Progressive Sebastopol Endorses Lynda Hopkins and Bernie Sanders

[Peacetown Jonathan]

Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide June 2016

Founded to create voter guides during the 2010 election, Progressive Sebastopol is a small independent group of citizens, seniors, parents and young voters. We are dedicated to responsive, transparent local government, a sustainable green future, attainably priced housing and innovative policies and solutions that serve the public interest. More about us and a downloadable pdf version of this guide for sharing can be found at ProgressiveSebastopol.com.

County Supervisor 5^th District Lynda Hopkins

This is one of the most difficult endorsements that Progressive Sebastopol has ever made. Five excellent candidates, all of them bright, well meaning, and honest, are competing to be our next Supervisor. In the interest of transparency, you can easily view their answers to 12 questions that we asked four of them at https://videodebate.sonomaindependent.org/.

Unreported good news for our County is that unlike Efren, ALL of the candidates we interviewed (Evans, Hopkins, Chase and Sergent) endorse vital environmental issues that we care about: a County ban on GMO’s, and end to the County’s use of toxic Roundup, and a “no” to water fluoridation.

Addressing the County’s Housing Crisis: For tens of thousands of citizens being evicted from their homes or worried about rising costs, the shortage of attainably priced housing has become a crisis in Sonoma County. Every political candidate and elected representative speaks of the need to address our housing crisis, but nobody in County or local government has developed a plan capable of adding more attainably priced housing units than are being lost due to a rising market.

Progressive Sebastopol is part of the grassroots Sonoma County Attainable Housing Coalition, which recently launched a detailed proposal to help solve this crisis (see SonomaIndependent.org). Our solution calls for out-of-the-box thinking: that our Supervisors rezone a tiny portion of agricultural land so that the non-wealthy can continue to live in Sonoma County. We propose a reduction of permit fees on granny units, and a rezoning of agricultural areas that would increase population density by 1% during the next 15 years. These private lands, and 5% of community separator land, would be rezoned ONLY to allow the free market to create 10,000 modest Community Land Trust-owned homes (cost controlled at under $200,000), as well as 15,000 granny units (rent controlled under $900 per month). This common sense rethink our zoning solution would provide at least 50 times the number of attainably priced homes as anything the County is now considering. We believe that Lynda Hopkins is the candidate most likely to act effectively for new solutions.

We share a concern about Hopkins’ donors from the construction and wine industries. Hopkins replied convincingly to this concern with clear, carefully considered independent positions that seem unaffected by who her donors are.

Noreen Evans also carries her own donor baggage. Evans has received as much funding support as Hopkins, except that it has mostly come from unions. This includes the largest spender by far, the SEIU Union representing public employees, which has spent over $50,000 supporting Noreen Evans. Progressive Sebastopol believes in the importance of unions. But the likelihood that Noreen Evans will support the continually escalating number of County workers and the spiraling cost of their benefits in return for its support seems to us more likely than the likelihood that Lynda Hopkins will act against our environment to support real estate or wine interests.

Let’s Find Solutions and Restore Public Services. During a period of record tax collections from rising real estate values and tourism, Progressive Sebastopol refuses to accept the frequently professed powerlessness of our Supervisors to find adequate funding to maintain the essential public services of libraries, hospital emergency rooms and roads that our tax dollars have maintained for generations. Business as usual will not cut it anymore. We need a change, and we see that change more likely to come from Lynda Hopkins than from any other candidate for Supervisor.

President Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders is the closest thing to a peace and justice presidential candidate in our lifetime. Progressive Sebastopol could not be more excited about supporting him with our endorsement.

Yes, we know it’s an uphill battle against challenging odds. It has been from the very beginning, and Bernie’s Second American Revolution, which feels like the peaceful evolution of our corporate-corrupted political system, is the most promising reform movement we have ever witnessed.

There is simply no downside to voting for Sanders on June 7. Because of his widespread national support among Independent voters, who are needed to win national elections, every poll shows Bernie beating Trump in November by double the risky margin that Clinton holds. There will be time to vote against Donald Trump next November. This is the time to vote for Sanders.

A vote for Bernie is a vote for a peaceful future and the public interest. If Clinton wins the nomination, she will need Sanders’ supporters, especially the young, to turn out on Election Day, or she could lose to Trump. Winning California might not give him the delegates he needs to clinch the nomination, but it will make more likely the prospect that she adopts some of his evolutionary positions: public campaign financing, federal decriminalization of marijuana and Medicare-for-all are three sharply contrasting positions between Sanders and Clinton that we care deeply about.

Of equal importance is that a Sanders victory in California will make it more likely that either Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren is selected by Clinton to be our Vice President. This will put the growing progressive wing of the Democratic Party on deck for a brighter future.

We find it impossible to support Hillary Clinton’s endless war doctrine. That she continues to praise Henry Kissinger, the notorious “butcher of Cambodia,” for his “realism” based brand of foreign policy, sends our alarm bells ringing. Remember the “peace dividend” that was promised after the fall of the Soviet Union? We are still waiting for it. Along with Medicare for all, an end to the federal war on marijuana (which Hillary would reclassify from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 2 drug—so it would be federally treated like heroin!), the independent testing of GMO food and toxic agrochemicals, real regulation of banks, and a government not controlled by corporate donors. On every one of these issues, it is Bernie, not Hillary, whose positions match the vast majority of Democratic voters.

