Obscure candidates are still candidates
By: Ken Garcia
Examiner Staff Writer
October 21, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — Running for office in San Francisco is not just a job, it’s an adventure — an experience that some people feel compelled to have no matter the outcome.
Yet in the absence of a real opposition party in The City, it’s often tough to get heard above the usual chatter, or to break through the power structures that control local elections, which is exactly how the usual suspects become the usual suspects.
But just because someone is a long shot doesn’t mean they’re not a good candidate, or that they shouldn’t be able to air and grapple with the same gripes felt by their fellow citizens, who just might throw votes their way if their voices were ever heard.
That’s why I randomly picked three candidates with different backgrounds and varied reasons for running to focus on, people who will be hard-pressed to win, yet offer fascinating insight into the local political process — you know, the one in which our budget grows while our service levels decline.
In the Richmond district, Brian Larkin is running for supervisor against a host of better-funded candidates with higher name recognition. The reality of that equation is certainly not lost on Larkin.
“If I get more votes than just my family and friends, it should give me some credibility,” said Larkin, who grew frustrated with the politics of extremism that seem to have gripped San Francisco. “People are pretty receptive to listening, so I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
“But I’m not a well-funded candidate and it’s tough to make some inroads, especially when you’re talking about unexciting things such as the need to underground our utilities and expand rapid transit. I find myself yawning at myself sometimes, but it’s been an educational experience and I think it will have been worth the effort.”
For Dave Ferguson, a city native making his second run for supervisor in a Sunset district race featuring incumbent Carmen Chu and perennial candidate Ron Dudum, his candidacy is a natural extension of his longtime commitment to neighborhood activism — whether it’s obtaining more community gardens or clearing out graffiti.
“Most of these people who run want to be career politicians, and I’m the only candidate in the race that has stated I won’t run for other offices,” the former high school teacher said. “It bothers me that the neighborhood isn’t being represented, to the point we’re not even getting potholes filled.”
Ferguson, who received close to 2,000 votes during his previous run, said he considers himself a viable candidate ready to take on City Hall.
“I’m not afraid of the mayor or [Supervisor] Chris Daly, but I’ll work with them if they just stop acting goofy,” he said.
In just about any other city or county, Harmeet Dhillon would be considered a natural for public office. Born in India, Dhillon immigrated to the U.S. with her parents, attended Dartmouth University, the University of Virginia Law School and became a recognized civil-rights leader even before co-founding her own law firm in The City.
She is intelligent, articulate and passionate about politics. But she is also a Republican, which in San Francisco is a saber-rattling label. Her Democratic opponent for the 13th Assembly District, Supervisor Tom Ammiano, won’t even debate Dhillon, essentially because he’d get clobbered and he doesn’t feel he has to.
Dhillon was asked by state GOP leaders to run in the race. And, remarkably, she has raised more than $100,000, even though her backers understand the odds.
“I’m making the most of the situation that I have and in many ways I’ve already achieved victory,” she said. “This is the first time an Indian American has been on the ballot, and I’ve been able to raise awareness about my platform and increase the number of people who will vote for my party.
“So, assuming I don’t win this time, the line will have moved down the field. And there are still a lot of races I could enter where I would not be doomed to defeat.”
San Francisco’s Byzantine political structure has made it such that a lot of reasonable people are shunned because their primary goal is not to achieve and maintain power, but to actually improve the quality of life for the people they want to represent.
That is but one of the many quaint notions that has been lost as The City has become more fractured regarding ideological pursuits. There are alternatives, even if the established political machines tell us they don’t really exist.
“A lot of people that I talk to tell me that they’re fed up with San Francisco’s socialist policies,” Larkin said.
The only question remaining is: How many of them will turn out to vote.
Ken Garcia appears Tuesdays and Fridays in The Examiner. E-mail him at kgarcia@sfexaminer.com.
Follow The Examiner
