Who is the object of the Old Guard’s wrath? It is Councilmember Amourence Lee, who lives in North Central. Lee worked hard to ensure her friend and fellow progressive Adam Loraine would win in District 5. She had the audacity to raise pro-choice Proposition 1 as a major political issue in the campaign and put well-respected and well-liked Rod Linhares on the spot. Linhares works for the Catholic Archdiocese and he hedged on his position on abortion rights (Proposition 1 passed).
Personally, I don’t believe that abortion should be a City Council issue. The only exception is restrictions the city has placed on the crazy picketer at the Planned Parenthood site.
It was a sad day for San Mateo when this became a campaign issue. But Lee’s campaign backfired, as Linhares is popular in his conservative district and, in the end, he appears to be squeaking through to victory.
Now it’s even a sadder day when there is an effort afoot to recall a councilmember. There’s a nasty campaign on Nextdoor pushing a recall of Amourence Lee. The recall seems to be driven in part because of her attacks on Linhares during the campaign.
She is also considered a dangerous progressive by members of the old guard, because they think she will allow apartments and second units in their single-family neighborhoods.
The old guard certainly has the right to speak out to protect their neighborhoods and their single-family homes. And it’s good for the council to have different points of view. Lee will be a voice for those who don’t own homes and live in apartments. At the same time, she should be chastised for her actions in the Loraine-Linhares campaign. But trying to recall a councilmember because she doesn’t share their views is going too far.
The races were close but it appears in the end the old guard will remain in charge. Expect the San Mateo City Council to tilt conservative in December when, according to the city charter, the council will have to appoint a replacement for its outgoing member and new Assemblywoman Diane Papan.
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The new council will likely consist of veteran Amourence Lee (mayor), newcomers Lisa Nash, Rod Linhares and Robert Newsom. So who will the new council appoint? A safe and non-controversial pick would be Rich Hedges, a prominent labor leader and longtime force in city politics who is well liked and considered a moderate.
It should be someone from the east side. Lee lives in North Central, Nash in Baywood, Linhares in Hillsdale-Beresford and Newsom in Sunnybrae — all west of 101. Hedges lives in the Harbortown condos near Foster City.
The new council will not likely reflect the growing power of young progressives. But their day will come when they become the old guard.
***
Meanwhile, the race to replace Carole Groom on the Board of Supervisors remains tight with San Mateo-Foster City school board Trustee Noelia Corzo with a slight and changing lead over Belmont Councilmember Charles Stone. She hopes to make history by being the first Latina on the Board. However, not too long ago, there was Ruben Barrales, the first Latino supervisor. And he was a Republican.
***
It’s great to be back writing my column. I have been on a vacation exploring the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It’s a long strip of land. On one side is the Sound, the ocean on the other. We were on the Sound side where extraordinary sunsets would last an hour. We were near Cape Hatteras and stopped by the Orville Wright museum in Kitty Hawk to see a model of the Wrights’ historic first flight. It’s a very windy place and that is why they chose it for lift off. This was off season for the Outer Banks. No crowds of tourists and thankfully no hurricanes.
Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.
I take it the "crazy" picket at Planned Parenthood involves a buffer zone. Why not a buffer zone at any place open to the public? As for Lee, I suspect she suffers from Cathophobia. Poor Linares. He's also taking a beating on Catholic California where commentators attack him for not being clear enough about his pro-life position..
After reading the latest installment of Ross Foti’s twice-monthly hate mail ("Dark Days Ahead” letter to the editor in the June 30 edition of the Daily Journal) — limited, thankfully, by the Daily Journal’s editorial policy — I am left with the following thought: Foti hates freedom, hates America and is patently un-Christian, both in thought and deed. Shame on this sorry fool, but kudos to the Daily Journal for keeping his right to free speech alive.
I agree with Sue Lempert that east side San Mateo deserves representation on the City Council as soon as possible. For too long this has been an overlooked part of the City. No one is better prepared to fill the spot left vacant by Diane Papen than Richard Hedges who is a voice of reason and is thoughtful in his approach to solving problems. He is also knowledgeable and familiar with the issues and challenges facing those of us living east of Hwy. 101.
