18th Assembly District

Re-elect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to keep America on track. 

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have a track record and policy positions that demonstrate that they will continue to govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse nation.

Progressive endorsements: President Biden and Vice President Harris have the endorsement of some progressive groups, including the Sierra Club, Reproductive Freedom for All America, League of Conservation Voters, National Center for Transgender Equality, and Students Demand Action. They have also received the endorsement of a significant number of labor unions, including United Auto Workers, Actors’ Equity Association, AFL-CIO, IATSE, National Nurses United, and the American Federation of Teachers. President Biden and Vice President Harris also have the backing of the Democratic National Committee and a significant number of current and former Democratic officials, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Climate Envoy John Kerry, 14 current governors, 30 sitting U.S. senators, and over 70 members of the House of Representatives. This list includes California’s elected leaders Gov. Gavin Newsom, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and LA Mayor Karen Bass. 

Priority policies: The Biden administration has had policy successes across a diversity of issue areas during their first term. Immediately after taking office during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden worked to move the American Rescue Plan through Congress and successfully passed legislation to provide stimulus checks, boosts to unemployment payments, and increased funds for education and small-business loans. The plan also ramped up the distribution and administration of vaccines. This legislative effort was followed by the Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law that made a $1 billion investment in electric vehicle infrastructure, national road and bridge repair, clean drinking water modifications, and power grid updates. In addition to these investments, the administration passed President Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act, an expansive bill to provide needed funding to cap prescription drug costs for the elderly, increase corporate taxes, invest in clean energy and climate protections, reduce the federal deficit, and increase tax accountability by provided additional funding to the IRS. The White House has indicated that nearly 170,000 clean energy jobs have been created by this legislation, clean energy investments have increased by $110 billion, and insulin has been capped at $35 a month. After years of inaction from the federal government, President Biden signed a significant gun-safety bill into law, which strengthens background check laws, incentivizes state-based red flag laws, and expands limitations on the acquisition of firearms by perpetrators of domestic abuse. President Biden also signed the CHIPS Act into law to increase domestic production of the semiconductors used in the manufacturing of many of the products Americans use daily. 

The Biden administration’s economic policies have contributed to the lowest unemployment rate in over 50 years, at 3.4% as of January 2024, economic growth of 3.1% in 2023, and an inflation rate that dropped below 3% at the end of December. The administration has led the U.S. back into the Paris Climate Accord, forgiven $136 billion in education debt, and provided consistent support to striking labor unions across the country. While many of these accomplishments came during the first two years of the administration, when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, President Biden and Vice President Harris have worked across the aisle to move impactful legislation forward for the American people with a divided Congress.

While the administration’s legislative successes have been substantial, they have been subject to significant criticism from progressives during this first term. While President Biden has maintained strong support for Israel during the October 7 Hamas attacks and the Israeli government’s retaliatory attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, the electorate and congressional representatives have expressed concerns about the U.S. government providing continued funding to the Israeli military, and activists and leaders have called on the Biden administration to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza. On immigration and the southern border, the federal government’s failure to act has effectively continued the anti-immigrant policies enacted under the Trump administration and caused big city mayors and Democratic governors to publicly request that the White House and Congress pass meaningful legislation to reform an increasingly overwhelmed asylum and immigration system. Under Republican control, Congress has not passed any immigration reforms, and Republican leaders have advocated for more punitive and inhumane immigration policies.  

Governance and community leadership experience: President Biden and Vice President Harris have served in the White House since 2020, when they were elected on a joint ticket with 306 electoral votes and over 51% of the national popular vote. Their campaign won six critical swing states—Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona—to secure the electoral college victory.

Prior to his election, President Biden had a long and prominent political career. He served two terms as former President Barack Obama’s vice president and was responsible for managing the 2009 economic recovery, helping to expand health care through the Affordable Care Act, and acting as the administration’s liaison to the Senate. Before joining the Obama administration, he spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate. He was often critiqued as being an unremarkable, status quo Democrat, and mid-career votes in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, anti-drug legislation, and the Iraq War reaffirm that characterization. In 1991, Vice President Biden was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas, who had been credibly accused of sexual harassment by a former colleague, Anita Hill. Vice President Biden’s mismanagement of the hearing resulted in a targeted and unfair character assassination of Anita Hill and remains a reminder of his complicity in the patriarchal and racist systems on which our American government is built. 

