A voter contacted me asking for more information on the the different candidates running for Alameda County Central Committee. To make it easier on voters, here is a list of the candidates, with whatever information I know about them as well as links to public information on them. If you know of other resources, please share them.
Committee members decide on which candidates for local office will get the Democratic endorsement and they pass resolutions on issues of local, state and national interest. They are also members of the California Democratic Central Committee and vote on state-wide and national endorsements.
Names in *ALL CAPITALS are those I recommend, (i) denotes incumbency (B) denotes a Bernie Sanders supporter while (H) denotes a Hillary Clinton supporter. They are listed in the order they appear in the ballot. Please feel free to e-mail me if you want more information about any of the candidates. You can read more about my recommended candidates here and see my whole Alameda County Voters Guide here.
AD 15 (Emeryville/North Oakland north to Berkeley – vote for no more than 9)
Sharon Ball (i)
Sharon Ball has been a member of the ACDCC since 2008 and is active in the Women’s Caucus.
Brett Badelle (B)
Brett Badelle currently works in the government relations department at BART. He is a founding member of the Black Young Democrats of the East Bay and is an alternate on the Alameda County Central Committee. He was Jean Quan’s Senior Policy Advisor on Public Safety and was campaign manager for Tony Thurmond. He’s a member of the Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club and the Wellstone Democratic Club. He’s running on a slate with three others.
*MICHAEL BARNETT (i)
Michael Barnett is a physicist at Lawrence Berkeley Labs. He is a long time member of the ACDCC and the author of the CA Democratic platform sections on education and criminal justice. He lives in Oakland.
Mike Barnett’s Campaign Website
Jamila A. English
Jamila English is Senior Policy Analyst and Community Liaison for Oakland Vice Mayor Annie Campbell Washington. She is an alternate at the ACDCC. She managed Elizabeth Echols’ campaign for Assembly.
Elizabeth Echols (i)
Elizabeth Echols was appointed by Gov. Brown to direct the California Public Utilities Commission’s Office of Ratepayer Advocates. Previously she was appointed by President Obama to direct the Small Business Administration for the Western region and prior to that she was Policy Director at Google. She ran unsuccessfully for State Assembly in 2014. She lives in Berkeley.
News articles on Elizabeth Echols
Kathy Neal (i)
Kathy Neal is a business consultant and long term Democratic Party activist and ACDCC member.
Kathy Neal’s professional biography
David Shiver
David Shiver is an urban economics/planning consultant. He is a former member of the ACDCC and the current president of the Berkeley Democratic Club.
David Shiver’s professional biography.
Karen Weinstein (H)
Karen Weinstein serves on the Berkeley Commission on the Status of Women, and is an activist and a grassroots organizer long-involved in the struggle for women’s rights, labor rights, and health care. Karen is a health educator, former member of the ACDCC and current vice-president of the Berkeley Democratic Club. She’s a strong Hillary Clinton supporter.
Bonnie Wheatley (i)
Bonnie Wheatley is a healthcare consultant. She has been a member of the ACDCC since 2008 and is the Chair of the Alameda County Commission on Status of Women.
*VINCENT CASALAINA (B)
Vincent Casalaina is a cinematographer and longtime progressive Democratic activist. He is the Vice-Chair of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party and in the leadership of Democracy for America and the Wellstone Democratic Club. He is a Sanders supporter. He is running in a slate with 3 other Wellstone members. He lives in Berkeley.
Vincent Casalaina’s Slate Facebook Page
*ANDY KELLEY (i) (B)
Andy is a young Democratic activist. He is active in East Bay Young Democrats and used to work for Democracy for America. He is a Sanders supporter. He has served one term in the ACDCC but was involved as an alternate before that. He lives in Oakland.
Floyd Huen (B)
Floyd Huen is a physician and member of Wellstone Democratic Club. He’s running in a slate with three other candidates.
Three Questions for Dr. Floyd Huen (2011 interview)
Kate Harrison (B)
Kate Harrison is a policy consultant and member of the Wellstone Democratic Club. She is running in a slate with three other Democratic activists. She lives in Berkeley.
Kate Harrison Consulting (her business website)
Dianne Martinez (B)
Dianne Martinez is the current Mayor of Emeryville. She was elected to the Emeryville City Council in 2014. She is a TV producer.
