Features

During the November, 2004 election, both Gayle McLaughlin and Lynda Deschambault provided a crucial political breakthrough of sorts for the Green Party of California: Both women surprised local observers by becoming the first Green Party candidates ever to win municipal offices in Contra Costa County. 

Ms. McLaughlin, a first grade teacher and local environmental activist, won election to the Richmond City Council despite a crowded field of 15 candidates, including several incumbents. Ms. Deschambault, a local citizen activist, captured a seat on the Moraga Town Council. 

Both first-time candidates pursued a determined “do-it-yourself” approach to the election process: campaign door-to-door across their neighborhoods and articulate a strong alternative vision for their respective communities. 

Both women represent the very best of the Green Party’s evolving maturity and political sensibility: step forward—confidently—into the local political process, impart the Green Party’s core values, and make a difference at the community/public policy level.  

Tapping into the latent frustration and malaise of voters weary of local Democratic and Republican Party politics-as-usual, Ms. McLaughlin’s and Ms. Deschambault’s election successes were underscored by veteran Contra Costa County Supervisor (and Democrat) John Gioia’s telling remark to the San Francisco Chronicle: “There’s no doubt to me this is a clear message from the voters.”  

Across California—and nationally—the Green Party has steadily achieved important electoral successes at the local, municipal, county and state levels by building a viable party infrastructure to compete against local, entrenched political establishments.  

In California, the Green Party now holds 67 elected offices including two City Council majorities in Sebastopol and Arcata, six Green mayors (including Sonoma, Sebastopol, Fairfax and Truckee), and scores of city council and county supervisor seats statewide.  

During the 2004 election cycle, the Green Party of California fielded 89 candidates for office, including U.S. Congress, state Senate, state Assembly, school boards, open space districts, water districts, etc. 

All of the above totals represent the largest number of elected Greens and Green candidates since the state party’s founding 15 years ago—by any measure, an impressive accomplishment for a nascent third party (nationwide, the Green Party holds 220 elected offices across 27 states). 

The precursor to the Green Party of California’s recent election successes and candidate numbers was gubernatorial candidate Peter Camejo’s 2002 election campaign run: Camejo received California’s highest third party vote total since 1934, capturing significant percentages in a dozen counties across Northern California (15 percent in San Francisco, 17 percent in Mendocino, 14 percent in Sonoma, 12 percent in Santa Cruz and Marin). 

Former Green San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzales successfully harnessed this voter energy by nearly toppling Democrat Gavin Newsom during San Francisco’s 2003 razor-thin mayoral run-off election. 

With newly elected Contra Costa Greens Gayle McLaughlin and Lynda Decshambault in mind, the Green Party’s attention is now focused on the Oakland City Council special election set for May 17. 

Aimee Allison, a Stanford-educated non-profit business consultant, former Oakland schoolteacher, mother and African-American Gulf War veteran who became a conscientious objector is the Green Party’s candidate for Oakland’s District 2 City Council seat (Lakeshore/Lake Merrit). 

Ms. Allison’s decision to step forward as a City Council candidate has generated enormous excitement. Her candidacy reflects the Green Party’s strong commitment to local neighborhoods and a progressive public policy vision for Oakland. 

Steadily—and perhaps not that quietly—the Green Party is making noise.  

Chris Kavanagh is a member of the Green Party of Alameda County. 

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