Castro Country Club job grads
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Rallying against DACA's demise
ARTS
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Taylor Mac Marathon
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Nightlife Events
The
www.ebar.com
Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community
Vol. 47 • No. 36 • September 7-13, 2017
LGBT center welcomes new board chairs by Matthew S. Bajko
Rick Gerharter
Our Family Coalition had a large group of families in last year’s Oakland Pride parade.
Oakland ‘Rises Up’ with Pride
by Heather Cassell
T
housands are anticipated to come out to enjoy Oakland Pride Sunday, September 10. The daylong event will be Oakland’s eighth annual LGBTQ Pride festival and the fourth annual parade since the event returned in 2010. “Oakland Pride is our theme. Making pride about our community, about Oakland and the See page 21 >>
ribbon-cutting ceremony in April to celebrate the completion of the hen she first renovation project, center officials walked through have been focused on alerting the doors of the community groups that they can San Francisco LGBT Comonce again rent space in the buildmunity Center six years ago, ing for meetings or events MonSally Jesmonth remembers days through Saturdays. being struck by the size of “We are trying to get the the entryway atrium and word out it is open again,” said thinking it was wasted Jesmonth. space. “It definitely has gotten busier Today, that airy lobby now that the grand re-opening has is no more, having been happened,” added González. enclosed to create new Assisting in the outreach efforts meeting room space as is Roberto Ordeñana, who has part of a $10.3 million stepped in on an interim basis to Kelly Sullivan top-to-bottom renovation be the center’s executive director, of the upper Market Street San Francisco LGBT Community Center board co-chairs Sally Jesmonth, as Rebecca Rolfe started a sabbatibuilding. Closed for most left, and Nicholas González encourage people to stop by and see the cal August 21. She is expected to of 2016, the facility began building’s new look and check out its programs. resume her role as executive direcreopening to the public in tor December 4. to have them in there as they tie into the misstages last December, when “I feel like it is a really exciting sion of the center.” several local nonprofits moved into new oftime for us with the building renovation Added Nicholas González, recently elected fice spaces in the center. completed,” said Ordeñana, who is the centhe center’s new male co-chair, “I think it “When looking at the usable space in the ter’s director of development and marketlooks great and feels more welcoming based building, for me, now there is a lot more using. “I am excited to lead the center through on the changes made.” able space, specifically for nonprofits,” said Rebecca’s sabbatical. Now we get to turn our Maximizing the potential of the remodJesmonth, who was voted in as the new feattention to the needs of the community and eled center is a top priority for the co-chairs male co-chair of the center’s board of direcSee page 14 >> and center staff. Since hosting a public tors earlier this summer. “I am really excited
W
CA to try LA Assembly race draws wide field again at bail reform W by Matthew S. Bajko
by Seth Hemmelgarn
A
fter failing to pass legislation this year to reform California’s bail system – which many say keeps people in jail just because they can’t afford to buy their release – legislators, the governor, and the state’s top judge have announced that they’ll work together to craft successful legislation. “The truth is today, under the cash bail system, if you can write a check, public safety doesn’t matter,” state Senator Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), said in statement. “We need a system that prioritizes public safety and restores justice to the pretrial process, regardless of income level.” Hertzberg’s Senate Bill 10, known as the California Money Bail Reform Act of 2017, would have required that pretrial services agencies conduct risk assessments and recommend conditions of release for defendants pretrial, among other provisions. People arrested for certain violent felonies wouldn’t have been eligible. Hertzberg and Assemblyman Rob Bonta (DOakland) jointly authored SB 10, along with the identical Assembly Bill 42. SB 10 made it through the Senate, but not See page 12 >>
ith 13 candidates having qualified for the October 3 special primary election for the 51st Assembly District seat in Los Angeles, it is widely expected that the race will be decided by the December 5 runoff between the top two votegetters next month. Three gay male candidates – Luis Lopez, David Luis Lopez Vela, and Alex De Ocampo – and a number of straight allies, including Wendy Carrillo and Mark Vargas, are all competing to represent the district, which includes the LGBT-friendly neighborhoods of Eagle Rock and Echo Park, as well as a portion of Silver Lake, historically one of Los Angeles’ LGBT enclaves. The district also encompasses other neighborhoods north and east of downtown Los Angeles, such as Chinatown, Historic Filipinotown, and unincorporated East L.A. The Assembly seat became vacant after former Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) won election to the state’s 34th Congressional District seat in June. He succeeded Xavier Becerra, who was appointed the state’s attorney general earlier this year by Governor Jerry Brown due to the election last fall
a leg up. Polling conducted in July by Lopez’s campaign found that among 402 likely voters, both he (at 10 percent) and Carrillo (at 11 percent) were the only ones to receive more than single digit backing. Those findings will likely change, however, as the race kicks into full gear this month. And all of the candidates will be striving to overcome voter fatigue, as the October ballot will be David Vela Alex De Ocampo the sixth one this year for of Kamala Harris as California’s junior U.S. the district and the seventh senator. since last November. Should one of the trio of out candidates suc“Voters don’t know the special election is ceed Gomez in the state Legislature, they would happening and many have had way too many become the ninth member of the California elections this year. The challenge will be to get Legislative LGBT Caucus. Their election would voters out,” said Lopez, 44, a longtime Demomark a record for the number of out legislators cratic Party activist who lost his first bid for the serving in the Statehouse. Assembly seat in 2012 to Gomez. “We are exEquality California, the statewide LGBT ad- pecting very low turnout. I think in the special vocacy group, endorsed all three of the gay can- election for the congressional seat turnout was didates and Vargas, who has served on its board 14 percent, so getting my supporters and my for three years. Last year, he spent seven days by base out will be our key to victory.” the bedside of his lesbian cousin, Laura Vargas, Carrillo, 37, who landed in sixth place in the who was wounded in the terrorist attack at Or- special primary election for Becerra’s congreslando, Florida’s gay Pulse nightclub. sional seat, agreed that voter fatigue is an issue So far, the race has attracted little media at- the Assembly candidates will face. tention, giving those candidates with better See page 7 >> name recognition and community connections
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