Post-election Report

To all our friends in labor and the community who worked hard to elect David Alvarez as mayor of San Diego: We did not win the day but we were still part of an historic effort to elect not just San Diego’s first Latino mayor, but someone who would have been the most progressive mayor in our city’s history. We stood on principle for a better San Diego than business as usual, and no matter what we might hear anyone else say, standing on principle is the most important thing in the final analysis.

Our student interns did an amazing job.  Nearly everyone who came in contact with them and saw them in action during the course of this campaign was impressed with their work ethic, perseverance, and idealism.  We believe we succeeded in in our goal of developing the next generation of union activists.

Our office staff and AFT Executive Council members worked above and beyond the call of duty throughout a seemingly never-ending campaign that stretched over the winter holiday period.  Please take the time to thank them for their extra efforts next time you see them.We know that losing a race like this can be very painful but we all need to remember that even though we did not win this time, we helped plant the seeds for a better, more diverse, progressive San Diego in the near future. The demographics are more and more on our side, and in a normal election year, the tide WILL turn, thanks in part to the work we did over the last few months.

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who took part in this election!
In Unity,
Jim Mahler, President
AFT Guild, Local 1931

San Diego & Grossmont-Cuyamaca

Community Colleges