June 2010 Election Endorsements

Primary Election Endorsements

Candidates and ballot measures must receive 60% of the vote cast to be endorsed.

At three spring special meetings club members endorsed the following:

• Proposition 15:  Fair Elections
• For US Senator:  Barbara Boxer
• For Congress 9^th District:  Barbara Lee
• For Governor: Jerry Brown
• For Lieutenant Governor:   no endorsement
• For Attorney General:  Kamala Harris
• For Secretary of State:  Debra Bowen
• For State Treasurer:  Bill Lockyer
• For State Controller:   John Chiang
• For Insurance Commissioner:  Dave Jones
• For State Assembly 14^th District:  Nancy Skinner
• For State Assembly 16^th District:   Sandre Swanson
• For State Assembly 18^th District:  Mary Hayashi
• For State Board of Equalization:   Betty Yee
• For State Superintendent of Public Instruction:  Tom Torlakson
• For Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 3:  Wilma Chan
• For Alameda County District Attorney:  Nancy O’Malley
• For Alameda County Superintendent of Schools:  no endorsement
• For Alameda County Board of Education District 1:  Joaquin Rivera
• For Alameda County Auditor/Controller:  Patrick O’Connell
• For Alameda County Assessor:  Ron Thomsen
• For Superior Court Judicial Office #9:  no endorsement

For Democratic Central Committee, 14^th AD: 

• Elizabeth Echols,
• Beverly Greene,
• Edie Iron

The club also voted to oppose Proposition 17

MGO is an independent grassroots Democratic Club that heard candidate presentations and studied the ballot measures.  No part of this ad has been paid for by candidates or ballot measure supporters or opponents.

MGO Democratic Club holds general membership meetings every third Thursday of the month.  Check here for more information.

Board Nominations

REPORT OF THE MGO 2010 NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The MGO Nominating Committee has considered its nominations for club officers and executive board members for the program year July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. President Judy Cox, who served as an ex-officio member of the committee, appointed former club president Wayne Nishioka as chair. Dan Kalb, Nancy Sidebotham and Gary Sirbu were also appointed.

The MGO Constitution requires the Nominating Committee to nominate candidates for club president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary and also requires that it nominate at least seven at-large candidates. The Committee has not yet selected a candidate for the position of secretary; however, our bylaws provide that the committee may during the year nominate additional persons to serve on the executive board subject to ratification by the membership, and the Committee will follow that procedure.

The Committee nominates the following persons:

Officers

• Joe Trapp, President
• Ralph Kanz, Vice President
• Steve Statler, Treasurer
• Judy Cox, Immediate Past President

Executive Board Members

• Guy Bryant
• Greg Chan
• Christopher Dobbins
• Howard  Eggerman
• Dan Kalb
• Wayne Nishioka
• Nancy Sidebotham

All of the nominees are E-Board incumbents who indicated a desire to continue their service on the Board. Additional nominations, if any, will be accepted from the floor at the general meeting. The names of all nominees will be published in the June issue of the club newsletter. The election of club officers and executive board members will then occur at the June meeting

Respectfully submitted,

Wayne Nishioka, Chair

MGO Nominating Committee

Peralta Colleges – update

Over the past several months the press has reported on the questionable actions of Peralta Community College District Chancellor Elihu Harris.  The allegations include Chancellor Harris’s lavish spending on his own expenses for travel and other items, termination of an employee who was suspected of disclosing information to the press, and the secret awarding of salary increases to favored employees.

The E-Board recently became aware of real estate transactions involving a property adjacent to the Merritt College Campus that raise additional questions about the integrity of Chancellor Harris. The property in question is a generally triangular shaped parcel along Campus Drive that was a remainder parcel from the Ridgemont development that was purchased by Dr. Collin Mbanugo in 2001. On September 23, 2003 the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees (Board) approved Resolution 03/04-4 approving a quitclaim deed on the parcel.  The Resolution states “the cost of maintenance exceeds the value of the land.”  The Quitclaim Deed was filed on December 22, 2003 granting the property to Dr. Mbanugo and the deed states the “this deed is given for the purpose of eliminating any implied interest” from the 1981 Tract Map. The Quitclaim Deed is signed by Chancellor Harris.

The Board Closed Session Agenda of February 26, 2008 noticed the item to purchase this same property from Dr. Mbanugo.  The District’s purchase of the property was recorded on March 25, 2008.  Five years after extinguishing any claim to this property because “the cost of maintenance exceeds the value of the land” the District paid $300,000 for the same parcel and again assumed the maintenance costs.

While the transaction around this property might have a legitimate purpose for the District, the appearances suggest otherwise. Added to earlier revelations concerning Chancellor Harris’s conduct it raises the question of adequate oversight by the Peralta Board.

Base upon the press reports and this newly discovered information about questionable real estate dealings, and in support of the Club’s Platform on governmental integrity and accountability, the MGO E-board drafted a letter that President Judy Cox signed and sent to the Peralta Board demanding a prompt and thorough investigation of the actions of Chancellor Harris. The Peralta Board has a duty to commence a thorough and timely investigation into all of the questionable actions that have occurred under Chancellor Harris. When we receive a response we will pass it along.

Ralph Kanz

Vice-president