Prior to her election, Vice President Harris was the first woman of color elected to represent California in the United States Senate. She sponsored legislation on climate and environmental protections, rental and housing protections, women’s health, and pandemic relief. She was also an original cosponsor of the progressive Green New Deal authored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey.  Before serving in the Senate, Vice President Harris had a long legal career in California, serving for 8 years in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office before transitioning to a role as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. In 2003, she won her bid to become district attorney of the City and County of San Francisco, where she served two terms before being elected as the attorney general for the state of California in 2010. She was the first woman and the first person of color to hold this seat. Vice President Harris’s record was both progressive for the time and complicated by her moderate approach to policing and criminal justice. She has been criticized for failing to institute comprehensive police accountability measures, for not establishing meaningful prison reform, and for taking a hands-off approach to cases related to police misconduct. However, her lenient approach to policing was often punctuated by decidedly progressive support for social justice issues, including the establishment of an education and workforce reentry program designed to diminish recidivism. 

Other background: President Biden is from Scranton, PA, and moved to Delaware with his family when he was 10 years old. He has been a resident of Wilmington, Delaware, for most of his adult life. Vice President Harris grew up in Berkeley, CA, and was a longtime resident of Los Angeles. She is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, who both emigrated to the Bay Area in the 1960s.

 

The Race

Primary election: Eight candidates are running in the March 5 Democratic primary, including incumbent President Joe Biden (D), Rep. Dean Phillips (D), and Marianne Williamson (D). The candidate who receives the most delegates in the national Democratic primary will formally become the party’s designated Presidential candidate in August 2024.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: President Biden’s campaign has raised $56 million as of December 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, corporate PAC, or fossil fuel interests.

Opposing candidate: Rep. Dean Phillips
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Rep. Phillips’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the FEC as of December 2023.

Opposing candidate: Marianne Williamson
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Williamson’s campaign has raised $2.6 million as of December 2023, and is funded by corporate PAC interests. A significant amount of her campaign funding has been through candidate donations and loans taken out by the candidate.

 

The Position

The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of the federal government, and the commander-in-chief for all branches of the armed forces. A president has the power to make diplomatic, executive, and judicial appointments, and can sign into law or veto legislation. Presidential administrations are responsible for both foreign and domestic policy priorities. Presidents are limited to serving two four-year terms in office.


 

Courage California endorses Lateefah Simon for C to keep CD-12 on the right track for progress. 

Lateefah Simon’s experience and policy positions demonstrate that she will be a progressive voice for the constituents of CD-12 and will govern effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Simon has the endorsement of many progressive groups, including Courage California, California Working Families Party, SEIU, Sister Warrior Action Fund, Congressional Progressive Caucus, and the National Union of Healthcare Workers. She has also received endorsements from some elected officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Sen. Nancy Skinner, State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, and Assm. Isaac Bryan. 

Electoral history: In 2016, Simon ran for the nonpartisan District 7 seat on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors and won with 59% of the vote. She won her re-election bid in 2020 with over 64% of the vote.  

Top issues: Homelessness and affordable housing, civil rights, environmental protections, racial justice, transportation, criminal justice and police reform, comprehensive economic improvement, immigration reform, and voting rights.

Priority bills: As a member of the BART Board of Directors, Lateefah Simon has been a strong supporter of efforts to ensure that BART is affordable and designed to support transit-dependent communities. She worked to ensure transit access for essential workers during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and rejected Trump administration deportation efforts by operating BART as a sanctuary public transit system. Throughout her time on the board, she has worked closely with the transit workers union to ensure that city and federal support were aligned to their expectations. Simon served as president of the BART Board of Directors during her first term, providing progressive leadership for the transit system.

