By Joanie Juster–
Election season is upon us now, big time. The Democrats and Republicans have both chosen their presidential candidates. They have held their conventions. They have shared their platforms with us, the voters. They have begun their ad campaigns, and are flooding social media. They are overwhelming our in-boxes with increasingly urgent pleas for donations. It’s all quite exhausting, and time consuming, and overwhelming.
While the presidential race this election season is sucking up all the air in the room, and will have a massive impact on our country and our lives, it isn’t the only race being run. There are consequential elections for office at the state and local level, and there are ballot measures and propositions that could have consequential effects on our daily lives.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to start paying attention to the down ballot.
In San Francisco, for example, we will be voting for mayor, for several seats on the Board of Supervisors, and, of course, on local propositions. Other cities in the Bay Area are holding similar races. The outcomes of all of these elections will affect our daily lives, so it is important to do your homework before casting your ballot. Fortunately, there are resources to help you.
One of the most useful resources for voters is also one of the oldest and most reliable: the League of Women Voters (LWV), who do a darned fine job of providing tools to help us all become more educated and responsible voters. LWV is a nonpartisan political nonprofit created during the women’s suffrage movement of the early 20th century that has become a respected source of information to encourage voting and participation in government. A national organization, it also has branches at the state and local level, including League of Women Voters of San Francisco, and League of Women Voters of the Bay Area. Among the services they provide are training for community members so they can register voters. They can also hold a voter registration drive at your company, organization, or event.
California and San Francisco are notorious for their long, complicated ballots. Here again, the LWV is here to help, providing candidate forums where you can get to know the candidates for public office, and their well-regarded Pros & Cons Guide—nonpartisan information about election ballot measures.
Here are a couple of links to get you started. Let’s do our homework!
https://lwvsf.org/
https://my.lwv.org/california/bay-area
Want to Do More Than Just Vote? Disco for Democracy!
As usual, our friends at Manny’s are going all-out for democracy this election season, including an event you absolutely won’t want to miss. On September 12 they are holding a blow-out dance party at SVN West, featuring DJ performances by Austin Millz David Harness, and more, plus roller skating outdoors on the rooftop! Funds raised at the event will support bussing election volunteers to Nevada each weekend leading up to the election, in a massive get-out-the-vote effort. Grab your tickets now; this is sure to sell out: https://tinyurl.com/DiscoDem24
Hate Crimes Presentation on September 12
Public safety is a responsibility we all share; we all need to be aware, and take care of ourselves and our neighbors. To that end, the San Francisco Police Department LGBTQ+ Advisory Forum is offering a Hate Crimes Presentation on Thursday, September 12, at Most Holy Redeemer Church from 7–9 pm. The focus of this presentation will be to help the public understand the legal requirements and definitions of a “hate crime” at the state and/or federal level, and to dispel any inaccurate and unhelpful myths that circulate in the community.
The goal is to help attendees understand the actual hate crime statutes, how hate crimes are defined, identified, and investigated, and how hate crime enhancements are applied when applicable.
Participants in the presentation will include an Assistant U.S. Attorney, a Supervisory Special Agent from the FBI Hate Crimes division, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, SF Police Department Chief Bill Scott, and hate crime specialists who will be on hand to facilitate a public Q&A session to answer questions from attendees.
Attendance is free. For more info, contact info@castropatrol.org
The Holidays Are Coming
Yes, I know we’re still in the post-Labor Day glow, but the holidays are right around the corner—and the Castro Merchants are offering us all a chance to help them create their holiday magic by sponsoring the annual Holiday Tree. The Holiday Tree is not just a beloved Castro tradition. It helps our neighbors by attracting people to the neighborhood, fostering a sense of community, and encouraging people to help local merchants by shopping locally.
This year the Castro Merchants are asking for a bit of extra help, as they need to replace nearly all of their red ornaments, which were stolen last year. (Seriously, some Grinch is getting a lump of coal in their stocking.) And save the date: the annual Holiday Tree Lighting will be December 2, with our own Donna Sachet as emcee!
To sponsor the tree and help build holiday spirit, go to:
https://castromerchants.com/donate
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
In Cased You Missed It
Published on September 5, 2024
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