Reply #32: A few points about California electorial law and culture

[Jack Rabbit]

By Califonia law, all elections for municipal and county offices are nonpartisan. Techniclally, there is neither a Green nor Democrat running in this election.

Californians generally view such races as being nonpartisan. There may be a few San Franciscans who will vote one way or the other based on the known party affiliations of the two candidates, but most will vote for the man rather than the party. That's the way California political culture works.

There are extreme cases wher party affiliation may make a difference. For example, in both 1969 and 1973, Tom Bradley ran for mayor of Los Angeles as "the Democratic candidate." This was a dig at the incumbant mayor, Sam Yorty, who was also a Democrat, but only technically. Yorty backed Nixon over Kennedy in 1960 and tereafter continued to infuriate Democrats in the state and especially in Los Angeles by failing to support Democratic candidates, often supporting their Republican opponents and consistantly supporting Republican policy positions, including President Nixon's handling of the Vietnam War. I believe that even if the most conservative Democrats on thes board were he familiar with Mayor Yorty, they, too, would call him a DINO.