Governance and community leadership experience: Simon is a non-profit executive and a social justice activist, which she does to advocate for communities who have not traditionally been centered in public policy. She has had a prodigious service career, which began when she became executive director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center at 19. During her decade with the organization, their work to reduce recidivism and the criminalization of young women and trans youth drew national acclaim, including Simon’s receipt of a Macarthur Genius Fellowship. Simon expanded on this work when she was appointed by then San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris to create the Back on Track anti-recidivism initiative, and during her time as executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. She has since served as the program director for the Rosenberg Foundation, and president of the Akonadi Foundation, and she is currently president of MeadowFund. In 2016, she was appointed by then Gov. Brown to sit on the California State University Board of Trustees, and in 2020, she was appointed by Gov. Newsom to serve as a senior advisor on police reform. She is a highly respected professional in the state, and is affiliated with a variety of organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, and Tipping Point Foundation. In all her roles, Simon has maintained a commitment  to advancing the dialogue on complex issues, and takes a solutions-oriented approach to her advocacy. Racial justice and systems change have been throughlines of Simon’s work and are demonstrative of her ongoing commitment to improving access, outcomes, and equity for individuals who have traditionally been marginalized. 

Other background: Simon has lived in CD-12 for over 20 years. She was born legally blind, and has been a strong supporter of accessibility and protections for people with disabilities. 

 

The Race

Primary election: There are 11 candidates running in the March 5 primary, including Lateefah Simon (D), Tony Daysog (D), Tim Sanchez (D), and Jennifer Tran (D). The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5. This seat is held by longtime Rep. Barbara Lee, who is running for California’s open Senate seat in 2024.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Simon’s campaign has raised $861,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by police, real estate, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Tony Daysog
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Daysog’s campaign has raised $3,000 as of October 2023, and is primarily self-funded.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Tim Sanchez
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Sanchez’s campaign has raised $97,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel, police, real estate, or corporate PAC interests.

Opposing candidate: Democrat Jennifer Tran
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Sanchez’s campaign has raised $94,000 as of October 2023, and is not funded by fossil fuel, police, real estate, or corporate PAC interests. 

 

The District

Counties in district: California’s 12th Congressional District includes parts of Alameda County.

Voter registration: 70% Democrat, 5% Republican, and 21% No Party Preference. Democrats typically hold this seat.

District demographics: 15% Latino, 21% Asian, and 20% Black.

Recent election results: CD-12 voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 81 points and Gavin Newsom for governor in 2022 by 80 points.

 

The Position

Congressmembers represent and advocate for the needs of their district constituents at the United States Capitol. They are responsible for creating, debating, and voting on legislation that addresses issues within their district.

The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a two-year term. California has 52 congressional representatives, the largest delegation in the country. There is no term limit for this position.


 

Re-elect Assemblymember Mia Bonta to keep AD-18 on the right track for progress. 

The Race

The District

The Position

Retain Judge Michael Begert to keep San Francisco County on the right track for progress. 

Judge Michael Begert’s track record and legal background demonstrates that he will continue to use his judicial prudence effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Judge Begert has the endorsement of many local groups, including San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, San Francisco Tenants Union, Affordable Housing Alliance, and several bar associations. He has also received the endorsement of many elected leaders, including State Sen. Scott Wiener, Assm. Phil Ting, BART Director Lateefah Simon, and six members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He has also received the endorsement of San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto.

Top issues: According to campaign materials, Judge Begert is running for re-election to continue to champion public safety, compassion, and the humanity of all community members on the bench. 

Key initiatives: Judge Begert has provided leadership in moving the county forward through his work presiding over courtrooms that focus primarily on social service provisions. He is currently overseeing the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court, which was established by Gov. Newsom to create pathways to recovery for individuals struggling with mental health treatment and homelessness. As a judge, he has also served in Drug Treatment Court, Family Court, Community Justice Court, and Veterans Justice Court. Judge Begert has supported the creation of restorative justice programs, and has used his judicial experience to establish connections and accountability with the individuals who come through his courtroom. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Judge Begert has served in this seat since 2011, when he was appointed to the seat by former Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger. He was retained in 2012 and 2018, running unopposed in both elections.

