BAYMEC Unveils Endorsements for March Primary Election

The Bay Area Municipal Elections Commission—BAYMEC, a four-county political action group that advocates for LGBTQ rights—has unveiled a list of its preferred candidates in the upcoming March primary.

In three San Jose City Council races, BAYMEC is backing incumbents: Sergio Jimenez in D2, Dev Davis in D6 and Sylvia Arenas in D8. It endorsed Brigade founder Matt Mahan, who’s running against Bay Area Women’s March President Jenny Higgins Bradanini for Councilman Johnny Khamis’ open seat in D10.

In District 4, Councilman Lan Diep—the lone Republican on the dais—lost the BAYMEC blessing to challenger David Cohen, a Berryessa Union School District trustee who’s running against employment rights lawyer Huy Tran for the North Side seat.

Former Sunnyvale Mayor Otto Lee and San Jose’s D5 Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco won a dual endorsement in their bid to succeed Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese in District 3.

BAYMEC anointed attorney Anne Kepner as the best contender in the 25th Assembly District, where Kansen Chu’s decision to eschew another term in a bid for Cortese’s county seat has drawn a crowded field of candidates vying to take his place.

Kepner’s up against Santa Clara Unified trustee Jim Canova, Santa Clara County Office of Education trustee Anna Song, Milpitas Councilman Anthony Phan, Milpitas Councilwoman Carmen Montano, former state legislative aide Alex Lee, “Mayor Pete” organizer Natasha Gupta and Ohlone College trustee Bob Brunton.

In Assembly districts 24, 27, 28, 29 and 30, BAYMEC bequeathed its endorsements to incumbents Marc Berman, Ash Kalra, Evan Low, Mark Stone and Robert Rivas, respectively. Sitting House members Ro Khanna, Anna Eshoo, Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta won BAYMEC’s backing as well.

The only other dual endorsement BAYMEC granted in the four-county area it serves went to former FEC chair Ann Ravel and Cortese, who’re running in the 15th State Senate District to replace Jim Beall when he terms out this year.

10 Comments

  1. “BAYMEC anointed attorney Anne Kepner” Definition: Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person’s head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or other fat.

    Pictures please.

    Kepner is described as a progressive Democrat, education champion, and trustee for West Valley college at https://sanjosespotlight.com/longtime-south-bay-attorney-anne-kepner-joins-assembly-race/ and “…how critical it was for her [mother] to continue her education so she can provide opportunities for my sister and I”.

    “for” is a preposition. The noun that follows must be in the objective case. The objective case for “I” is me. Not exactly a compelling example of her education and fortunately now corrected on her website.

    But more importantly is BAYMEC’s relevancy. I remember when BAYMEC was created and the sold-out events at the Fairmont when we struggled for equality. It’s now an anachronism like advocating for women’s right to vote or school integration.

    It’s time to move past identity politics and focus on what matters. Education is one. Our public schools rank #38 in quality and #21 in safety. AFAIK, Ms. Kepner has not articulated how she intends to improve matters, nor what she’s accomplished for West Valley.

      • Yes, identity politics for thee, but not for me. No blacks, no handicapped, nor trans listed on the BAYMEC board and only two women of 12 board members.

        Last year they had a hissy fit about Chick-fil-A at SJC. Chick-fil-A’s crime? The company donated money to Salvation Army and two Christian youth athletic programs that advocate against pre-marital sex. The SJ Council OKed decorating the restaurant’s perimeter with rainbow flags and indicated the lease would not be renewed.

        Although my religious practice is different, I’ve volunteered at Salvation Army’s Stockton St. facility. They do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. I’ve had coffee with gay men there – no accusation of discrimination by the other two organizations either.

        Meanwhile the Methodist Church, Orthodox Jews, and some Muslim, Christian, and even some Buddhist sects object to same-sex intercourse. Women are not treated equally either. Yet BAYMEC isn’t demanding rainbow flags be strung around these houses of worship or their public shaming.

        The County Office of LGBT Affairs https://www.sccgov.org/sites/lgbtq/Pages/lgbtq.aspx is another anachronism. It’s grown from 2 to 11 employees since its 2016 formation. Three years later, they’re conducting “listening sessions” because they haven’t identified a need to exist – other than to feed at the public trough. No doubt any cost savings effort to merge, hold accountable for tangible results, or nuke the entire department would be met with shrieks claiming homophobia.

        Many of my close friends are straight. Nobody cares. My LGBT ones abhor phony victimhood.

