Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom is by far the most qualified and progressive candidate in the field to fill the role of Governor. As the Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, he understands the public transportation needs of a major metropolitan city like Los Angeles. When General Chairman Marco Gudino met with him earlier this year, Newsom expressed concern for unprovoked operator assaults. He dealt with a similar issue with parking enforcement officers in San Francisco. Newsom has also always been a strong union advocate and supporter of quality pay & benefits for municipal workers, operator safety and increased transit ridership. He has also expressed his skepticism for the benefits of subcontracting, anti-union efforts and autonomous vehicles. We truly believe that if this union needed Governor Newsom to weigh in on an issue that impacted our members, we would have an educated, attentive, and compassionate ally.
SMART TD will be in good company with this endorsement. Gavin Newsome has also been endorsed by LA County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn, Senator Kamila Harris, and the California Labor Federation.
For the other candidates in the field, we feel the LA Times summed them up best.
“Wealthy Republican businessman John Cox has no experience in government other than failed bids for office in Illinois and unsuccessful ballot initiatives in California. Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) is running as a Trump Mini-Me, pandering to the right with irresponsible positions contrary to those held by most Californians. The other two well-known Democrats in the race, state Treasurer John Chiang and former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin, just don't have the experience or the chops to serve as chief executive of this massive government. Chiang — for whom we initially had high hopes — has been surprisingly unwilling to take strong stances or unpopular positions. None of the other 21 people on the ballot are prepared to be governor.” - LA Times Editorial Board, May 10, 2018.
As for Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, there are almost zero scenarios where General Committee 875 could endorse him. Villaraigosa took it as a personal affront when SMART endorsed James Hahn for Mayor in 2001 and 2005. SMART’s relationship with the Hahn family went back decades with Kenneth Hahn, and it was not a relationship that SMART would discard in the 2005 Los Angeles Mayoral Race. When Villaraigosa won the race, this union feels that he sought to punish us for not endorsing him. This is a history that this union can’t shake so easily. We seek to support candidates who will do the right thing, and support our members no matter the history. We don’t feel that Villaraigosa is the right candidate for that job.
The 2018 Election season is upon us, with California holding its Primary Elections on June 5th, 2018. The SMART Transportation Division California State Legislative Director has published the list of endorsed candidates, and you can read that list below. The list includes statewide and legislative districts.
For more information about the election including where to vote, you can visit the California Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/statewide-direct-primary-june-5-2018/
