By Jennifer Kroot and Robert Holgate–
California corporate Democrats, look out! Red Bridge Strategies is a new San Francisco-based, political consulting firm, specializing in leftist ballot measures and democratic socialist candidates. Their focus is grassroots campaigns that challenge the status quo by taking on big money with people power and disciplined strategy.
Jen Snyder and Avery Yu are shameless socialists, and the brains and brawn behind Red Bridge. Both are San Francisco natives, who met working on Dean Preston’s District 5 supervisor campaigns. They’ve won two campaigns for Preston (2019 and 2020), along with numerous left-leaning, local initiatives.
We spoke with Jen and Avery about their vision for Red Bridge.
Jennifer and Robert: You both grew up in San Francisco. Which neighborhoods are you from?
Avery Yu: I grew up in the inner Richmond. My mom is still there. She works as a home birth midwife.
Jen Snyder: 24th and Church. My mom ran a preschool in the basement then ended up teaching middle school. My dad is a machinist, union guy. It was a very political household. My parents are both Marxists, so everyone is happy with the work I’m doing.
Jennifer and Robert: What’s Red Bridge currently focused on?
Jen Snyder: We’re working in South San Francisco on a universal preschool measure created by their local Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapter. We’re also working in Pasadena on a rent control campaign.
Avery Yu: Successful campaigns come down to running very effective field programs, talking to absolutely every voter that we possibly can, and knocking on doors, over and over again.
Jen Snyder: One of our goals is to build a socialist network across California. When you look at the places where leftist initiatives and candidates are winning, it’s places that already have big progressive infrastructures, like San Francisco, Alameda County, and Los Angeles. We’re missing smaller areas. Many have tenants unions, DSA chapters, or labor unions, but they’re not connected and don’t know the basics of how to run a campaign.
Jennifer and Robert: You’ve both spent time as political aides for Supervisor Preston. Did you enjoy working in City Hall?
Avery Yu: We loved working for Dean. I’m proud of the work we did during the pandemic, making sure people didn’t lose housing and creating the Safe Sleeping Site for unhoused folks.
Jen Snyder: I agree, but I was surprised by how frustrating City Hall is. I went in thinking, “Now I get to see how the sausage is made,” but I left saying, “I really want to burn down the sausage factory.”
As an example, when we did Prop I, we also had to run Prop K, because we had to make an allowance from article 34, because if you want to build housing for poor people, you have to go to the ballot, and get an allowance from article 34, but if you want to make housing for anybody else, it doesn’t matter. The government is full of frustrating catches, but with things like the homeless [crisis] or climate change, we don’t have time to untangle this rat’s nest of laws.
Jennifer and Robert: So, Props I and K passed. What’s the status of the social housing?
Jen Snyder: When voters passed Prop I, one would expect that the money the voters directed to social housing would go to that. Unfortunately, that money was absorbed into the budget and was dissipated, regardless of the fact that we had hundreds of millions of dollars in surplus. You can’t even say where the Prop I money went. It’s not like dropping a marble into water that you can just fish out. It’s like dropping ink into water. We can’t follow those dollars. We worked hard on Prop I. It was a great tax the rich initiative, but the mayor took the money and used it for her own budget priorities and it didn’t go to rent relief. It’s the sausage factory again!
Jennifer and Robert: Since everyone in San Francisco government is a Democrat, how can you tell local politicians apart?
Avery Yu: It’s easy if you follow the money. Sure, we’re all Democrats by name here and speak the rhetoric, but money from corporate and real estate interests destroys renters, workers, and the environment. If politicians are taking that money, they’ve sold out.
Jen Snyder: Local politicians who are not voting to endorse taxes on the wealthy have obviously sold out. If they’re voting against building social housing and yet voting for building market rate housing, then they’re a phony.
Many local Democrats, like the mayor, call themselves “moderate.” I’m not sure why anyone would want to be known as being “moderate” in this time of great unrest and inequality. Who wants to do things moderately? Incrementalism is death. You might as well be a Republican.
Jennifer and Robert: Is California ready for socialism?
Jen Snyder: Yes! General polling in San Francisco and across the state recently showed that people are more interested than ever in taxing the wealthy to get universal programs.
There’s so much discontent these days due to capitalism. And blaming capitalism for being ruthless is like blaming a scorpion for stinging. That’s what it does! Capitalism is so frightening that it’s even a horror genre. There are classics like Mad Max or Brazil, and now Squid Game. Collectively, we feel life is pointless and there’s no way out of the drudgery. That’s the deep anxiety of capitalism, the frustration of battling a formidable foe with 10 billion times the funding that regular people have. But isn’t quality of life worth fighting for? That’s what I really love about socialism. We can dream of a better future.
Jennifer and Robert: But can socialist-themed science fiction be as entertaining as capitalist dystopia?
Jen Snyder: How about Star Trek? That’s an entertaining and positive vision of socialism! No one is hungry or unhoused, and your job is in science, boldly exploring where no one’s gone before. Seriously, who wouldn’t rather live in the Star Trek universe instead the Squid Game world?
https://www.redbridgewins.com/
Jennifer Kroot is a filmmaker known for her award-winning LGBTQ themed documentaries, including “The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin” and “To Be Takei.” She studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she has also taught. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
A humanitarian, as well as a designer, Robert Holgate is dedicated to critical social issues. With his hands-on approach to philanthropy and social justice, he supports the advancement of local and national social causes. For more information: https://www.rhdsf.com/
Published on November 4, 2021
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