Many of the arguments we have heard for Hillary from an establishment-biased corporate media are based on calculated misinformation. Experience? Bernie has 34 years in government to Hillary’s 12. Effectiveness? His 83% approval rating by the voters of Vermont is the highest of anyone in the Senate about 50% higher than Clinton’s was when she was a senator from New York. The candidate most likely to beat Trump? Poll after poll shows that this is Bernie.

But we’ve got to elect him first. Please do your part and vote for the most transformative candidate of our lifetime!

(Download attachment to view this as an easily printable document to share)

[Peacetown Jonathan]

From the just published June 2016 Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide

This is one of the most difficult endorsements that Progressive Sebastopol has ever made. Five excellent candidates, all of them bright, well meaning, and honest, are competing to be our next Supervisor. In the interest of transparency, you can easily view their answers to 12 questions that we asked four of them at https://videodebate.sonomaindependent.org/.

Unreported good news for our County is that unlike Efren, ALL of the candidates we interviewed (Evans, Hopkins, Chase and Sergent) endorse vital environmental issues that we care about: a County ban on GMO’s, and end to the County’s use of toxic Roundup, and a “no” to water fluoridation.

Addressing the County’s Housing Crisis: For tens of thousands of citizens being evicted from their homes or worried about rising costs, the shortage of attainably priced housing has become a crisis in Sonoma County. Every political candidate and elected representative speaks of the need to address our housing crisis, but nobody in County or local government has developed a plan capable of adding more attainably priced housing units than are being lost due to a rising market.

Progressive Sebastopol is part of the grassroots Sonoma County Attainable Housing Coalition, which recently launched a detailed proposal to help solve this crisis (see SonomaIndependent.org). Our solution calls for out-of-the-box thinking: that our Supervisors rezone a tiny portion of agricultural land so that the non-wealthy can continue to live in Sonoma County. We propose a reduction of permit fees on granny units, and a rezoning of agricultural areas that would increase population density by 1% during the next 15 years. These private lands, and 5% of community separator land, would be rezoned ONLY to allow the free market to create 10,000 modest Community Land Trust-owned homes (cost controlled at under $200,000), as well as 15,000 granny units (rent controlled under $900 per month). This common sense rethink our zoning solution would provide at least 50 times the number of attainably priced homes as anything the County is now considering. We believe that Lynda Hopkins is the candidate most likely to act effectively for new solutions.

We share a concern about Hopkins’ donors from the construction and wine industries. Hopkins replied convincingly to this concern with clear, carefully considered independent positions that seem unaffected by who her donors are

Noreen Evans also carries her own donor baggage. Evans has received as much funding support as Hopkins, except that it has mostly come from unions. This includes the largest spender by far, the SEIU Union representing public employees, which has spent over $50,000 supporting Noreen Evans. Progressive Sebastopol believes in the importance of unions. But the likelihood that Noreen Evans will support the continually escalating number of County workers and the spiraling cost of their benefits in return for its support seems to us more likely than the likelihood that Lynda Hopkins will act against our environment to support real estate or wine interests.

Let’s Find Solutions and Restore Public Services. During a period of record tax collections from rising real estate values and tourism, Progressive Sebastopol refuses to accept the frequently professed powerlessness of our Supervisors to find adequate funding to maintain the essential public services of libraries, hospital emergency rooms and roads that our tax dollars have maintained for generations. Business as usual will not cut it anymore. We need a change, and we see that change more likely to come from Lynda Hopkins than from any other candidate for Supervisor.

[jbox]

From the just published June 2016 Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide

And (the royal) we excluded Tom Lynch from consideration because......

[riverosprey]

Because I was the one that didn't make it to the interview. I absolutely support what they are doing, but couldn't find the time for the interview :).

kind regards, Tom Lynch

And (the royal) we excluded Tom Lynch from consideration because......

[Peacetown Jonathan]

In answer to the good question of why the videos and answers we cite did not include Tom Lynch:

Tom had the same full four week window to receive, in advance, our 12 questions, and to schedule a video interview that we could transparently share with our group, and the general public. (check out our full Candidates Video Debate, part of our Informing to Empower democratizing media work here).

Despite five attempts to schedule this, Tom declined to get back to us. The other four candidates chose to participate. I am sorry to report this, because Tom and I had a great phone conversation about it. I know there are plenty of forums for candidates to attend. But we can't reference responses that we do not have.

[Lisa Maldonado]

Both Tom and Jeremy mention the issues of pensions " at the top" being an issue. You should know that these six figure pensions belong to Administrative Directors and Managers NOT seiu1021 rank and file workers. SEIU1021 workers receive an average pension of 24- 40 a year after they retire.

Our folks - unlike the Department heads and admin managers don't make six figures.