  2. I am a democrat. I have always been a democrat, and I give a sh!t about these endorsements. All these democrats named here are no better than f@ken crazy Trump! All these are members of extreme left and right views that DO NOT represent the majority of either party. At the presidential level: communist and self-hating Jew Bernie Sanders. Warren in Wanderland flips. Joe Biden dementia’s and perverted history. Mayor Pete’ entry level resume. Andrew Yang’s whip cream. Amy the only one left. Would her Costco plus membership help her? It is all madness politics! At least crazy Trump is taking care of the extremist Islamic terrorists! I will stay home in the primary and general elections. Zoe Lofgren and Cortese, when would you stop ignoring the crimes of active pedophiles and domestic abusers in Santa Clara County? Cortese. When you and other supervisors will stop protecting big crook Jeff Rosen and his committed protection of local and influential sexual predators and domestic abusers? You are a big flaw supervisor Dollar Dave!

  3. IT is time to notice and expose the pro-Islamic terrorists support from extreme left Bernie Sanders, Ro Khanna, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, AOC, Linda Sarsour, and all other Farrakhan’s of the world disguised by “progressives.” Soleimani’s followers attacked US allies and culminated with the first direct strike that killed the US contractor and injured US troops. Then they had the audacious act of attacking US embassy! Then Trumps killed Soleimani who is the terror Islamic version of Chapo Guzman but with the title of general meaning legally authorized to kill in the name of their extremist Islamic ideas. For supporters of Islamic terrorists stopping the US from being the Police of the world means leaving terrorists alone to do as they please, destroy Israel, and become as powerful as they can so they can destroy the US too. It means to leave Islamic State places such as Afghanistan to continue raping the disadvantaged boys of this country, Bacha Bazi. It means not interfering with the child marriages practices of these Islamic States. It means accepting that Jews are occupants of their native land and that Jesus is an Islamic martyr not a Jew! It means believing they are the victims of a fight they created! Trump’s nationalism means that only United States matters. But we live in an interconnected world. The extremist left has achieved a goal. They dismantled the Democratic Party by forcing their self-hating Jew and independent crazy Bernard Sanders! No way Jose! It is time to reclaim our Democratic Party by voting out pro Islamic terrorists and antisemite “democrats.” ENOUGH!

    • > Trump’s nationalism means that only United States matters.

      No. You are distorting and misrepresenting Trumpism.

      Trump says: “Make America Great Again”.

      He is NOT saying that other people should NOT make themselves great.

      Trump says, the British should make Britain great again (by getting out of the E.U.).

      The French should make France great again.

      Hong Kongers should make Hong Kong great again.

      The Japanese should make Japan great again.

      Brazilians should make Brazil great again.

      The Trump message to all humans on the planet is simply: “Dare to be great”.

      Democrat globalism means that only global institutions and global bureaucrats matter, and everyone in every little pissant country around the world should just sit down, shut up, and swallow the global warming bull crap dished out the the U.N.’s corrupt and fraudulent IPCC.

  4. Today January 7, 2020 Iran just threw 15 missiles into Iraq and on US troops. No word from Bernie, Biden, Warren…only KAMALA and Amy expressed concerns for service members. Am I going to see the for peace demonstrators tomorrow in San Jose, San Francisco,..?NOPE! The extreme left democrats mentioned above are not only antisemites. They are anti United States too! On another note: Ilhan Omar was voted 2019 anti-semite of the year. I voted for her! Felicidades Querida!

  5. I would also like to expose the biggest idiot in Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef. This for calling former Soviet Union Jews “goys.” The word must be fulfilled; all Jews must go back to Israel, their land. The Jewish State shouldn’t be paying a salary; it should fine you for your stupidity!

  6. Ro Khanna, Bernie Sanders, Warren, Barbara Lee, and other democrats took phone conference with pro terrorist group. These people must be voted out of Democratic Party! The same for AOC and Omar. The love of all these people for terroristS is Outrageous! Warren has one of the biggest antisemites working for her Max Berger!

  7. It is quite shameful that while even the Iranian people are protesting today the Iranian regime’s corruption and demanding accountability, in the United States we have extremist democrats such as Ro Khanna, AOC, Omar, and all other Bernie’s bros engaging in brainwashing American youth to support corrupted Islamic regimes. These people should create their own extremist Democratic Party. AOC is right! She and Biden should not be in the same party. She must leave! They can name their New Democratic Party the Justice Democrats. All these people are not Democrats. They use the name to be elected!

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