Features

The race for the Democratic nomination for California attorney general has become something of a referendum on Oakland, with candidates Rocky Delgadillo and Jerry Brown debating over how good a job Brown has done in his two terms as Oakland mayor. 

Oakland may play a similar role in the race for California superintendent of public instruction. Incumbent Jack O’Connell is facing four challengers in this non-partisan campaign. 

With the Oakland Unified School District taken over by the state in 2003 by legislative action, O’Connell is currently running the Oakland public schools through his appointed administrator, Randolph Ward. 

Ward has had a tumultuous tenure in Oakland, but O’Connell himself was able to stay in the background until the spring of last year, when demonstrators sat in at his office—and were eventually arrested—demanding a direct dialogue with the state superintendent over the operation of Oakland’s schools. O’Connell eventually made a much-publicized visit to Oakland to publicly announce a recovery plan allowing eventual return of the running of Oakland schools to Oakland citizens. 

Political observers may be watching O’Connell’s vote in Oakland to see if he suffers any political punishment over the takeover. If O’Connell gets a low vote in Oakland, future state superintendents may be less likely to support state takeovers of local districts. If O’Connell does well in Oakland, however, the political equation will be less of a factor in decisions to take over schools. 

Another issue in the superintendent’s race will be over the state exit exam. The current law, which O’Connell wrote while serving in the California State Senate, mandates that students cannot receive a diploma without passing the exit test. Voters unhappy with the exit exam—and there are a lot of them—may decide to take their feelings out by voting against O’Connell in the superintendent’s race.  

None of O’Connell’s opponents, however, has established anything close to statewide name recognition prior to this election. 

The superintendent is being opposed by: 

• Dan Bunting, a Cloverdale School District trustee and retired school superintendent. 

• San Juan Unified School District teacher Grant McMicken, who is campaigning on what he calls the “Four KNOWS of Education” (“No Child Left Behind, No Family Left Behind, No School Left Behind, and No Community Left Behind”). 

• Orange County English and world history teacher Diane Lenning. 

• Youth Opportunities Unlimited Alternative High School (Los Angeles) teacher and International Socialist Organization member Sarah Knopp. 

Secretary of State 

A race that is expected to be more competitive is the campaign for the Democratic Party nomination for secretary of state. The incumbent, Bruce McPherson, is running unopposed in the Republican primary. He has served in his position since early 2005, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger after Kevin Shelley resigned. 

With rising concern over California’s switchover to electronic voting systems, both the June primary and the November general election in the secretary of state’s race may turn out to be a running referendum of the future of California voting. The secretary of state’s office holds enormous power in that area, and there was speculation that it was Shelley’s criticism of electronic voting machines that led his political enemies to uncover the scandals that eventually drove him out of office. 

Last February, McPherson granted conditional certification to Diebold optical scan voting machines for use in 2006 elections in California. Diebold is easily the most controversial of the electronic voting machine makers in both California and the country and has been a target for voting activists. 

Competing in the Democratic primary for the right to challenge McPherson in the fall are two state senators, Debra Bowen and Deborah Ortiz. 

Bowen is making opposition to Diebold one of the centerpieces of her campaign. The first item in the news articles listed on her website—usually the spot for personal plugs—is a recent Oakland Tribune article entitled “Scientists Call Diebold Security Flaw 'Worst Ever'” that never even mentions Bowen. And the Bay Guardian’s endorsement of Bowen also highlights her opposition to Diebold, noting that “As chair of the Senate's elections committee, Bowen has gone after the makers of high-tech voting machines, particularly Diebold. She's made the accuracy and reliability of those machines a central part of her campaign.” 

In contrast, Bowen’s opponent, state Sen. Deborah Ortiz, does not yet appear to have fleshed out her position on electronic voting, stating simply on the League of Women Voter’s Smartvoter website that two of her three goals if elected are to “Inspire public's confidence in the integrity of our electoral system” and “Ensure security and accuracy of our voting systems.” 

Instead, Ortiz’ position papers released to Smartvoter are education, health, and support for seniors, all important issues, but not necessarily ones that are part of the secretary of state’s job description.