If you want to complain about high pensions and use that as an excuse to support the business and Developement candidate that's fine, but Noreen's support of the working people who take care of abused kids, help veterans and homeless and seniors and generally make our county run are NOT the problem. You probably saw that Veronica Ferguson is retiring with a six figure pension. She is management NOT union. Efren Carrillo- Tom Lynch's favorite buddy and an early endorser of Lynda Hopkins will get a six figure pension- HE is MANAGEMENTS-not the working class. If you wish to side with wineries and business developers and real estate pacs who support Lynda Hopkins at least try to be intellectually honest about it

[Peacetown Jonathan]

Lisa, you frequently repeat, as you did with me earlier, that critics of the SEIU County pay deal are misinformed. And perhaps you are right. I am certainly not happy to learn Efren retires with six figures for the rest of time for eight years service. (are you sure of this?)

But if you want to advance your argument, I would invite you to prove it, not insult us.

I suggest that you and your team work up a chart with three columns.

One for law enforcement, another for Management/Admin, a third for SEIU rank and file employees.

How many people in each group?

What does their compensation cost the County?

How much did each group receive in raises this year?

What is the health and pension costs for each.

I would be glad to publish this chart and a commentary by you in the Sonoma Independent.

How much does each cost on average?

Avg retirement age.

[photolite]

Lisa's modus operandi seems to be to insult those of us who raise valid questions she is unwilling or unable to honestly answer. She has done this repeatedly to me, podfish, you, Riverosprey, and Barry on this thread. I've seldom witnessed such simultaneous reinforcement of multiple negative stereotypes. We need to commend the Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide for their thoughtful, balanced and deliberate assessment of the issues and candidates that led to their recommendation of Lynda Hopkins as the truest progressive in this election, acknowledging that very worthy candidate Tom Lynch was not included due to his own inability to participate.

Lisa, you frequently repeat, as you did with me earlier, that critics of the SEIU County pay deal are misinformed. ...But if you want to advance your argument, I would invite you to prove it, not insult us. ...

[Erik Perez]

Lisa, you frequently repeat, as you did with me earlier, that critics of the SEIU County pay deal are misinformed. And perhaps you are right. I am certainly not happy to learn Efren retires with six figures for the rest of time for eight years service. (are you sure of this?)

But if you want to advance your argument, I would invite you to prove it, not insult us.

So once again I feel compelled to chime in with my observations. Given the fact Peacetown Jonathan feels it necessary to ask Lisa some questions, I have some questions for Jonathan. First of all, why should anyone care about what 'Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide' recommends? This is your voter guide, right? You created it. right? You run it, right? Who reviews the questions that candidates submit to 'Progressive Sebastopol?" Are there members? Do you raise money for the voter guide? Tell us a bit more about this voter guide, other than it's Jonathan Greenberg's endorsement.

Secondly, why should Lisa answer the questions that you have asked (this question should not in any way be construed as me saying she shouldn't answer them)? You are an "Investigative Journalist, right? Isn't it your job to go find out the answers to these questions? Don't you feel an obligation to do your job?

Lastly, if in fact 'Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide' is a reputable endorsement and people should look at them for advise, why would you want the advise of them? They lobbied heavily for Palm Drive Hospital in the last election, right? Are we all happy with how SWMC seems to be heading for another bankruptcy? Why should I place my trust in any guide that gave bad advise in the last election?

So in summation, I'm asking Jonathan to inform me about who is a part of 'Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide' and why should I care about their recommendations. Thanks in advance for answering all the questions.

[Peacetown Jonathan]

Erik,

If you had taken the time to read the voter guide before your attacks on me above, you would see that the decision was made not by me, but by the nine people who comprise the endorsement team of Progressive Sebastopol, as described here.

If you had taken the time to watch the video debate of the 12 questions, you would see each question as it was presented in advance to each candidate, and what each candidate's answers were, available here.

If you had taken the time to think about your attack against me instead of what I was asking for, you would perhaps understand that this chart would take a lot of work, but could, if what Lisa suggests is true, make the case for the SEIU Union's contract a lot better than Lisa's accusations.

I am not paid for my public service journalism work, or for the work I do in public interest media at the Sonoma Independent. I have done a deeper comparative analysis of our County budget's spending priorities of prisons and probation (up 23%, or $28 million a year in just four years) instead of libraries (down 3%, with Monday closures in their fifth year for want of just $1 million) than anyone else. The SEIU, Noreen Evans, and our current Supervisors, have yet to whisper a word about these misplaced priorities of our tax dollars. Not one word.

The segmented salary info I suggest the SEIU gather and present to the public is a level of reporting detail that is not publicly available. The union has access to this info. I am not the person making the point that the benefits of the SEIU County employees are not eating up the County's budget surplus. I am not the one saying that pension concerns are irrelevant and small potatoes. Lisa and the SEIU and her supporters, like you, are.

The Press Democrat has not in the past committed the resources to this sort of thorough analysis. It is many hours of work. Lisa and others are paid decently (not exorbitantly) by the unions to advance their members' interest. If she and the SEIU want the public to understand their position differently than many of us do, then she is in the best position to gather and present these facts.

