Nearly a Clean Sweep on Local Races, National Outlook Bleak

Dear AFT Guild Members,

This is certainly not the morning after election day message I was hoping to write, but as we have painfully learned over the years, elections are unpredictable at best.

Locally, we did quite well, winning handily in the majority of our targeted races (see details below).

On the national front, with Trump’s re-election, Republican control of the the Senate, the House and of Representatives up for grabs, and a stacked ultra-conservative Supreme Court, what lies ahead for us as educators, unionists, and public sector workers appears foreboding.

Locally we were all in with epic efforts led by our Retiree Chapter members and Student Interns in both letter writing and phone banking. We had a record turnout of volunteers which resulted in thousands of letters being written and calls being made.

With the national electoral results in stark contrast with our local efforts, it’s imperative that we not lose sight of the good work that we will collectively continue to do locally. We can’t allow lies, hatred, abuse, and disrespect of the rule of law to become normalized. We must continue to treat each other with kindness, respect, and compassion.

If we all make a concerted effort to do that, day in and day out, we will be OK.

We need to stick together, now, more than ever.

In Solidarity,
Jim
Jim Mahler, President
AFT Guild, Local 1931
AFT Shield

 

AFT Guild Top Priority Races (Approximately 62% of ballots countywide have been counted. The remaining counts will come in over the next 30 days.)

• Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District Trustee Area 4 – Elena Adams (AFT Guild Member) Winning with 50.32% of the vote.

• San Diego Community College District D – Mariah Jameson Winning with 73.63% of the vote.

• San Diego County Board of Education District 4 – Erin Evans (AFT Guild Member) Winning with 69.04% of the vote.

• 79th Assembly District – LaShae Sharp-Collins (father was an AFT Guild Member) Winning with 52.55% of the vote.

• Measure HH, SDCCD Bond Measure – YES Winning with 59.33% of the vote (55% need to pass).

• Measure G, County of San Diego 1/2 Cent Sales Tax Measure – YES Losing with 51.67% opposed.

• San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 3 – Terra Lawson-Remer Winning with 55.72% of the vote.