Democratic Socialists Vow to Continue the Fight for People, not Profit

PRESS RELEASE

East Bay Democratic Socialists of America

For immediate release

November 8, 2018

Democratic Socialists vow to continue the fight for people, not profit, as votes are counted in Assembly District 15, celebrate wins in 6 out of 9 races and 3 out of 4 ballot measures

Oakland, CA – The East Bay chapter of the the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), took on landlords, charter school advocates, and anti-single payer healthcare groups in this Tuesday’s elections and is now awaiting the final election results for its endorsed candidates and measures. Six out of nine candidates and three out of four ballot measures endorsed by East Bay DSA’s membership are certain of victory.

Votes are still being counted in the contest for California Assembly District 15, and East Bay DSA stands with Jovanka Beckles in waiting to hear the full results. Regardless of the outcome, Beckles’ corporate-free campaign took on Buffy Wicks’ $2.5 million operation and proved that people-powered politics, backed by a diverse coalition of progressive unions, socialists, community groups, and environmentalists, can seriously contend with corporations, billionaires, and their backers in the Democratic Party.

“We’re proud of the movement we’ve helped build,” said Abigail Gutmann-Gonzalez, Co-Chair of East Bay DSA, “We knocked more than 16,000 doors, recruited hundreds of volunteers, phone and text banked tens of thousands of voters, and handed out thousands of flyers in support of Jovanka’s campaign. Over 40,000 people have voted for an open democratic socialist running on an openly socialist platform of Medicare for All, tuition-free college, and thousands of new units of social housing.”

Proposition 10, which East Bay DSA also endorsed, failed to pass, despite a similarly unprecedented coalition of tenants, working class homeowners, progressives, and unions backing the statewide ballot measure.

"Corporate landlords spent over $100 million to confuse and divide working people on the issue," said Will Shattuc, co-chair of East Bay DSA’s Social Housing Committee, "Our coalition won the endorsement of the CA Democratic Party, ACLU, CA Labor Federation, League of Women Voters. We drew new lines and changed the ground for housing politics in California going forward."

In Oakland, East Bay DSA along with Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action took on landlords by endorsing Measure Y, which closes the loophole that excludes duplexes and triplexes from the city's just cause eviction regulation. The measure looks likely to win.

East Bay DSA took on landlord interests in Berkeley as well by endorsing the Community Power Slate—María Poblet, James Chang, Paola Laverde, Soli Alpert, John Selawsky—who ran on a platform of housing as a human right and, pending final results, are poised to win all seats on the Berkeley Rent Board.

East Bay DSA joined organizations such as the Sierra Club, Berkeley Tenants Union, and Berkeley Federation of Teachers to fight for measures O and P, which tax wealthy homeowners to pay for homeless services. Both measures also seem likely to win.

In Richmond, East Bay DSA partnered with the Richmond Progressive Alliance in their ongoing battle to keep Richmond free from corporate control in endorsing the Team Richmond slate of candidates for city council, Ada Recinos and Eduardo Martinez, along with Richmond mayoral challenger Melvin Willis. So far of the three “Team Richmond” slate candidates, only Eduardo Martinez looks certain to be elected to the Richmond City Council.

“Tuesday’s results show that working people in the East Bay are energized to take on big money interests, and East Bay DSA is proud to stand alongside them in this fight,” said Gutmann-Gonzalez, “Whatever the final results, we will continue fighting alongside the organizations we partnered with this election and the working class of Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, and beyond to build a California for the many, not the few.”

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Contact Frances Reade at [email protected] and http://www.eastbaydsa.org for more information.