This will be a lot more convincing than the personal attacks and insults that are being thrown at anyone who suggests County employee benefits, pensions and salaries are a fiscal concern to a County that cannot keep its libraries open (40 hours a week for past five years vs. 70 hours in 1981), cannot assist with the funding of emergency rooms (despite its legal obligation to do so), or to keep its roads adequately paved.

[scamperwillow]

Well Jonathan you have certainly shown us your true colors now.

From the just published June 2016 Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide

This is one of the most difficult endorsements that Progressive Sebastopol has ever made. ...

[Peacetown Jonathan]

Well Marty I would say the same for you: "You have certainly shown us your true colors now."

The again, you and your allies who created the first negative PAC in Sonoma county history to leave a Karl Rove style smear mailer against my City Council candidacy two years ago were warning voters about my so-called "true colors" then.

Because, let's see, I was daring to say that the City ought to help open the hospital that you political bosses decided had no future but failure? Or was it fighting to restore library hours and suggesting that our City could help? Maybe it was suggesting that our City purchase electric cars for our city fleet instead of more diesel trucks? Or was it fighting to actually budget and build bike trails instead of 12 years of studying or talking about them?

I was daring to run for office when I had been told not to. Imagine that? The political establishment liked the incumbent candidates and I wanted a more grassroots activist approach to serve the public interest.

And now it seems that you and the other self-styled political power brokers of West Sonoma County want to attack me because I, like the other eight members of our perilously democratic group who unanimously endorsed Hopkins, fail to play follow the leader of you and the power-corrupted political establishment that thinks it can dictate who our next Supervisor will be.

The other members of Progressive Sebastopol and I seem to have somehow missed the memo about the Noreen Evans coronation by you and the other West County Party and Union bosses.

We are somehow operating under the the impression that We, the People, have this mysterious democratic power to endorse the candidate that we believe best for the future of our community.

These are my true colors, Marty Roberts. And what are yours?

In community, Jonathan Greenberg

[Erik Perez]

Erik,

If you had taken the time to read the voter guide before your attacks on me above, you would see that the decision was made not by me, but by the nine people who comprise the endorsement team of Progressive Sebastopol, as described here.

So I was expecting this, but I figured I could maybe get my questions answered if I thanked you in advance. Since you sidestepped most of my questions, I retract my thank you.

To be 100% honest, I did not visit your website. I really have no interest in going to your website. I did read your endorsement above and nowhere in the endorsement that you posted does it mention who 'Progressive Sebastopol' is. I don't see why someone who is on Wacco has to go to a different website to learn more about your organization. You could have just as easily mentioned who your group is right here on Wacco. Perhaps you could have started out the endorsement with, "Progressive Sebastopol, a small group of nine individuals from the Sebastopol Area have endorsed... That being said, I am now even more concerned about 'Sebastopol Progressive's' endorsement now that I have visited your website and learned that your membership roster has a total of 9 members including yourself. So am I to believe that out of nearly 8,000 residents of Sebastopol and well over 10,000 individuals in the greater Sebastopol area, PROGRESSIVE Sebastopol could only get support from 9 people? This is concerning because nine people does not even qualify as a micro minority of the public in my book. It better qualifies as a "few people."

Anyhow, I personally feel attacked that you are suggesting that I attacked you. Please let me know which question I asked you which you consider to be a personal attack on you? Was it me asking who Sebastopol Progressive is? Was it me asking if you as an investigative journalist should be investigating rather than asking others to do that work for you (please note that I also added that I was not suggesting Lisa shouldn't answer the question)? Was it stating that I felt Sebastopol Progressive's endorsement for the bankrupt SWMC was a bad endorsement, given the fact they are headed towards another bankruptcy? Please let me know what comment was a personal attack towards you, Jonathan Greenberg, so that I can make certain to not personally attack you in the future.

It is very predictable that Lynda Hopkins' supporters tend to accuse others of personal attacks when in fact there is no single attack being made. It is simply questions being asked, and facts being told. You can completely discredit this comment if you can just answer one simple question...which comment in my previous post, or this post, is a "personal attack?"

I now reissue my thank you in advance for answering this very very simple question.

[scamperwillow]

I just don't know how as a progressive Sebastopol resident you can support someone who is backed by real estate, construction, gravel mining,developers, and really big wineries. And no environmental or progressive organizations. I just can't understand this. Lynda is a nice person but she has behind her the nonprogressive machine that is intent on ruining our county by turning it into a playground for the rich.

Well Marty I would say the same for you...

[Peacetown Jonathan]

In answer to Marty's question, this excerpt from the Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide June 2016

We share a concern about Hopkins’ donors from the construction and wine industries. Hopkins replied convincingly to this concern with clear, carefully considered independent positions that seem unaffected by who her donors are.

