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Table of Contents
Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor
The election for president is 6 months away (6 months!). I/You/We all want Bush out of this office that he never won and illegitimately legally stole from us in 2000. And the race is gonna be tight! I am completely optimistic we are gonna win, but there's some real work we gotta do to make it happen. And there's some real stuff we need to deal with, get beyond, and then move forward. We have to deal with the reality that Senator Kerry is not perfect. There, said it. He's not perfect. Are you perfect? Am I perfect? Was Clinton perfect? Is Senator Boxer perfect? No, no, no, and no. No one is, especially national politicians. As much as we want them to say and do everything exactly right from the get-go and to never waiver, well, bi-golly, they often do and often mess-up and often choose rhetoric we abhor and often make us mad. And people, we gotta get real and understand that and move beyond it. Because as much as I/you/we want Senator Kerry to be perfect and to say everything perfectly and to be completely perfect on the marriage issue and the military issue and the Iraq issue and the whatever issue, he's simply not going to be perfect. He is what he is. And Bush is what he is. And we know how not even close to reality Bush is and how disastrous he is for our community and for the nation and for the entire world. So we gotta get real and recognize Senator Kerry isn't perfect and recognize that in the next 6 months he may say or do things that we might not be 100% happy with and after he's elected president (yes, I'm more than ready for that) he may say or do things that we might not be 100% happy with then too. It's not as if he's our Assemblyman Mark Leno (who is pretty much perfect, ain't he?)! Senator Kerry has the extremely hard job of trying to woo middle-of-the-road, Middle America, mildly political Americans throughout the country in those 'swing states' every one is talking about. He is with us fundamentally, you and I both know that; and Bush is against us fundamentally, you and I both know that too. But he's got to win over those others. And as much as we sit around and fight over every single syllable and enunciation Senator Kerry gives over marriage or any other GLBT issue, the reality is that these swing voters don't really even care about these issues. So while we're in-fighting and in-bashing, Bush and the Repubs are not wasting time like we are and are out there motivating and influencing these voters with their rhetoric. And Middle America is wondering which candidate will win the "war on terror" or fix the economy or whatever. This is not to belittle our issues or concerns by a longshot, but to recognize reality, recognize we're dealing with a national campaign, that this campaign is incredibly close, that the campaign will be won and lost in these swing states, and that we can't let Bush happen for another 4 years. So, let's get real. Senator Kerry has been with us from the beginning and is with us now. We have much to be proud of and happy with in regards to him. Why waste our time squabbling over a piece when the pie itself is so amazing on the whole. Just check out these two links:
So let's get to work. There's a new GLBT committee forming here in the Bay Area to work on ways to help Kerry win California, raise money, and help swing those swing states, and everything else involved. Email me for details if you're interested in more on that (reese@reesesworld.com). There's also a local chapter for Senator Kerry's campaign which can be reached via www.kerrynorcal.com and they need our help. Imagine how many locals we can remind of the positives of Senator Kerry for our community. And imagine how many tourists we can help convert at Fisherman's Wharf! There's much to do. But remember, in order to do it, we gotta get real. Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P. (Editor)
The Alice membership meeting program in March was of great interest to Alice members. A report on the meeting is included in this newsletter, but we want to thank City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Craig Dziedzic, Chief Tax Counsel, and Minna Tao, Deputy Assessor-Recorder, from the office of Assessor Mabel Teng, for joining us on April 12th. Dennis Herrera spoke from his heart about the court appeals related to same-sex marriage and he predicted that the current California law defining marriage as only between a man and a woman will be found to be unconstitutional. Craig and Minna provided an insider's perspective on events leading up to the Valentine Marriage Weekend and gave statistical information about who got married during the month of same-sex marriages at City Hall. Dennis Herrera and Mabel Teng are outstanding public servants and Alice is proud to have been among the early endorsers of both of these elected officials. The May 10th membership meeting promises to be another outstanding program when we hear from Supervisor Bevan Dufty. Bevan will discuss his first-plus year in office as a supervisor, the Castro Renaissance, other District 8 issues, and anything else he wants to talk about. Alice and Bevan have a strong history and working relationship and Alice endorsed Bevan when he was considered by some to be a long shot. Bevan Dufty, along with Tom Ammiano, are the only two LGBT Supervisors at this time, but we all hope to increase that number by at least one in November of this year. Please note the new starting time for Alice membership meetings is 6:30P rather than 7:00P. There was a strong consensus for this time change at the April 12th meeting. Also at the May meeting, members will be asked to vote on one amendment to the Bylaws. The proposed amendment to Article V, Section D, would reduce from 120 to 60 the number of days that a person must be a member of Alice in order to vote on Alice's political endorsements. You may review the current Bylaws at http://www.alicebtoklas.org/abt/bylaws.htm. We will also ask Alice members to endorse John Kerry for President of the United States at the May meeting. We are pleased to welcome new board members to elected and appointed positions on the board for 2004. The new board members are: Michael Costa, Greg Flores, Reese Isbell, Laura Kogen, Kirk Oatman, and Owen Stephans. A full list of board members is included in this newsletter. We want to extend our congratulations to Theresa Sparks on her appointment to the San Francisco Police Commission by the Board of Supervisors. Alice is also proud that Lisa Williams and Anna Damiani have been selected as at-large members of the California Delegation for John Kerry to the Democratic National Convention to be held in Boston in July. We also want to congratulate Owen Stephens on his selection as one of six members of the 8th Congressional District (represented by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi) delegation to the Next General Democratic Summit which was held in Washington, D.C. on April 22nd. Ask Owen for more information about the summit at the next Alice meeting.
