This article was first published in Monday’s Daily Post. Once again, a competitor has copied our original story. If you want to read important local stories first, pick up the Post the mornings.
An attempt by housing advocates to take control of the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta Chapter has gone down in flames.
The chapter, which covers San Benito, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, is an influential voice in promoting environmental projects. It also endorses candidates for such offices as city council and county supervisors.
The chapter’s board elections this fall featured a slate of candidates backed by the organization’s board and another backed by housing advocates.
Both sides have waged campaigns over the past couple of months.
The controversy began over the summer when a Sierra member who is also head of California Yimby Action, Leora Tanjuatco Ross, sent out an email asking other housing advocates join the club and then to vote in the board elections and “flip the chapter.”
In a battle for four seats on the chapter’s board, the four candidates favoring the board’s position won: Sue Chow, 1,006 votes; Shruti Chandrasekhar, 976; Nicole Lee, 935, and Robin Montoya, 922.
The pro-housing candidates failed to win any seats. They were Mountain View City Councilman Lucas Ramirez, 533; Natalie Geise, 516; Mike Swire, 464, and Michael Regula, 455.
In a separate election for seats on the chapter’s Peninsula Group Executive Committee, the pro-housing candidates weren’t any more successful. The top four were pro-board candidates: Sue Chow, 671; Dave Olson, 668; Marianna Raymond, 659, and Robin Montoya, 652. The pro-housing candidates were at the bottom of the list: Katie Behroozi, 418; Dave Ashton, 415, and Michael Regula, 389.
What is a “housing activist”? Does this mean that the Sierra Club Board’s candidates are anti-housing?
This non-sensical labeling is what is wrong with much of the “reporting” on politics these days. Put individuals in a bucket, without context, and divide the world into black and white.
Joe Eff, the story identified the pro-housing leader as Leora Tanjuatco Ross, head of California Yimby Action and a Sierra Club board member. That’s a housing activist.
Joe, did you bother to read that, or are you the kind of person who only reads headlines?
Seems to me the labeling was accurate, not “nonsensical.”
Dumb Joe’s comment is the problem with our educational system, it graduates people like him, who don’t understand what they’re reading but are quick to pop off with a nonsensical comment.
It seems to me the major mislabeling here is by those who claim you reduce environmental damage by building more buildings and adding more humans; which is an untruth of Trumpian proportions.
Whereas the accompanying playground insult would be most accurately directed not at the mislabelers themselves, but at anybody who believes them.
Anonymous, sad to see somebody suffering so badly from TDS. Get some professional help.
I believe you meant “TSS” – Trump Sucker Syndrome.
Anonymous, get thee some help immediately. A doctor will tell you that the first step in recovery is honesty. TDS causes a level of denial that can be quite challenging for onlookers to believe. No matter how much people push someone into recovery, unless they accept that there’s a problem, overcoming it is almost impossible.
You want to pay more for groceries and medical care so I can have a tax break, you can call me any name you like.