Noreen Evans also carries her own donor baggage. Evans has received as much funding support as Hopkins, except that it has mostly come from unions. This includes the largest spender by far, the SEIU Union representing public employees, which has spent over $50,000 supporting Noreen Evans. Progressive Sebastopol believes in the importance of unions. But the likelihood that Noreen Evans will support the continually escalating number of County workers and the spiraling cost of their benefits in return for its support seems to us more likely than the likelihood that Lynda Hopkins will act against our environment to support real estate or wine interests.

[Peacetown Jonathan]

Erik, this post was about an endorsement. You borrowed a page from the Newt Gingrich school of politics; "attack the messenger," to deflect from discussing the message. As per blue below.

F.y.i., our nine member endorsement group, which represents a cross section of our community by age and background, is as large or larger than the interview groups that I have seen endorse candidates by Sebastopol Tomorrow, the Sierra Club, or Sonoma County Conservation Action. Od the Sonoma County Democratic Party.

Given the fact Peacetown Jonathan feels it necessary to ask Lisa some questions, I have some questions for Jonathan. First of all, why should anyone care about what 'Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide' recommends? This is your voter guide, right? You created it. right? You run it, right? Who reviews the questions that candidates submit to 'Progressive Sebastopol?" Are there members? Do you raise money for the voter guide? Tell us a bit more about this voter guide, other than it's Jonathan Greenberg's endorsement.

So I was expecting this, but I figured I could maybe get my questions answered if I thanked you in advance. Since you sidestepped most of my questions, I retract my thank you.

To be 100% honest, ...

[Erik Perez]

Since you are avoiding all my other questions, how about you answer this very simple question.

Let's assume both candidates will be "beholden" to their supporters (that in fact is the safe assumption), who would you rather see uplifted: county workers and environmental causes, or the wine industry, real estate developers, and gravel miners?

I for one am not going to live in a fantasy where I think one candidate is more likely to back their supporters than the other. I stand for the working class and the environment, I stand for Noreen Evans!

[Erik Perez]

Erik, this post was about an endorsement. You borrowed a page from the Newt Gingrich school of politics; "attack the messenger," ...

I retract my thank you again because for the second time you have avoided answering my question...which comment is a "personal attack" towards you? You quote me asking you questions, but I see no attack. Can someone else please chime in and let me know if I am personally attacking Jonathan Greenberg?

I simply have nothing to go on about 'Progressive Sebastopol' other than what you say it is in your brief description. You have not filed any FPPC reports showing where you get your contributions or how you fund the group (I'm curious if you are even in compliance with this issue).

As to the other organizations that you seem to suggest have fewer members than 'Progressive Sebastopol,' they all have way way more members than what are on their interview committees. Most large, reputable organizations like the Sierra Club and the Sonoma County Democratic Party have what are called sub-committees. Those sub-committees make recommendations to the entire membership or at least a larger group.

Lastly, I have looked up a few of the people who you claim to be on the roster of 'Progressive Sebastopol' and can't seem to find most of them. Granted they may not all be on Facebook, but in the interest of transparency, perhaps you could add a photo and small bio of your members on your website. Especially since it's such a small group. I hope all your members at the very least do live in Sebastopol.

[Peacetown Jonathan]

I have an idea, "Erik Perez." In late March, you commented on Wacco for the first time ever, as one of a dozen posts you have since made asking snide and accusatory questions about Hopkins, and me, and anyone else who defied the union selected candidate for this race. You wrote that you were new to the County, although you now treat us to extensive knowledge about how many people sit on endorsement committees of various organizations. And question who the people are whose names are listed on our website. And where our "funding comes from." Implying that we would not be doing what we do without funding, which is incorrect--we receive no funding and volunteer our efforts. But it's sort of suspicious that you think folks here in West County do public interest political work only because we receive funding for it. And oddly, you have never posted on this forum about any other subject except criticism of Lynda Hopkins. A one trick pony.Or perhaps a one trick paid shill?

So perhaps the time has come for you answer a few questions, for a change:

1. Is Erik Perez your real name? Can you link us to a site with your work or photo?
2. Do you use any other names?
3. Are you being paid by any campaign or organization for your posting or political work?
4. What is your relationship to the SEIU Union?
5. What is your relationship to Noreen Evans?
6. What is your relationship with anyone in the union or the Evans campaign?
7. What is your vocation and why are you so intent upon deflecting posts about this issue and making them about the people expressing their opinions?

"Erik's" first post March 24 from Wacco:

I'm new to West County, but I've followed local politics for quite a few years. I am especially intrigued by this year's 5th District Supervisor race. I've been following this thread over the past few days and I was compelled to create an account so that I can ask a few clarifying questions. First, why does Lynda not state her position on GMO's?...

[Erik Perez]

...So perhaps the time has come for you answer a few questions, for a change:

1. Is Erik Perez your real name? Can you link us to a site with your work or photo?
2. Do you use any other names?
3. Are you being paid by any campaign or organization for your posting or political work?
4. What is your relationship to the SEIU Union?
5. What is your relationship to Noreen Evans?
6. What is your relationship with anyone in the union or the Evans campaign?
7. What is your vocation and why are you so intent upon deflecting posts about this issue and making them about the people expressing their opinions?