Interview with Dianne Martinez (when she was running for council)
Beverly Greene (i)
Beverly Greene is a long-time member of the ACDCC.
*CECILIA “CES” ROSALES (H)
Ces Rosales is a committed Democratic activist. She’s been an associate with the ACDCC for the last six years and has had a variety of roles with the party. She was student leader in the Philippines and came to the US to escape persecution by the brutal Marcos regime. She is a Hillary supporters, but I’m giving her a pass.
*LEN RAPHAEL (B)
Len Raphael is an accountant, community activist and treasurer for the Coalition for Police Accountability. He ran unsuccessfully for Oakland City Auditor in 2014.
Len Raphael’s campaign website
AD 18 Candidates (San Leandro, Alameda and parts of Oakland – vote no more than 10)
Corina R Lopez (i)
Corina Lopez was elected to the San Leandro City Council in 2014. Previously, she served 2 years in the San Leandro School Board. She was elected to the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee in 2012. Corina grew up in Soledad as the daughter of farm workers, made her way to Princeton and now runs an IT company with her husband.
SLT articles tagged Corina Lopez
Answers to APA Caucus Questionnaire (for Council race)
Smart Voter page for Council Race
*MARGARITA LACABE (i) (B)
That would be me. I’m a human rights activist, working specifically for human rights and against impunity for human rights violators in Latin America, and for the memory of victims of gross human rights violations. I was elected to the ACDCC in 2010. I’m committed to standing up for human rights and against corruption and self-dealing in the party. I’m also Sanders supporter.
Why I’m running for Central Committee
e-mail me with any questions.
*GUILLERMO D. ELENES (B)
Guillermo is a community activist, working specifically on renters’ rights. He has very strong progressive views which almost always mirror mine and has been an ally fighting for civil rights in San Leandro. He was an active volunteer for Obama and is now for Bernie Sanders.
SLT articles tagged Guillermo Elenes.
Howard Egerman (i)
Howard is a union activist with the American Federation of Government Employees. He has been a member of the ACDCC for many years. He lives in the Fruitvale district of Oakland.
Mario Juarez (i)
Mario Juarez is a realtor and business owner in Oakland. He ran unsuccessfully for Oakland City Council in 2008 and 2012. He has been a member of the ACDCC since 2010 and is the current Committee Vice-Chair for AD 18. He lives in Oakland.
Smart Voter page from his 2012 ACDCC race
Mario Juarez’ Professional Biography
Jim Oddie (i) (H)
Jim Oddie is Assemblymember Rob Bonta’s District Director. At the ACDCC, he votes as Bonta indicates he should vote. He was elected to the Alameda County City Council in 2014. Since his election to City Council, Oddie has seldom attended ACDCC meetings. He will be a delegate for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention.
Smart Voter page for Council Race
Articles tagged Jim Oddie, Alameda Merry Go Round
Robin Torello (i) (H)
Robin is the Chair of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee and has been so for many, many years. She will be a delegate for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention. She lives in San Leandro.
SLT articles tagged Robin Torello
Pamela A. Drake (i) (B)
Pamela is a community organizer and blogger from Oakland. She has a long political history, is an active member of the Wellstone Democratic Club and was elected to the ACDCC in 2012. She is a Sanders supporter.
Drake Talk Oakland – Pam’s blog
Pam’s comments on East Bay Express articles
Malcolm Amado Uno
Uno is Political Director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network He was recruited to run in a slate with the incumbents in the race (save for me).
* MIKE KATZ-LACABE (B)
Mike is a human rights activist specializing in privacy rights. He runs the Center for Human Rights and Privacy and investigates the use of mass surveillance by law enforcement within the US. He was in the San Leandro School Board from 2006 to 2014. He is a Sanders supporter.
SLT articles tagged Mike Katz-Lacabe
News articles quoting Mike on civil liberties
Randy Reynaldo Menjivar (B)
Randy is a graduate student at the University of San Francisco.
Peggy Moore (H)
Peggy was California Political Director of Obama for America from 2008 to 2012 and is currently Hillary Clinton’s California Political Director. In the interim she managed Libby Schaaf’s successful campaign for Oakland Mayor and served as her senior special advisor.
