By Warren Hinckle & Arlo Hale Smith, Jr.

An outrage of international impact apparently not reported except in Chinese language newspapers, has befallen San Francisco’s once proud progressive Democratic Party.
  We have to say it out loud, it is the fault of Aaron Peskin’s often outrageous manipulations and management of the local Democratic Party machinery. Peskin and his then handy man-former Sup. Chris Daly took over the Democratic party machinery a few years ago (see Argonaut November 2009) and proceeded by violation of the rules of the State Dem Party to devolve the coin of the once golden endorsement slate card of the party mailed to every resident Democrat in the city.
  Since the Argonaut exposed Peskin & Co’s shenanigans- “Hijacking the Democratic Party” (June 2010) Peskin’s party seemed unaware of the real world outside their ideological chamber, has been losing races to other candidates who ran against the official Democratic Party election–such as new Supervisor Scott Weiner (Castro) and Mark Farrell (Marina).
The latest and greatest misstep amounts to one outrage–with five major Asian American candidates running for mayor this year, the Party, which under its, beloved Ranked Choice Voting system where confused voters are supposed to pick three, the party picked only two candidates and excluded all Asians-Americans even though it kept a third choice blank.
This is, rightfully, seen as an outrage, the APA community and the party will pay a dear price for this in future elections.
Here is longtime DCCC member Hale Smith’s account of the DCCC meeting this summer where Chairman Peskin made his greatest blunder ever through his manipulations, which back-fired. He used phony proxy votes, the greatest offender of the party rules is Peskin’s candidate for mayor, Sup. John Avalos (see cover), who has abused the proxy vote process rule more than any other DCCC member:

Peskin Tries To Stuff Ballot Box At SFDCCC To Finance His Slate Card

On Wednesday night, fur was flying down at the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. The Chair “Boss” Aaron Peskin thinks he’s running the Old Tammany Machine back in New York. Ever since he and Chris Daly took over the SFDCCC in 2008, their stated agenda has been to control who gets elected to office in San Francisco by delivering the official Democratic Party endorsements only to candidates with a sufficiently anti-business programs and records to meet Daly and Peskin’s political litmus tests. Well like old Tammany, sometimes political endorsements get mixed in with the necessities of financing the Machine’s slate cards.   With “ranked choice” elections, lots of candidates are vying to get a #2 or even a #3 endorsement from the Party bosses. . . lots of funding for Peskin’s electoral schemes . .

In August, Peskin thought he had brilliantly outmaneuvered David Chiu and moderates on the SFDCCC by getting a “package” endorsement for Mayor – #1 going to Chris Daly’s former aide – Supervisor John Avalos; and #2 to Dennis Herrera – the candidate who has most savagely criticized Mayor Lee.  Both candidates have slate card money to give to Peskin thanks to the generous public financing they are receiving from the taxpayers.

This is where it gets interesting . . . The Avalos/Herrera deal meant that the Democratic Party had managed to endorse two Hispanic candidates . . . and cut out the Asian community from ANY endorsements . . . even though at least five major candidates are Asian . . . Mayor Ed Lee, Public Defender Jeff Adachi,  Assessor Phil Ting, Senator Leland Yee, and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu.

The Asian community, including the Chinese American Democratic Club and Asian Week start protesting that no Asian candidate was given any degree of support by the Democratic Party . . . not even a #3 nod. The ideas start percolating in Peskin’s mind while he drinks at the bar . .. “I can actually use this to help finance my slate card which is pushing my lackey John Avalos as the Democratic Party’s #1 choice for Mayor.  Let the SFDCCC endorse for #3 and there will be more $ to send out more slate cards to promote the Machine REAL candidate, Avalos. How?

Well Peskin puts a motion to rescind the SFDCCC “No Endorsement” for #3 slot for Mayor on the September SFDCCC agenda. But does he want a fair vote on a #3 endorsement for Mayor?  No.   At least three of the five serious Asian candidate are unacceptable to Peskin. Peskin never supported Mayor Lee . . . he actually thought that Aaron Peskin should have been appointed Mayor!

Jeff Adachi’s pension reform efforts made him even more unacceptable:  Peskin and his Machine depend on large independent expenditures by a few public employee unions to get Machine candidates elected!  Peskin keeps control of the SFDCCC through the “generosity” of these same union leaders.  No wonder City pensions got so far out of control!
David Chiu was Peskin’s hand-picked successor for District #3 Supervisor when Peskin was forced out of office by term limits in 2008.   But Chiu has been taking reasonable, pro-business stands recently, such as giving tax incentives to large employers to locate and expand operations in San Francisco.

But there is Senator Leland Yee, the man whose single vote put Peskin into the Chair of the SFDCCC in 2008 and Yee has public funds to put into a slate card. Peskin has to make sure that Leland Yee gets the endorsement for #3 . . . not anyone else.  Peskin also has another problem: He has loyalists that don’t attend meetings – Supervisor John  Avalos and ex-Seantor Carole Migden in particular.   While John Avalos runs for Mayor and Migden works for a State Board in Sacramento, they haven’t been attending SFDCCC meetings.  Instead they have been giving proxies to other Peskin Machine loyalists.

Well there is a rule on the SFDCCC that members can proxy only 5 times in a term of office, but must personally attend meetings otherwise.  After all, the Democratic Party is not a private corporate board of directors – it is elected by the voters!   Why shouldn’t people who run for the SFDCCC actually expect to attend meetings personally – as the voters intended!
Well John Avalos and Carole Migden have already voted by proxy more than 5 times and Peskin really needed their votes Wednesday night . . . What to do? . . .CHEAT!

At the Wednesday meeting, Member Arlo Hale Smith objected to members Avalos and Midgen being absent and  trying to proxy a sixth time .  What did Peskin do? He interrupted Mr. Smith, and started a a tirade of personal attacks. He ruled that he is the Chair and that he was counting these votes… in his discretion…  regardless of what the By-Laws say.  Then on his motion to reconsider the #3 endorsement he COUNTED the Midgen and Avalos votes, despite the fact their proxies were invalid.  Surprise!   Even cheating Peskin lost.

Since it was clear that Peskin would not allow a fair vote on a number #3 endorsement, but was wedded to counting the invalid Migden and Avalos votes, all members of the SFDCCC with even the slightest independence from Peskin voted “NO” on reconsideration.

Peskin lost his opportunity to give Leland Yee a nod through cheating!  Too bad!  Less slate card money to promote ex-Chris Daly aide John Avalos for Mayor!