Unlike you, I have no problem answering questions when asked. Before I answer your questions, I would like to clarify some of your false allegations. First, you quote me as saying I am "new to the County." (fyi County is not supposed to be capitalized). I never said I was new to the county, in fact, my first comment mentions I am new to "West County, but I've followed local politics for quite a few years." As to me being "accusatory" and "snide" towards anyone who doesn't support the union selected candidate, this too is false. I personally don't feel I have been snide nor accusatory for pointing out facts when others fail to see what is right in front of them. I personally could care less about whether the unions backed Noreen or Lynda, my concern is with Lynda's support from big wine, big ag, developers, and gavel miners (see 'Campaign contributions and why they are important' if you want to learn more).

Lastly, you completely sidestep my questioning of who is 'Progressive Sebastopol.' Why is it wrong for me to question who your members of 'Progressive Sebastopol' are? For all I know it's a bunch of wealthy developers who chose a fancy name like "progressive." And to the point about me questioning where your funding comes from, I will assume you are backing the group. You do realize there are costs associated with hosting a website, printing flyers, etc? All of that costs money and someone is paying for it. I highly doubt your website is being hosted for free. And even if you volunteer all your time, that is still considered an 'in-kind' contribution to your political group. Hopefully for your sake you are in complience with FPPC rules and regulations about supporting or advancing a certain political candidate, because I already sent an email to our local registrar and the FPPC asking for them to inquire about your group.

I will now move on to answering your questions. Hopefully by me showing you how easy it is to answer questions, you will afford me the same courtesy. I have answered in the same order you asked.

1. Yes, my name is Erik Perez. I do not have a "link" to my work. I don't publish my work online. Here is a link to a letter to the editor: Are you kidding me? As you can see, no I am not a "one trick pony" as you accuse me of being (now who is being snide?). I have no problem speaking out against any irresponsible ideas like SWMC or backing Lynda Hopkins.

2. I do not use any other names that I know of. Sometimes my friends call me, "brother" like "What's up my brother?" I may have been called some derrogatory terms in the past as well, but can't really remember.

3. I am not, and never have been paid to post on here or any other political work related to the 5th district race.

4. My relationship with SEIU is meeting Lisa once at a Los Cien event and saying, "hi." Now that I think about it, that was so long ago, she may have not even been working for SEIU then. I suppose any other relationship is when I go into a county office, or other place of work where there are SEIU members.

5. My relationship with Noreen Evans is that I like her Facebook page. I have never met her in person that I can remember.

6. This question is so incredibly ambigous. I don't find myself asking everyone who I ever interract with, "Are you part of a union or have any relationship to Noreen Evans? I may need to answer a lame question in the future." But just so that I can again show you how easy it is to anwer questions, I DO NOT have any relationship that I know of with anyone in the Evans campaign or SEIU.

7. I do some consulting work for a few different firms in regards to environmental policy. I just started doing that about a year ago. Before that I worked at Best Buy...woohooo! Lol. As to why I try to deflect posts about issues...ha! That is incredibly funny given the fact every question you asked me has to do with me, not Lynda, not Noreen, and certainly not any issues. I for one continue to try and get us back on topic, while I continue to see supporters of Lynda Hopkins steer us away from issues, because we all know that is where Lynda is quite weak. Here's a post from this thread when an anti-union, anti-Noreen poster steered us way away from local politics all the way to the city of Detroit.

"Considering this comment has nothing to do with the 5th District Supervisor race, I figure I will end by getting us back on topic and away from Detroit's bankruptcy. Everyone who supports Lynda Hopkins and calls themselves pro-union, environmentalist, or a progressive, needs to look no further than Noreen Evans."

So to wrap things up, since I have been more than generous in answering your questions, I hope you, Jonathan Greenberg, will do me the same decency and answer my questions.

1. Who are you really? If you don't get paid for your investigavtive jounalism, how do you earn a living? (This seems to be a fair question since you asked me the same).

2. Who exactly are the people who are part of 'Progressive Sebastopol'? Where do they live (no exact address, just the city or town is fine) and what is their vocation? (This also seems to be a fair question given the fact you want us to trust their endorsement. The people need to make sure they are not the same old pro-development, anti-environment like Lynda's other supporters).

3. Why do you keep steering us away from the topic?

4. How long have you lived in Sonoma County? I have lived here my entire life, over 20 years.

5. What is your relationship with Lynda Hopkins? (Hahaha, you don't have to answer this question, I just thought it was funny).

6. Let's assume both Lynda and Noreen WILL be beholden to their supporters and backers. Would you rather Lynda be beholden to her backers and supporters, or would you rather Noreen be beholden to hers?

I will end by saying this Jonathan. You seem to not want to answer my questions and you seem to think I am "personally attacking" you. As an investigative jounalist, I would hope you understand what hard questions are. They are not always sugar coated and easy to answer. Sometimes they put us in uncomfortble situations, but they are NOT attacks. People sometimes tend to avoid answering them because they know their answers are not going to be good. They are important questions that must be asked. Hopefully you will extend some courtesy and answer my questions above.

