sacramento like addressing health disparities and civil rights,” said Katz. His biggest challenger for Stonewall’s endorsement appears to be Oakland resident Elizabeth Echols, a former regional administrator for the Small Business Administration appointed by President Barack Obama. An elected member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, Echols is also an executive board member of the National Women’s Political Caucus Alameda North chapter. Echols, a formidable fundraiser in the race, urged her backers within the club to vote against Katz in order to block his getting the endorsement this month. Echols’s campaign did not respond to an interview request by press time this week. She likely will once again play spoiler in the endorsement vote next year
in order to dent Katz’s reach within the East Bay LGBT community. Other Democratic candidates now able to seek Stonewall’s endorsement include Emeryville resident Sam Kang, general counsel at the Greenlining Institute; former Richmond City Councilman Tony Thurmond; West Contra Costa Unified School District Trustee Charles Ramsey; and San Pablo Councilwoman Cecilia Valdez. Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) currently holds the seat but will be termed out of office next December. Her district includes portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, including the cities of Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont, El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, the community of Kensington, and a portion of Oakland, including Montclair and North Oakland.
Campos plans holiday wedding
Gay District 9 Supervisor David Campos and his partner of 17 years, Philip Hwang, plan to wed during the board’s holiday recess sometime after Tuesday, December 17, its last meeting of 2013. Back in July Campos had told the B.A.R. that he and Hwang were planning to have a private ceremony sometime prior to the new year. In 2014 Campos will be focused on his bid for a state Assembly seat in a race that is pitting him against his board colleague, District 3 Supervisor David Chiu. In an email he sent out to his supporters December 5, Campos announced that the couple “will be saying ‘we do’ later” in the month. “After that, we’ll be taking a few days to honeymoon before our campaign shifts into high gear in January,” added Campos. The couple is keeping details of their ceremony private, but Campos did tell the B.A.R. this week that it would occur in southern California where his close family lives. And rather than jetting off to an island locale or European capital, their honeymoon will also be spent “just visiting family,” said Campos. He added, “We will have a larger celebration after the election.” Chiu himself was recently married to Candace Chen at a private wedding ceremony the couple held in late October.t