The upcoming endorsement of Phil Angelides for governor by the California Teachers Association denounced as a “false rumor” by the labor Alliance for a Better California, of which the teachers union is the richest member. Bets are always accepted.
Read 
| Comments (39) |
I was not arguing that the teachers that make up the CTA will not endorse Angelides. Rather, it was my intention to point out that it is not a foregone conclusion. There is a process for doing so and that has not been completed yet. There will be speeches and debate before they vote in LA.
In addition, early reporting of an endorsement could have a negative effect for that candidate. They certainly do not want it to come off as taking the organization for granted and suffer the consequences of the resulting backlash.
Obviously, my report is neither “false” nor a “rumor,” and the title of your missive was “False Rumor.”
I have been to many labor conventions, including a few CTA conventions, and have no doubt that Angelides will be endorsed after the various speeches and so forth. These recommendations are seldom turned down.
Your second point is interesting. I don’t work for Phil Angelides so it is not my problem if my report of the situation could have a negative affect on his campaign. In any event, he will be endorsed by the union this weekend and his campaign will move forward toward its showdown with Westly.
Has there ever been an occasion when the recommendation to endorse was NOT followed, and someone else was endorsed?
Well, let me point out that you did not give any indication where you got your information. Thus, it can by definition be considered a rumor, as an unverified statement. Additionally, you did not originally qualify your declaration, as you have done in this post and your column. It caused many people to assume that there was nothing left to do but have the obligatory press conference. I am glad we were able to clarify the situation. In the end you may be right, but the process is very important.
Adam: I do not know of any right now, but it is certantly concievable. The biggest battle this year may be on O’Connell.
I frequently don’t reveal sources, Julia. As I’m sure you know, I have no obligation to tell you where I get my information. In this case, I have about 11 sources. So, no, it is not a “rumor.” Your next statement is wrong. I reported that the CTA will endorse Angelides for governor on the weekend. Since it is not yet the weekend, it hasn’t happened yet.
Your answer to Adam is interesting in that you can’t think of any instances in which the CTA endorsement recommendation was not followed.
Incidentally, my special feature on the Democratic governor’s race was filed three days ago. Since then I’ve spoken to more people who confirm the CTA move.
Bill, as I read it, Julia wasn’t questioning your sources or your journalistic integrity. Rather, she was clarifying the semantics. It’s not an endorsement until the endorsing is done, and the endorsers haven’t voted yet. In terms of logic, it is similar to calling an election based on polling prior to Election Day, but referring to the likely winner as the winner.
I noticed that your column in LA Weekly was more precise in it’s language, which is great.
What seems like mere semantics to some matters to a lot of teachers who expect their voices to be heard through the union’s democratic (not the use of the little “d”) process.
I of course meant “note” the use of the little “d”. Sorry for any confusion.
Actually, she attacked my accurate report as a “False Rumor.” That’s not questioning, that’s attacking. You should read what I wrote. I said the CTA “will endorse” Angelides this weekend.
The CTA will endorse Angelides this weekend.
In the Weekly feature, which as I just said was filed three days ago, i.e., a couple days before my item on this site, I said that “sources say” CTA will endorse Angelides this weekend. If you think that is a significant difference that makes you happier about my report that the CTA will endorse Angelides for governor this weekend, then that’s great.
However I put it, whether I say that “sources say” or I just tell the readers flat out (since you can guess that I am not clairvoyant), the reality remains. The CTA will endorse Angelides for governor this weekend.
Yes, the little “d” for the democratic process. Sure it’s democratic. The ABC staffer who claimed the report is a “False Rumor” can’t think of any occasions on which the recommendation to the membership was not followed, but it is democratic.
“clarifying the semantics”…Oh puleeze….this is CTA leadership shoving down the throats of their rank and file their candidate…Westly has a great deal of support among teachers…especially the new and younger ones…it’s wrong to endorse one over the other at this time …they are both pro-education, who the DEM candidate will be is very unsettled…CTA leadership is so lucky the gov decided to support Prop 75..because it was not defeated -He sunk it ….The “process ” …what a joke…I am off to dinner with my girlfriends, 2 are teachers 2-3 years into their profession and they and their colleagues are already e-mailing little hissy fits to CTA…however,even they admit their rants will not do any good ..pity.
Checking in via blackberrry … well, your friends and other like-minded folk are apparently having some effec tiwith CTA, see report about the “conflagration” within union leadership.
I just walked in …I will read it next..at dinner we had to discuss “Match Point” and the Kings Trade but then we got around to this…I am so happy because they are really angry which is not the norm for them…then I had this great idea because you know husbands and lovers come and go but girlfriends are girlfriends…and I’m feeling their pain…so I said I am going to hold a “Go Screw Yourself CTA Leadership Vote For Steve Westly” Pajama Party this weekend…they loved it …I promised to show them your blog and I told them it’s my house, my party so they have to sit thru one of my old films…I also told them to keep on e-mailing…by the way, why is Mr. South letting this happen …he should be punching someone in the nose or blackmailing someone at CTA…where’s this big dangerous guy who supposed to be some kind of a political genious when you need him? now I will go read this “conflagration” Good Nite sleep tight
Yes, indeed, why is that nice Mr. South allowing this to happen?