See you soon, Alice B. Toklas
LGBT Democratic Club The following new members of the board were appointed at the April 26th board meeting: Program Co-Chairs Logistics Co-Chairs Technology Chair Newsletter Editors Field Coordinators Parliamentarian Policy Advisors On the
Mark in Sacramento
In this month's column, I'd like to review a couple of bills I've proposed in this year's legislative session, and give you an update on AB 1967, the Marriage License Non-Discrimination Act. San Francisco is facing a fiscal crisis this year that we haven't seen in many years. Elected officials must find new and creative ways to fund our basic city services. Unfortunately, incoming Governor Schwarzenegger tied our hands even further when he increased our state deficit by an additional $4 billion with the reduction of the Vehicle License Fee (VLF). This refund comes directly at the expense of our cherished city services - fire, police, and health, among many others. That's why I am working on a bill to allow the City and County of San Francisco to introduce its own local option of the Vehicle License Fee. For 50 years, the VLF was 2% of the value of the car. Governor Schwarzenegger reduced that percentage to .67% My proposal would allow San Francisco, upon voter approval, to restore the VLF to its 50-year level of 2%, and direct the new revenue to the General Fund. The idea is supported by a wide range of local organizations, including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the Building Owner and Managers Association and the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. In these tight fiscal times, we cannot allow our city's vital safety net to be eroded by a Republican Governor who prioritizes helping car owners over the most needy in our society, and I am proud to be leading the fight for this important measure. I've also introduced AB 1796, which would make California eligible to receive federal food stamp funding for former drug offenders. A great injustice exists within federal law whereby those who rob a bank or are convicted of a violent crime are eligible for food stamps once they've served their jail time, but convicted drug offenders are ruled ineligible for such assistance by a lifetime ban. My bill would give people trying to turn their lives around a fighting chance. California has twice the national recidivism rate and half the national parole completion rate. Denying public assistance to former drug offenders is a fundamental barrier to recovery and successful re-entry into our society. My bill would help formerly incarcerated individuals lead a more productive life once they have served their time, and at the same time allow the state to make use of nearly $2 million in federal assistance left off the table without such legislation in place. In support of this bill, I received a letter from a young woman with a prior drug felony conviction, who said, "Food stamps should be given - period. A drug user can't get them, but a child molester, murder...or a rapist can...Taking [away] food stamps doesn't stop drugs or help the war against drugs. It stops mothers who are pregnant from feeding their baby inside them...or the child at home who needs the top ramen...or the addict who's in recovery who needs to eat." I'm working on another bill with our small, locally-owned and operated fishing businesses who supply our quintessentially San Francisco dish of Dungeness Crab every year. AB 2146 would allow family-owned crab boats to compete on a level playing field with larger crab boats that often come from out-of-state, by curtailing the number of crab traps a boat could carry. I am proud to be preserving an important part of San Francisco's cultural heritage and supporting our local economy at Fisherman's Wharf with this bill. If we don't do something about protecting our local businesses, we're going to lose that tradition. As many of you already know, the LGBT community took a historic and definitive step toward equality and respect for our relationships and our families with the passage of AB 1967 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee. The historic 8-3 vote, with all of the Democratic members in support and all of the Republicans members opposed, means that for the first time in our nation's history, a state legislative entity has gone on record to proactively support our right to marry. Civil rights took a major step forward on this day. I take great pride in the fact that my eight Democratic colleagues stood up for civil rights - not for 'special privileges' - but for equal civil rights. I will continue to work with them in the weeks and months ahead to gather the necessary 41 votes to make sure this important bill becomes law in California. I look forward to sharing more of my thoughts about all the exciting things happening in Sacramento with you in next month's Alice newsletter. In the meantime, should you have questions or thoughts, please feel free to contact me at any time through my District Office at 415-557-3013 or keep updated on the web via: http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a13. Yours, "Sneak Preview" from Supervisor Bevan Dufty
I am grateful for the support that Alice has given me and look forward to answering your questions and talking about our mutual goals for the City and bringing a new Democratic President and Congress. Supervisor Bevan Dufty "Afterwords" from City Attorney Dennis Herrera
Thank you for extending me the opportunity to speak to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club last month. I was gratified by your warm welcome as always, and especially pleased to apprise the club of the hard work the City Attorney's Office is doing on our lawsuits to end the systematic discrimination against gay and lesbian couples in California's marriage statutes. With our legal team continuing the day-to-day battle on dual fronts -- in San Francisco Superior Court and in the California Supreme Court -- I urge you to stay up to date on the latest news and legal developments in the case by visiting my Web site at www.sfgov.org/cityattorney/ regularly. Thanks again for inviting me to speak. I look forward to continuing to stay in touch with all my friends at Alice in the days and months ahead.