*MARLON L. MCWILSON (i) (B)
Marlon is an elected member of the Alameda County Board of Education, now running for re-election. He was appointed as member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee to fill a vacancy in 2013. He lives in West Oakland.
Linda Perry (i)
Linda Perry is the current treasurer of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, and thus an Executive Board member, and a long-time member of the ACDCC. She is a former San Leandro School Board and City Council member. Linda works as treasurer for political campaigns, including those of candidates seeking the Democratic endorsement.
SLT articles tagged Linda Perry
Diana Prola (i) (B)
Diana is a long time member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee. She is a retired teacher and member of the San Leandro School Board. She supports Sanders.
SLT articles tagged Diana Prola
*PAMELA PRICE
Pamela Price is an Oakland based civil rights attorney. She ran unsuccessfully for Assembly in 2014.
Pamela Price for ACDCC FB page
Voter’s Edge page on Pamela Price
Oakland Tribune endorsement of her Assembly run.
AD 25 Candidates (Newark & Parts of Fremont – vote for no more than 3)
Mike Bucci
Mike Bucci was elected to the Newark City Council in 2014. He is (or was) a Project Manager for Millwrights Local 102.
Nancy Thomas (i)
Nancy Thomas has been an ACDCC member for a long time and she also sits in the Newark School Board.
*PAUL SETHY (i)
Paul Sethy is an IT manager and has been a member of the ACDCC for the last four years and is a Director of Alameda County Water District. He lives in Fremont.
*RAJ SALWAN (B)
Raj is a veterinarian who lives in Fremont. He has been an alternate at the ACDCC for a number of years. He served a 2-year appointed term in the Fremont City Council.
Raj’s web page for his City Council race
Raj Salwan’s professional biography
Patricia “Pat” Danielson (i)
Pat Danielson is a Health Information Manager and member of the Washington Hospital Healthcare System Board. She lives in Fremont and has been a member of the ACDCC since 2008.
Awesome–thanks for putting together this list!
Thanks Margarita — this is very helpful information. Hard to find much useful information about the committee choices online — so I really appreciate the work you have done here.
Thanks for the help! I have to say this is the most frustrating, information lacking election I have ever seen! How hard would it be for Alameda County to compile a paragraph or two from each candidate and upload on their website so voters don’t have to scour the web for information. And what’s with so many candidates running with little or no information anywhere on them? Why even run?
I found this link was the best:
http://www.votersedge.org/ca/en/ballot/election/area/39/contests/contest/10990?election_authority_id=1#top-3-priorities-125588
It lets you see all candidates simultaneously on votersedge, including some you don’t have yet.
I have now linked to all the candidates’ Voters’ Edge pages. Some created theirs after I posted this guide.
Most Alameda County Dem Voters will Skip Voting for Dem Central Committee Members – for good reasons
I was campaigning today at the Berkeley Farmers Market. Might have chatted with 100 people who said they were registered Democrats. At most 5 of those people knew what the Alameda County Central Committee does.
(and of those five, only one recognized any of the names on the ballot)
Two people had received SEIU slate cards. One person voted by the card. The other person always throws her slate card out.
Of the people who said they had already voted, almost all said they skipped that section of the ballot entirely.
Later I talked to an older Piedmont guy who had already voted. He said he had made the effort to find out what the Committee does, but then he couldn’t figure out where to learn about the 17 candidates. He had not heard about votersedge.org and certainly not San Leandro Talk and didn’t have time to google any of the 17 candidates. He ended up making his choice from people who were not incumbents.
When I told an Oakland woman about the votersedge.org she asked whether incumbents’ endorsement voting records were public so she could evaluate them. Good question.
The emphasis of the political clubs and the Central Committee in registering and getting out the vote is important but I can’t help but consider whether the failure to educate Democrats about the role of the Committee is intentional. It creates a very low turnout, low-information race that heavily favors incumbents and a few slates.
Len Raphael
Candidate for AC DCC 15th AD
All very interesting.
Incumbent voting records are public, in theory, but in reality it’s not like anyone compiles them. AFAIK, I’m the only person who publishes a list of all the candidates I have endorsed/voted to endorse in each election.
If anyone has any specific questions as to how anyone voted on an endorsement, I might be able to help. Obviously I don’t remember everything, but I know who spoke in favor or against a candidate during the last endorsement period.