The SMC Democratic Central Committee (SMCDCC) rules for candidate endorsement require that each candidate is registered as a Democrat at the time they file as a candidate. Two of the candidates who were on the endorsement meeting email that we sent yesterday learned after their filing that they were actually registered as “No Party Preference – NPP” at the time they filed. Both candidates have long been registered as Democrats, and in both cases it appears that when they renewed their drivers licenses they were re-registered to vote. Unbeknownst to them, and probably to many, the DMV process vacates any prior party affiliations and requires that you update your affiliation. In fact one of the candidates reports that he specifically asked the DMV not to touch his registration, but it appears they did. Both candidates have since updated their party affiliation, but this correction does not meet the SMCDCC criteria for endorsement.
The Coastside Democratic Club Board has assessed that the SMCDCC bylaws are clear and the Club bylaws require adherence to them, so with regret we must remove the two candidates, Tom Mattusch for SMC Harbor District and Joaquin Jimenez for HMB City Council, from our endorsement process.
Only eligible candidates for local races will have an opportunity to speak about their candidacy, take questions and receive a vote. The vote choices on 3 September will include “endorse”, “no endorsement” and “decline to vote”. A candidate must receive 60% “endorse“ versus “no endorsement” votes to receive the Club’s recommendation for endorsement to SMCDCC.
We regret having to make these changes so late in the process, but still look forward to an informative meeting tomorrow. The Club will be expressing its concerns about the deregistering of Democrats to its state elected officials.
These candidates are not eligible for the Club’s endorsement. We are posting their completed questionnaires for your information only.