[podfish]

Can someone else please chime in and let me know if I am personally attacking Jonathan Greenberg?
I simply have nothing to go on about 'Progressive Sebastopol' other than what you say it is in your brief description. You have not filed any FPPC reports showing where you get your contributions or how you fund the group (I'm curious if you are even in compliance with this issue).

since you ask - no, it doesn't seem like you are.
OTH I'm not sure that it's all that relevant. But it's certainly fair to ask.

I guess for a lot of the posters here at least, the election seems to come down to whose logos are on the jerseys of the players. As the sports cliche goes people seem to want to root for the laundry. I wonder if that perspective is shared by many of the voters.

[pbrinton]

Earlier in the thread Erik asked for others to chime in and tell him if he is in the wrong here. After reading This post I feel compelled to answer his plea. As far as I can see he politely asked some questions which did not seem to me to be unreasonable given the fact that you are endorsing a candidate. He wanted to know some more about who was doing the endorsing so as to know how much weight to give the endorsement. I was also curious to see those answers for the same reason. He was treated to a series of highly personal attacks, accusing him of being someone else, and questioning his right even to take an interest in the matter. The greatest irony in this particular post is that the last item in your list of questions to him exactly describes what you are doing in this post. ("why are you so intent upon deflecting posts about this issue and making them about the people expressing their opinions?)

You are the one representing yourself as someone whose opinion we should pay attention to, and it is up to you to justify that claim. Do you really think that only people you approve of are entitled to question you?

Patrick Brinton

I have an idea, "Erik Perez."... And question who the people are whose names are listed on our website....

[Peacetown Jonathan]

Let me see if I am understanding correctly what Patrick Brinton writes in his earlier post.
Regarding my posting of why we endorsed Lynda Hopkins (which can be read in full here)
that was based on interviews that are transparently available for every voter on our Candidates Video Debate site here for you to see and judge for yourself.

Based on my original post and responses above, Patrick Brinton writes (comment before last):

The greatest irony in this particular post is that the last item in your list of questions to him exactly describes what you are doing in this post. ("why are you so intent upon deflecting posts about this issue and making them about the people expressing their opinions?)

So Patrick you are suggesting that I am deflecting posts about this issue? Really?

And what, exactly, Patrick, are you doing right now?

I believe if you reflect on what the issue is here in this part of the forum, it is about why Progressive Sebastopol endorsed Lynda Hopkins. Not about who I am, or who the people in Progressive Sebastopol. Both Erik and Patrick are making this post about me, Jonathan Greenberg, and the other eight independent grassroots members of Progressive Sebastopol who each joined in a unanimous decision to endorse Hopkins.

We have fully disclosed each of our names (you can read them here at the very top of the home page of Progressive Sebastopol), and our Voter Guide explains why we made this recommendation. Here is an excerpt with our view of donors:\

"...the likelihood that Noreen Evans will support the continually escalating number of County workers and the spiraling cost of their benefits, in return for union support, seems to us more likely than the likelihood that Lynda Hopkins will act against our environment to support real estate or wine interests.

It seems that the Evans-boosting camp simply cannot believe that nine of their fellow citizens with absolutely no vested financial or political benefit would, based on their own thorough and democratic inquiry, come to a different conclusion than Noreen Evans' political and union endorsers (who do actually have vested financial and political interests in the outcome of this trace).

Why would we do this?

Who are these people!!!

Well, here is my bio

and here is a link to the index page of my Huffington Post political blog.

In answer to your other question, yes, all of the people who made the unanimous endorsement decision live in the 5th Supervisor District.

[tommy]

My view is that it's a contradiction to call yourself "Progressive" and support Lynda Hopkins. So little is known about her, she has so little experience to suggest her positions, and support of her by the RE and gravel industry would suggest she is anything but progressive.

In answer to Marty's question, this excerpt from the Progressive Sebastopol Voter Guide June 2016...

[pbrinton]

As an award winning investigative journalist, I would have expected better than the "Yah boo so are you" line of defense. Investigative journalism is a pursuit that, if properly done, will inevitably result in people attacking you on grounds both fair and unfair, and I would have thought by now you would have developed a thicker skin, and an ability to respond with dignity, even to the unfair ones. Instead you seem to reach always for the good old reliable bucket of mud. I find it a little frustrating that while I have often found myself in substantial agreement with you on the issues (this one is an exception) I have frequently thought your way of arguing your points detracted from the justice of your positions.

Good investigative journalism is clearly laying out the facts and letting them speak for themselves. I always saw you as more of an advocate for your point of view than a true investigator. Perhaps a calmer, more thoughtful approach without the barrage of fonts and colors would be more persuasive.

With regard to this particular subject, you are not just saying "I am Jonathan Greenberg and this is what I think", you are presenting the conclusions of an organization called Progressive Sebastopol, giving the impression of greater weight to those conclusions. Are your readers not entitled to look a little deeper to judge whether this extra credibility is in fact justified? Is this not in fact what a good investigative journalist would recommend doing, rather than just being impressed by the name of an organization? And if an investigative journalist did dig a little and received in response a barrage of attack and evasion, rather than clear factual answers to his questions, would he not find this grounds for critIcism?

