Sean Sullivan’s post-election plans
Now Chip Johnson wants term limits. I still don’t get it. Am I the only one who thinks that maybe term limits in Sacramento haven’t exactly led to a well-run State government? But hey – we get lots of fresh faces, so apparently that makes up for it. I still haven’t heard anything that makes me more inclined to support term limits for Councilmembers (although people are welcome to keep trying), but what I have heard quite enough of in the last week is bitching about the election results and how entrenched the incumbents are from people who didn’t lift a damn finger to help unseat any of them. Anyway, I have no interest in sitting around and moping about how unfair the the world is. Losing sucks. We’ll just have to do it better next time, and that’s that.
One person who is decidedly not sitting around pouting about the system is 2nd place finisher in the District 3 City Council race, Sean Sullivan. Sullivan will soon be starting an awesome new job as the director of development for Equality California:
In the past decade, EQCA has successfully passed more than 45 pieces of civil rights legislation for the LGBT community – more than any other statewide LGBT organization in the nation. Working in partnership with California’s LGBT Legislative Caucus, EQCA is committed to building a better future for all Californians by protecting youth, strengthening families and empowering communities.
Sullivan will be joining the organization as they ramp up to raise funds to defeat the marriage ammendment that has been placed on the ballot for November. The organization will need to raise millions of dollars to get their message out in the next few months. Sullivan’s experience as the director of development and community relations with a shiny homeless shelter in the heart of the Jack London District, as well as raising over $60,000 as a first time political candidate, demonstrate that he has the skills for the job.
Congratulations, Sean!
Get Updates
Newest Comments
- len raphael: Unconfirmed that MJQ laid off 100 employees today, blaming RDA court case. How much did she and the CC waste in legal fees betting against Jerry’s lawyers?
- ralph: No, Livegreen, Occupy Oakland is doing plenty good. They are the poster children for the new, “This is Your Brain on Dope” Campaign.
- Livegreen: They seem to b determined to shut down Oakland and little else. They’ve forgotten Wall St. I can’t help but think the Officers who were preventing them from breaking in to City Hall could have spent...
- gregory mcconnell: The Occupest disrupted City Hall today. They managed to make it difficult, but not impossible, to go into City Hall. They demanded that people who accosted cops on Wednesday should be released. I was out...
- livegreen: I watched the M-Y mtg last night, & it was painful. Jose is a nice guy, but he has difficulty running a meeting that gets anything done. They debated for about 1 hour whether they should discuss recommendations...
- len raphael: The murder of 5 year old Gabriel Martinez. Got a call from an acquaintance who lives in East O and often gets supper at his family’s taco stand. She asked where she can sign up to help on the recall.
- Ravi: I’m sure that all of those Quan diehards (“a recall would be a waste of time and too expensive”) are very gratified that this lovely and deserving woman is having such a good time. No doubt they prefer...
- len raphael: JQ “”I’m actually having a lot of fun,” she said after rehashing many of the lower moments from her first year in office.” “http://www.insidebayare a.com/news/ci_19651889R...
- Ravi: And regarding police reform and the crime thing, Judge Henderson could decide to put OPD under Federal jurisdiction because the terms of the NSA haven’t been fulfilled by the City Administration. Those folks in City...
- len raphael: Harbinger of things to come to the City Council when they eventually have to make similar decisions. But they won’t. The Fed bankruptcy judge will do it for them.
- livegreen: Yeah, but OUSD has to do something. There are way too many schools for the school population. There’s simply no choice. At least they’re willing to make the tough decisions. Unlike the City of...
- len raphael: Are those school board recalls entirely over the school closing decisions? Different groups or one umbrella?
- Ravi: Two recall petitions for Quan; five recall petitions for five school board members.
- len raphael: City says there are now 7 concurrent recall petitions. Not clear how many are for Quan and how many for Council Members. Direct democracy at work.
- Ravi: Can the Oakland City Council lead? Nope, nor can the Mayor. It’s up to the citizens, who are deeply divided and have been for a very long time.
- len raphael: Oakland Local is the only on or offline general circulation media that shows understanding of the depths of our fiscal situation and understands that it’s causes precede the real estate crash. One of these...
- Mkilian: Related to the Cal Supremes haircut to Oakland with respect to RDA and the immediate need for a “fiscal operations plan” is another issue put forth in Oakland’s internet newspaper, Oakland Local, is...
9 Responses to “Sean Sullivan’s post-election plans”
June 11th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Congratulations, Sean.
I will e-mail you privately in a second, but I just wanted to say — here — that your political leap of faith HAS made a change in all of us. You have imbued sense of hope which it turn, raised the level of political discourse and mutual cooperation in district that has been historically fractured and Balkanized.
Until the next election cycle, my friend….
June 12th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Congrats from me too, Sean.
Let it be known that I will gladly play my bass in the street for marriage equality.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:37 am
I am so glad that Sean will be taking on this important task. It is vital that California voters reject this anti-gay Measure. I want my heterosexual friends and relatives to have good lives too — I know that the fears expressed about the divorce rate and other difficulties facing heterosexual families are legitimate — the part I question about the anti-gay claims is the conclusion that denying equal rights to gay people will make straight people’s lives better. I am glad Sean will be working on this effort!
P.S. Re: Term limits. As a general idea, I don’t like them because they cause good people to be ousted along with the bad — and in Sacramento, they have caused many problems. But, sometimes they also bring good people in. Perhaps “clean money” elections, combined with a larger number of voter signatures required, so our system rewards public outreach more, and money less….
June 12th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I heard an anti-gay activist say the other day that we were “trying to force gay marriage” on her.
As much as I’d like to force that ignoramus to marry Paris Hilton, and suffer accordingly, clearly that’s not what this is about.
Rebecca-
Term limits might not be a perfect solution. Did you see all the alternatives that showed up that thread? Would you be willing to champion the implementation of Measure O?
June 12th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Oh man, the whole “making marriage stronger by denying it to same-sex couples” is the most ass-backwards logic I’ve ever seen. It’s not like same-sex marriage is going to drive heterosexual people into a divorce frenzy. Massachussetts has one of the lowest divorce rates in the country, and what else is allowed in MA? And some of the states with the strongest opposition to gay marriage also have some of the highest divorce rates. I know there are more factors than that, I’m just sayin….
And for people who make it a religious issue: it’s not like they’re getting married in churches. It’s a courthouse. Deal with it.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I hope hope hope that the constitutional amendment fails this November. I’ll volunteer to help defeat it.
But, if it succeeds, I say civil disobedience should be the next step. Domestic Partners should simply fill out all of their state taxes, driver’s license applications, and all other forms as if married.
Check the “married” box on everything. If the government tells you you can’t do that, check “married” again. Keep doing it they give up. Pretty simple.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Sean,
Congratulations on the new opportunity! I hope to continue to see you around District 3 in the next few years.
-Chris K.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
There’s a small typo in the link to Equality California. Correct address: http://www.eqca.org
June 16th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Fixed! Thanks!