Interim group elected to oversee 2010 Repeal Prop 8 signature gathering campaign

August 30, 11:33 PMSF LGBT Issues ExaminerEric Ross

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More than 80 activists from across California met last Saturday as part of the California Coalition for Marriage Equality, an ad-hoc group comprised of more than 75 organizations across the state that are dedicated to the single and common goal of restoring marriage equality in California as quickly as possible. The group met at San Francisco State University to create a structure for the signature gathering effort that would restore marriage equality in California in 2010. 

The morning began with a keynote address from Ace Smith, noted California political strategist whose resume includes statewide ballot initiatives and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. “This is a civil rights movement,” Smith explained to the activists who attended the conference. “You can’t script it. You have to let people go. They have to be able to organize freely, let themselves go. Capturing lightning in a bottle, it either happens or it doesn’t. You have to let it happen. It’s what you’re seeking to achieve, but you don’t do it by planning a typical campaign.”

Activists quickly got to work after Smith’s speech. Five proposals, generated from around the state, were presented, and followed by several hours of discussion. The conclusion of that debate was the adoption of a comprehensive statewide signature gathering structure dubbed the Davis Plan, named after the hometown of one of the authors.

The Davis Plan calls for an Advisory Council comprised of 50 people based on a tiered local, regional, and statewide structure. The following shows the breakdown of the council:

• 60% Regional Representatives - elected by local grassroots organizations 
• 20% Affinity Council Representatives - selected from regional networks organized around religious, ethnic, political, business, labor, educational groups.  
• 20% Reserved for significant Organizations with a proven track record of fund-raising, leadership, organizing and/or statewide membership. 

The Davis Plan divides California into 10 regions and the number of representatives from each region is based proportionally on the number of residents who voted on Proposition 8 in 2008. One regional representative is allowed for approximately every 500,000 Prop. 8 voters. Each Region has a minimum of 1 representative and a maximum of 6. 

Breakdown of 10 regions 

An interim group was elected and empowered to make decisions while the new structure is being shared across the state. The candidates were self-identified and gave a one-minute speech to nominate themselves. They were then elected using a Single Transferable Vote ballot process. 

The members in the interim group of elected representatives include Kelechi Anyanwu (San Jose), Lester Aponte (LA), Aaron Bloom (LA), John Cleary (LA), John Henning (LA), Misha Houser (Orange County), Zakiya Khabir (San Diego), Lisa Kove (San Diego), Jordan Krueger (LA), Chaz Lowe (Sacramento), and Jane Wishon (LA). The group is comprised of three Latino activists, two African American activists, a mixed-race activist, two straight allies, and has representation from both Northern and Southern California. The elected body, called the Interim Administrative Group, is comprised of six men and five women. This Interim Administrative Group will move forward with it's mandate of creating a political action committee to centralize the signature gathering effort.

“Voter persuasion is fruitless if there is not a vote,” said coalition spokesperson Sara Beth Brooks. “Those that gathered today are specifically focused on ensuring that we return to the ballot on November 2, 2010. We eagerly anticipate a California that is free from discrimination.” 

The next meeting in the Bay Area will be on September 19^th at a location that has yet to be determined. The meeting will explain the Davis Plan to people that could not attend last Saturday’s event, and update everyone on the status of the 2010 repeal efforts. The Bay Area representatives for the signature-gathering campaign will also be elected on the 19th. Anyone wanting the chance to voice their feelings for the best and most efficient means to collect these signatures is encouraged to attend. For more information on the next meeting, visit the "signature gathering to repeal Prop 8 in 2010" facebook event page. 

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