You publish a list of names with no links to background information (and I had to look several times to actually locate even the names). Googling these names reveals nothing that would add weight to their opinions. Is this the entirety of your organization? You mentioned earlier in the thread that other organizations also have small committees doing this kind of vetting, but in the case of the ones you mentioned these committees are chosen from and representative of a sizable membership, rather then being the whole membership.

You have, from your resume, done some commendable things, and as I said I often agree with your positions, but you are not doing yourself any favors by your combative attitude towards those seeking more information. I disagree with your support of Linda Hopkins in this particular election, though I do not think she is a bad person, neither am I necessarily touting Norren Evans, though I do lean towards supporting her.

So to sum up, if you are going to hold yourself out as someone we should listen to, you might want to grow a thicker skin and stay out of the mud pit.

Patrick Brinton

Let me see if I am understanding correctly what Patrick Brinton writes in his earlier post.
Regarding my posting of why we endorsed Lynda Hopkins (which can be read in full here)
that was based on interviews that are transparently available for every voter on our Candidates Video Debate site here for you to see and judge for yourself.

Based on my original post and responses above, Patrick Brinton writes (comment before last):

The greatest irony in this particular post is that the last item in your list of questions to him exactly describes what you are doing in this post. ("why are you so intent upon deflecting posts about this issue and making them about the people expressing their opinions?)...

[podfish]

As an award winning investigative journalist, I would have expected better than the "Yah boo so are you" line of defense. Investigative journalism is a pursuit that, if properly done, will inevitably result in people attacking you on grounds both fair and unfair, and I would have thought by now you would have developed a thicker skin, and an ability to respond with dignity, even to the unfair ones.

I have to agree with Patrick. Not to pile on to Jonathan only. I just prefer to see the posts with more, say, personality being expressed left to those of us who don't represent any groups and who aren't necessarily seen as responsible advocates. We get freedoms in our writing that when used/abused do detract from the argments we're advancing.

[Lisa Maldonado]

...."...the likelihood that Noreen Evans will support the continually escalating number of County workers and the spiraling cost of their benefits, in return for union support, seems to us more likely than the likelihood that Lynda Hopkins will act against our environment to support real estate or wine interests. ...

Johnathan, your "Progressive" credentials are at odds with your own rhetoric and ideology. Bernie Sanders himself has said that working people NEED UNIONS and they deserve a fair pension and dignified old age and yet you and your Republican endorsed buddy, Tom Lynch ("Manureman" indeed) both spout anti- labor cliches about pensions while ignoring the big businesses pouring money into Lynda Hopkins' coffers. Inconsistent much?

Sorry, but your efforts to distract and mislead voters won't work. Noreen is proud that she stands with working people and unlike Lynda she doesn't try to hide who her supporters are. And by the way Johnathan -if you think you are a "Bernie" Progressive- you might want to know his position on unions and pensions. It is diametrically opposed to yours and the GOP /Fox News talking points you keep insisting are "progressive":

But I guess in a world where Tom Lynch can call himself progressive and still be endorsed by the Republican Party and where Lynda Hopkins can call herself "progressive" and a 'Fresh Face" and an "environmentalist" while still taking money and being bankrolled by every Good Old Boy and Chamber or Commerce and construction developer and gravel miner; then any thing goes.....We used to call it hypocrisy, spin and bullshit but now you call it "independent thinking".

https://www.nytimes.com/politics/fir...=fb-share&_r=0

[jbox]

Still avoiding answering Jonathan's legitimate questions Lisa? Can't you just be straightforward for a change?

[photolite]

I just re-read every one of Johnathon's post on this thread and nowhere could I find a single statement that is anti-Union. You insist on labeling him a Union Basher yet there is zero evidence of that.
You also imply an affiliation with Tom Lynch when you declare, "you and your Republican endorsed buddy, Tom Lynch ("Manureman" indeed) both spout anti- labor cliches about pensions while ignoring the big businesses pouring money into Lynda Hopkins' coffers.", but I don't see where you are getting that from. Jonathon acknowledges Tom as a candidate who did not respond to his group's questionnaire. That's it. There is also no evidence in his words of big business sympathies. It's all innuendo in the face of no evidence to support an opinion you're too invested in to allow for the inconvenience of facts.
This has become a game of "More Progressive Than Thou", instead of a straight ahead discussion of two worthy candidates for Supervisor.

Johnathan, your "Progressive" credentials are at odds with your own rhetoric and ideology. Bernie Sanders himself has said that working people NEED UNIONS and they deserve a fair pension and dignified old age...

[Dorothy Friberg]

OK you guys, quit bickering. The object of language is communication, not semantics. Who cares what word is capitalized. Perhaps you should capitalize all your stuff since you are both shouting at each other . Let us please quietly read posts on Wacco. If you want to trash someone or otherwise rip them up, go out behind the barn and duke it out. (Oh my, was Duke supposed to be capitalized)? Let there be peace among us!

Unlike you, I have no problem ...