Upcoming Events and Unanswered Questions Flyer for Candidates & Public

I just received word from Maureen Smith that she sent out the wrong date. It's today at the same time and place (Saturday the 16th) not tomorrow.

E-MAIL SENT 8-13-14 TO LEONIE

Leonie: I'm off to a HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) meeting at 11 AM today at the Sub Rosa (703 Pacific). You're invited. I'll be bringing up your literature and correspondence.

Anytime you'd like to be further informed on issues we've been raising for two decades, I'm happy to oblige. Just call me at 423-4833. As Micah has probably told you, however, I have fairly strong and set positions on basic human rights issues. HUFFsters, however, are a more diverse group and if you find me too unrelenting, I can refer you to someone else.

I realize this is super-short notice. So naturally, any final endorsement discussion will likely wait until you've had another week to respond (and perhaps chose to appear this or next week).

Do try to respond to the concerns I raised in my August 10th and July 9th.

Even some short thoughts would be helpful--if you have any time to pass them on to me before (or at) the 11 AM meeting today.

I append the original e-mail from July as well as my most recent e-mail to you after our talk at the Mime Troupe performance.



EARLIER E-MAIL: From: rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com
To: leonie [at] cruzio.com
Sun, 10 Aug 2014 22:05:00 -0700

Leonie: As I promised (threatened?), here's the reiteration of e-mails we exchanged.

For your convenience, I'll repeat some of the earlier questions I asked for your positions on (if you have positions on them).
These include rent control; eliminating curfews around the library, city hall, levee, and the parks; independent community control of police; ending the criminalization of homeless people at night for the "crime" of sleeping; seizure of homeless property; harassment of homeless people in public spaces under
the Downtown Ordinances; restoring public speaking rights at City Council; reversing the police blockade of the surplus bikes program;
Let me know your thoughts. I'll pass them on to HUFF. Thanks, Robert


ORIGINAL E-MAIL:

Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 11:32:09 -0700

Leonie: HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) would like to know your positions on a number of issues including rent control; eliminating curfews around the library, city hall, levee, and the parks; independent community control of police; ending the criminalization of homeless people at night for the "crime" of sleeping; seizure of homeless property; harassment of homeless people in public spaces under the Downtown Ordinances; restoring public speaking rights at City Council; police blockade of the surplus bikes program; and more.
If you have any preliminary thoughts on these issues, please let us know.
You are also invited to attend any of our weekly HUFF meetings at 703 Pacific (the Sub Rosa Cafe) 11 AM-1 PM Wednesdays.

Thanks, Robert Norse (423-4833) "



LEONIE'S REPLY
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 13:36:44 -0700
Subject: Re: Looking for Positions
From: leonie [at] cruzio.com
To: rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com

You know, Robert, politics is sometimes defined as the art of the possible. It's more than that of course, but my appetite for sweeping social change in our town is tempered by my perception of the limits of what is possible for a City Council, let alone one member, to achieve in this environment. The political will to repeal what you call the sleeping ban or to establish rent control is not there in my view.

I will set my sights on halting the demonization of homeless people and challenging the prevailing narrative that prevents effective services being extended because those services are said to attract other homeless folks to move here. I'd be happy to accomplish some progress in that direction.

The scapegoating of homeless people in the public mind leads to demonization and allows harassment of our most vulnerable people. In my view, that general understanding needs to be changed before positive and meaningful policy reforms can occur. I believe the way forward will require additional services aimed at some of the underlying causes of homelessness; I'm thinking here of transitional housing, treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness, counseling and training, etc.

As a Council member, I will meet with HUFF members to discuss their concerns as I would with any other individual or group that wants to communicate with me. Right now, however, I'm running a marathon to campaign for the seat.

Please feel free to communicate your suggestions to me. Thank you. Leonie Sherman

MY CONTINUED INQUIRY TO GET SPECIFIC POSITIONS

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 00:27:43 -0700

Leonie:

Thanks for the e-mail--sent, as you pointed out to me at Bruce's rally, four days ago (and in fact, on the same day I mailed you).

Thanks for that speedy reply and apologies for my own error here.

I shall be passing around your e-mail for HUFFsters to consider.

You may have misunderstood the basic thrust of my questions. I do not expect you to achieve any or all of the objectives cited below. What I'd like to know is if you favor those positions, and--more important--are willing to publicly advocate for them.

These, as listed previously include
eliminating curfews around the library, city hall, levee, and the parks;
establishing independent community control of police;
ending the criminalization of homeless people at night for the "crime"of sleeping;
halting seizure of homeless property;
ending harassment of homeless people in public spaces under the Downtown Ordinances;
restoring public peaking rights at City Council;
reversing the police blockade of the surplus bikes program.

Incidentally the notion of "services" as a solution to legalized human rights violations through police practices such as curfews, sleeping bans, sitting bans, park closures, and property seizures is simply a way of avoiding the issue. There's certainly nothing wrong with offering voluntary services--which may indeed lessen the vulnerability of some of the homeless community. Stopping demonization is certainly good, but City Council has the power to end the criminalization of the homeless--and those on the Council who can't do it can at least stand up and advocate for it--as they have not done for decades with rare exceptions.

So again I ask you whether you are willing to take public positions supporting the above positions, however "visionary" they may seem given the gutless and bigoted make-up of the current city council and staff and the powerful interests that back them.

I know these are hard questions. They are even harder for those who survive outside.

Thanks, Robert

In a hearing slated for 8:15 AM, Wells Fargo attorneys have been ordered to show what documents they have on "Bankster Bagman" Bob Lee's loan, at least as described by Sentinel reporter J. York at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/10/18759840.php?show_comments=1#18760017 .

I've been concerned (though not overly surprised) that Leonie has not yet articulated specific positions on the issues I mentioned. Perhaps she didn't want to discuss the extent to which she felt she'd have to compromise based on the "politically possible" or perhaps she has unformulated positions.

It's also true that these questions have not been formerly put to the other candidates running (or to other incumbent and continuing City Council members for that matter). They will be. And I'm not expecting much in the way of specific replies--that being the nature of politics in sweet-talking nasty-walking Santa Cruz.

I also tend to focus on the most liberal of the candidates because I feel she or he can be most confusing to those on the left by raising false hopes. While elections are often framed as "choices between lesser evils"--I think it's more important not to choose evil at all and recognize the fundamentally money-rigged aspect of such elections.

To give her credit, Leonie's previous e-mails in response to my questions were "let's talk--but not on tape"--which didn't reassure me--hence my demand for specific answers to specific questions. As can be seen by my latest e-mail, I'm still asking the same questions and not getting clear and issue-specific answers.

Again--this is the likely situation with all the candidates, though we'll have to see. There is a candidates forum tonight at Louden Nelson 7 - 9 PM.

Norse propagates power by giving the PEOPLE the dirt on the 1%.