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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Many of you have already voted by mail. Fantastic. If you have a "mail-in" ballot that you did NOT mail, you can still vote! Just fill out your ballot, sign the envelope and drop it at ANY polling place on November 4. Polls are open 7 am to 8 pm for "voting day" voters as well as dropping off "mail-in" ballots that didn't make it into the post.

This is a resend of the voting recommendations I sent out a few weeks ago. Thank you for voting on November 4 and for considering these recommendations!

TONY THURMOND, State Assembly 15th District

First and foremost, please vote for Tony Thurmond. I know Tony well, and he is hands down the best candidate to represent us in Sacramento. This is an exceptional opportunity to elect a dedicated, experienced, ethical and compassionate leader. Tony is endorsed by an impressive list of organizations and individuals - please join them!

 

Berkeley Candidates and Measures: 

School Board - Vote for 3: Josh Daniels, Ty Alper, Karen Hemphill 

Rent Board - Vote for 4: Harr, Townley, Chang, Laverde-Levine, Selawsky  

District 1 - Alejandro Soto-Vigil  

District 8 - Jacquelyn McCormick  

Measure D: Soda Tax - YES 

(The soda industry has spent 2 million+ to defeat Measure D - the most of any campaign in Berkeley History. This is our best shot to protest against an industry that profits from pushing over-consumption of empty calories)  

Measure F: Parks - YES  

Measure P: Oppose Corporate Personhood - YES 

Measure Q: Flexible Worktime -YES 

Measure R: Green Downtown & Public Commons - YES  

(Don't be misled by the AVALANCHE of developer-funded opposition. Measure R is extremely important for the future of Berkeley. www.berkeleydowntown.com)  

Measure S: Council District Gerrymander - NO 

County and State Candidates and Measures: 

Alameda County Superintendent of Schools: Monroe 

Alameda County Measure BB: Transportation Funding- YES 

Governor: Brown 

Lt. Gov: Newsom 

Sec. of State: Alex Padilla 

Controller: Betty Yee 

State Treasurer: John Chiang  

Insurance Commissioner: Dave Jones 

Attorney General: Kamala Harris 

US Representative: Barbara Lee 

State Assembly District 15: Tony Thurmond 

State Sup. of Public Instruction: Tom Torlakson 

Proposition 1 - Water Bond - No Position  

(CA water management desperately needs help, but is this the right package of projects and policies? Too many dams? Boondoggle for corporate farms? Or, is this the best we can do given all the pressures and players involved? Some of my trusted sources say yes, others say no. Sorry not to have a definitive recommendation on this one!) 

Proposition 2 - Rainy Day Funds - YES 

Proposition 45 - Undercuts Obamacare - NO 

Proposition 46 - Hurts Healthcare - NO 

Proposition 47 - Low-Level Felonies become Misdemeanors - YES 

Proposition 48 - Gaming on "Indian" Lands - No Position  

Most importantly, thank you for voting, by mail or on election Day November 4. If you don't get through the whole ballot, please be sure to vote for Tony Thurmond for State Assembly 15th District.
 

Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to see you around the neighborhood!