As neighbors read Lisa Vorderbrueggen’s column Web Link this morning it became quite apparent she was selling the State Democratic Party plan for controlling Contra Costa County voters. It was the omissions of information known to BANG from news services distribution that established salesmanship rather than journalism.
It is quite known that a sequence of meetings among DeSaulnier, Bonilla, Mitchoff, Gioia and Glover, in person or through staff, occurred July 13 and 14 to create Proposal 17D Amended. The documentation of those meetings was gathered from various internal and joint communications among those Democrats and their supporters. The proposal and map were being circulated among political supporters by July 16 and readily available among news services later that week. All of that information was distributed to BANG editorial personnel as part of publication to news service subscribers.
Ms. Vorderbrueggen hardly touched on the reality of Karen Mitchoff doing party work in deciding district boundaries that are planned to nullify independent and republican voters and concentrate democratic voters in each district. Putting a major portion of Antioch in District 3 is meant to put Mary Piepho in jeopardy. Combining Lamorinda and the San Ramon Valley is meant to create a slight democratic voting majority. Dividing Walnut Creek is meant to nullify the independence of a large segment of voters in that city.
What is fully absent is the analysis from news service polling that illustrates a strong approval of Gayle Uilkema among her new very wealthy, powerful and skilled professionals as voters. More importantly, the obviously political action by the State Democratic Party has given Mary Piepho new life as a candidate and FOCUS for her campaign against whomever Mark DeSaulnier picks to run against her. Most importantly, moderate voters, as registered Democrats are examining carefully if they want such machine politics in Contra Costa County.
We can only imagine State Democratic Party polling that motivated Lisa Vorderbrueggen’s column as an attempt to salvage a very ugly result to seedy politics.