Why do the unions employ people who play these silly games?
Today, the State Council representattive from the Bellflower Education Association, will not be voting in support of the endorsement for Angelides. The Representative Council for the Bellflower teachers have recommended a support position for Steve Westly. This is democracy in action. If you are a teacher and support Westly please go to http://teachers.westly2006.com.
Democracy, what a concept.
Yes, democracy is a concept, a concept that becomes reality when voters are not afraid to speak their mind or cast their vote for whom they choose. The CTA has forums where opinions and ideas can be expressed. Endorsements are not made lightly and are finally decided by the Representative Council. Today the Council is meeting and having open discussions. Not everyone will agree with the final endorsements just as we don’t always agree with the candidiates the Democrats or Republicans choose to endorse for office. The final decision is made at the voting polls where we each have the right to vote for our own favorite.
We’ll see how it goes.
Well, Julia from ABC, we saw how it went. CTA overwhelmingly endorsed Phil Angelides for governor, exactly as I said would happen. Any comments on my “False Rumor?”
Educators should support Angelides. He, and not Westley, has been helpful to teachers on the Teachers Retirement Board, CalSTRS.
For example, Angelides voted for CalSTRs to co-sponsor, with CTA, the bill to make the state repay the $500 billion it witheld from CalSTRS. Westley refused to vote to co-sponsor the bill, which was later vetoed by this Governor.
Also, it was Angelides, and not Westley, who voted for CalSTRS to continue to pay the Medicare A premium for teachers.
Westley may have his E-Bay millions to spend on the race, but we Democrats remember all to well that he was trying to attach himself to Schwarzenegger not long ago while Angelides stood alone and said that the Governor’s policies are regressive.
This sounds like a good reason to oppose Angelides. Who is going to pay for all this, these new pension benefits adopted by secret boards?
Bill Bradley, why aren’t you writing about this?
Why am I not writing about the public pension crisis? There are other people who are doing it, like Dan Weintraub at the Sacramento Bee. Also, there are just some issues that don’t engage me much, for wahtever reasons.
After the initiative fiasco in November, teachers should realize the importance of the governor’s role in education. We can’t afford to be uninformed and let others tell us how to vote.
This is what happened at my Bellflower Education Association on Monday, January 23:
The teacher representatives were provided with a slate of candidates that CTA recommended for endorsement. We were expected to vote to agree with this recommendation, even though few teachers knew about any of the candidates. As a supporter of Steve Westly, I raised my hand and said, “Wait a minute, aren’t we going to discuss these candidates first?” I was invited to do so. After I gave my reasons why I believe Mr. Westly would be the best choice for governor, BEA president Joanne Chupp also offered the opinion that she feels Controller Westly would be the candidate who would do the most for education. A vote was taken and Mr. Westly was endorsed by the Bellflower Education Association. When teachers learned about both candidates, they voted to endorse Steve Westly.
Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to learn about the Democratic contenders for governor. After much reading and discussion with other teachers, I have come to the conclusion that Steve Westly is the best candidate for governor because of his passion for education. Not only was he a teacher himself (Stanford) but he has a deep sense of gratitude towards his own teachers and a desire to provide the best public school education for his own young children as well as for all the children in our state. In addition to this, Controller Westly has the business and financial expertise to tackle the tough fiscal challenges of California.
I sincerely hope that every teacher takes the time to familiarize herself with the candidates for governor. CTA should be helping teachers make an informed decision. The last thing we need is a bunch of rubber stamps.
That is a very interesting story. Thank you for sharing it.
Bill. who is your choice for governor? Tell us why.
I haven+t decided who I’m for. This isn’t one of those sites.
What do you mean this is not one of those sites? All we have been discussing is who we want for governor and why we support that person. CTA supports Angelides, Linda supports Westly, I support Westly and you are undecided. Isn’t having a choice what it is all about.
Oh, what I meant is this is not one of those sites where I tell you what to think.
You can tell me what you think, without telling me what to think. We all have our own ability to reach decisions.
Great article. I am just sad I dont know how to reply properly, though, since I want to show my appreciation like many other.
best pill on the market
The Fleshlight is a portable, concealable, sturdy male masturbation device that our customers describe as Awesome, Amazing, and Ingenious.
free credit report score…
retried:communicates bellwether bob?copiousness credit reports http://credit-reports.bulk-credit-report.com/ …
debt management…
convertible hertz,gatherers journeyings shocks heartily integrand.student loan consolidation http://www.yours-debt-consolidation.com/ …
thank you for your work
Appreciating the hard work you put into your blog and in depth insight you disclose here. It’s nice to discover a blog in a rare occasion that is not all the same outdated rehashed information. Excellent work! I’ve saved your site and I’m including your blog URL to my Bookmarks now. Even more, I adore your site so much that I would like to advertise my own site http://www.emt.co.il on it. I would appreciate you write me at: everythingrainbowhk (AT) gmail.com with your annual banner rates. Thank you!