Best, Marriage Flyer statement from Assessor/Recorder Mabel Teng
Senator Kerry's statements on GLBT equality These statements can be found on his national website at www.johnkerry.com/issues/glbt/ A Record of Working on Behalf of Gay and Lesbian Americans With a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign since 1995, John Kerry is a powerful voice in the ongoing fight for civil rights for gay and lesbian Americans. Preventing Hate Crimes John Kerry is an original cosponsor of the Hate Crimes Prevention bill, which would extend federal jurisdiction over serious, violent hate crimes. These would include crimes motivated by sexual orientation. Hate crimes rose a disturbing 3.5% from 1999 to 2000. Ending Discrimination One of John Kerry's first acts as a U.S. Senator, in 1985, was to introduce a bill prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He supports passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and has adopted a nondiscrimination policy for his Congressional offices based on sexual orientation and gender identity. HIV/AIDS Funding John Kerry cosponsored the first Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act (CARE) - which represents the largest discretionary federal investment in treating individuals with HIV and AIDS. Kerry also sponsored the Vaccines for the New Millennium Act, aimed at boosting contributions to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, a non-profit group working to promote development of an HIV vaccine in 2000. Kerry introduced the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria Act, which would increase the U.S. government's funding of international HIV/AIDS efforts from approximately $1.7 billion in 2003 to $1.9 billion in 2004. This effort led to the unanimous passage in May 2003 the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria Act of 2003. AIDS activists characterized Kerry as one of Congress's top leaders on HIV/AIDS policy. Protecting Gay and Lesbian Families John Kerry believes that same-sex couples should be granted rights, including access to pensions, health insurance, family medical leave, bereavement leave, hospital visitation, survivor benefits, and other basic legal protections that all families and children need. He has supported legislation to provide domestic partners of federal employees the benefits available to spouses of federal employees. He was one of 14 Senators -- and the only one up for reelection in 1996 -- to oppose the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Lifting the Ban on Gays in the Military John Kerry opposed the Clinton Administration's "Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy" He was one of a few senators to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee and call on the President to rescind the ban on gay and lesbian service members. Support for Civil Unions John Kerry supports same-sex civil unions so that gay couples can benefit from the health benefits, inheritance rights, or Social Security survivor benefits guaranteed for heterosexual couples. Alice B Toklas LGBT Democratic Club General Membership Meeting 2nd Monday of each month Join or renew on-line at www.alicebtoklas.org, or fill out the application below Membership Application Yes, I want to join the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club! __$30 Regular __I am renewing my membership __I will be a new member __I am a registered Democrat Name ___________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________ City _________________________________________State: ______Zip: _____________ Phone: Day _____________________________Eve: _____________________________ Email: _________________________________________ Please send checks payable to “Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club” and mail to: Alice B. Toklas LGBT Dem. Club/1800 Market Street PMB#18,San Francisco, CA 94102 |
"Gettin' Real"
We would like to begin this month's column by remembering
San Francisco Police Officer Isaac Espinoza who was violently and
senselessly killed in the line of duty. We did not know Officer
Espinoza personally, but we wish we had. Our friends in the SFPD have
conveyed to us that he was a remarkable police officer with a ready
smile who was determined to make the Bayview and San Francisco a safer
place. He was also a loving husband and father. The grief that the
Espinoza family and his police family are experiencing is intense and
heart-rending. Please consider making a donation to the Isaac Espinoza
Trust Fund, c/o SF Police Credit Union, 2550 Irving Street, San
Francisco, CA 94122.
Dear
Alice Friends:
I look forward to talking with Alice Members about my work on the
Board of
Supervisors, including:
Dear Alice Members,