Prior to his election to the judiciary, Judge Begert was an attorney in private practice, specializing in class action and product liability law. He has had a long involvement with many legal community organizations, including National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

Other background: Judge Begert is from Washington state, and has lived in San Francisco since he completed law school in 1989. He is the biracial son of an American father and a Japanese mother.

 

The Race

Primary election: There are two candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary, including Judge Michael Begert, and Chip Zecher. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Judge Begert’s campaign has raised at least $21,000 as of December 2023. He has been the target of opposition donations from Stop Crime Action, a pro-incarceration collective that supported the 2022 recall of former progressive DA Chesa Boudin with the funding of billionaire and Republican mega donor William Oberndorf. 

Opposing candidate: Chip Zecher
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Zecher’s campaign has raised at least $151,000 as of December 2023, including a six-figure donation from right-wing tech billionaire Chris Larsen and the conservative Stop Crime SF organization.

 

The District

County: The Superior Court of San Francisco County operates as the trial court for criminal, civil, and other cases filed in the county. 

 

The Position

Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50%), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.

California has 58 trial, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts. 


 

Retain Judge Patrick Thompson to keep San Francisco County on the right track for progress. 

Judge Patrick Thompson’s track record and legal background demonstrates that he will continue to use his judicial prudence effectively in the best interests of this diverse district.

Progressive endorsements: Judge Thompson has the endorsement of a few progressive groups, including San Francisco Tenants Union. He has received the endorsement of the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Standard, and has been rated “well qualified” by the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Top issues: According to campaign materials, Judge Thompson is running for re-election to continue to bring an equitable, by-the-book approach to the bench. 

Key initiatives: Judge Thompson has provided leadership in moving the county toward an approach that centers respect for the rule of law. His judicial philosophy is heavily focused on holding attorneys and justice involved individuals to the same standard of courtroom decorum and written law, and ensuring that trial outcomes are equitable and legally consistent. 

Governance and community leadership experience: Judge Thompson has served in this seat since 2022, when he was appointed to the bench by Gov. Gavin Newsom. This is his first run for retention. 

Prior to his election to the judiciary, Judge Thompson was a corporate attorney in private practice, which helped him build a strong understanding of several unique legal disciplines. During this time, he worked on cases related to antitrust, business regulations, patent infringement, and class-action lawsuits. After his appointment to the Superior Court, he worked in the traffic division, and then moved on to overseeing criminal preliminary hearings. He is also involved in his local community through membership on the California Pacific Medical Center board, the American Conservatory Theater board, and the Grace Cathedral board.

Other background: Judge Thompson is from Michigan, and has lived in California for over 30 years. 

 

The Race

Primary election: There are two candidates running in the nonpartisan March 5 primary: incumbent Judge Patrick Thompson and Jean Roland. The top two vote recipients will advance to the general election on November 5, unless one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and wins outright in the primary.

Candidate fundraising and pledges: Judge Thompson’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the county as of January 2024. He has been the target of opposition donations from Stop Crime Action, a pro-incarceration collective that supported the 2022 recall of former progressive DA Chesa Boudin with the funding of billionaire and Republican mega donor William Oberndorf. 

Opposing candidate: Jean Roland
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Roland’s campaign has not filed any campaign fundraising receipts with the county as of January 2024.

 

The District

County: The Superior Court of San Francisco County operates as the trial court for criminal, civil, and other cases filed in the county. 

 

The Position

Judges of the California Superior Courts are elected in nonpartisan, county-wide elections to six-year terms. Once voted in, a judge can run for retention at the expiration of their term. A retention election is a process by which voters decide whether an incumbent judge should remain for another term. If the judge, when not facing an opponent, does not obtain a certain percentage of voters (often 50%), they are removed from the position. Many judges join the court through a gubernatorial appointment. If a judge is appointed, they compete in the next general election following the appointment.

California has 58 trial, or superior courts, one in each county. In the more than 450 courthouses of the superior courts, a judge and sometimes a jury hears witness testimony and other evidence. These courts hear civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile cases. The judge decides cases through the application of relevant law to the relevant facts.