“She had the audacity.” Indeed, the only progress for women that has ever been made has been by women who had the audacity. Along the way, there have always been the Phyllis Schlaflys who believe that other women insisting on women’s rights at every level of government “should be chastised.” Thank you, Councilmember Amourence Lee, for your audacity.
Phyllis was the one who 'had the audacity." She showed this when she pointed out that women would have to register for the draft if the ERA passed. They still don't.
Reproductive health care, including abortion, should always be a local issue. All human rights issues are local, in addition to national, issues.
Such a hopeful sign that we are turning the Old Guard out for retirement. Come January, we will have a Sheriff who has ethics and will provide equal protection for Fair Oaks as for Woodside, and not bend our Sheriff office to the service of "friends" (as the last Sheriff did and will continue to do until the end of the year).
And Hooray!--we shall have Noelia Corzo as a County Supervisor. Let's keep up the good work San Mateo County!
Make no mistake, the public issue with Councilmember Lee has nothing to do with single family homes. But when she protects an appointed Planing Commissioner whose case is now being investigated by the District Attorney, people can see just how she operates. The other item to fact check is regarding old-timer Rich Hedges. Calling him a non-controversial pick? Sue, while I agree with you on the abortion issue staying out of local politics, you are really out of touch on Hedges.
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(7) comments
I take it the "crazy" picket at Planned Parenthood involves a buffer zone. Why not a buffer zone at any place open to the public? As for Lee, I suspect she suffers from Cathophobia. Poor Linares. He's also taking a beating on Catholic California where commentators attack him for not being clear enough about his pro-life position..
https://tinyurl.com/RossFoti
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/shame-on-ross-foti/article_2e31f5bb-7863-5a33-afc5-f1aaae9d1e63.html
Shame on Ross Foti
Letter Jul 7, 2011
Editor,
After reading the latest installment of Ross Foti’s twice-monthly hate mail ("Dark Days Ahead” letter to the editor in the June 30 edition of the Daily Journal) — limited, thankfully, by the Daily Journal’s editorial policy — I am left with the following thought: Foti hates freedom, hates America and is patently un-Christian, both in thought and deed. Shame on this sorry fool, but kudos to the Daily Journal for keeping his right to free speech alive.
Andrew Dunlop
Redwood City
I agree with Sue Lempert that east side San Mateo deserves representation on the City Council as soon as possible. For too long this has been an overlooked part of the City. No one is better prepared to fill the spot left vacant by Diane Papen than Richard Hedges who is a voice of reason and is thoughtful in his approach to solving problems. He is also knowledgeable and familiar with the issues and challenges facing those of us living east of Hwy. 101.
Karen Moen
“She had the audacity.” Indeed, the only progress for women that has ever been made has been by women who had the audacity. Along the way, there have always been the Phyllis Schlaflys who believe that other women insisting on women’s rights at every level of government “should be chastised.” Thank you, Councilmember Amourence Lee, for your audacity.
Phyllis was the one who 'had the audacity." She showed this when she pointed out that women would have to register for the draft if the ERA passed. They still don't.
Reproductive health care, including abortion, should always be a local issue. All human rights issues are local, in addition to national, issues.
Such a hopeful sign that we are turning the Old Guard out for retirement. Come January, we will have a Sheriff who has ethics and will provide equal protection for Fair Oaks as for Woodside, and not bend our Sheriff office to the service of "friends" (as the last Sheriff did and will continue to do until the end of the year).
And Hooray!--we shall have Noelia Corzo as a County Supervisor. Let's keep up the good work San Mateo County!
Make no mistake, the public issue with Councilmember Lee has nothing to do with single family homes. But when she protects an appointed Planing Commissioner whose case is now being investigated by the District Attorney, people can see just how she operates. The other item to fact check is regarding old-timer Rich Hedges. Calling him a non-controversial pick? Sue, while I agree with you on the abortion issue staying out of local politics, you are really out of touch on Hedges.
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