This is the last of the Vanguard’s serious of 11 questions. Answers are limited to 250 words.
Question 11: List five of your endorsements that mean the most to you (in whatever way you want) and explain why.
Dan Carson
As the Davis City Council electioneering winds down, it is appropriate to dwell a moment on the broad base of support for our campaign. Who are the five most important endorsers? I can’t really narrow this kind of list to five:
— The three major non-partisan endorsers, the Davis Enterprise, The Sacramento Bee, and the Davis Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee.
— State and regional leaders like former Sen. Lois Wolk, former Assembly Member Helen Thomson, County Supervisor Don Saylor, SMUD Board President Gregg Fishman, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and former Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill.
— City Council Members Will Arnold, Lucas Frerichs, and Rochelle Swanson – all of the council members endorsing in this race.
— Six former Davis Mayors — Ruth Asmundson, Bill Kopper, Maynard Skinner, Ken Wagstaff, and Lois and Dan Wolk. Also, former Council Members Lamar Heystek, Ted Puntillo and Stephen Souza and 
former City Manager John Meyer.
— School Board President Tom Adams, Board Members Barbara Archer and Bob Poppenga; former School Board Members Sheila Allen, Gina Daleiden, Richard Harris, Susan Lovenburg, and John Munn; and Yolo County School Board Member Shelton Yip.
— Twenty-four current and former city commissioners, including four of my Finance and Budget Commission colleagues and six Planning Commissioners.
— Hundreds of business and environmental leaders, local community activists, and Davis neighbors and friends.
Our regularly updated list of more than 390 endorsers can be found on my website, www.carson4council.com. I am grateful for each and every one.
Linda Deos
Marty West: Marty has been my supporter and campaign coach from the very beginning. She has shared her electoral wisdom, legal acumen, and friendship with me. I am beyond grateful for her insights and good humor.
Mariko Yamada: Mariko has been a role model for me for years. She’s a champion of progressive causes and exemplifies walking the talk. She was my advocate with the LGBTQ political community. Mariko has given me sound advice from day one and her support of my campaign is a true honor.
Betsy Marchand: Betsy and I attend the same church and so we’ve known each other for several years. She educated me about the history of Davis politics and the who’s who of the town. Her tireless efforts and good cheer have kept me going through this campaign.
Yolo County Democratic Central Committee: Going through the process to receive this endorsement was my “trial by fire” in this campaign. Thankfully two-thirds of the members present respected the unanimous decision of the Endorsement Committee, the process every candidate went through seeking their endorsement, and voted to support the Endorsement Committee’s decision to only endorse my candidacy.
Davis Enterprise: I was surprised and honored to have received this endorsement. All of the candidates went through an intense group interview that covered all of the major topics in this race. I know that this endorsement has been a significant factor in voters choosing to vote for me.
Larry Guenther
Asli Mete: As a recently naturalized U.S. citizen from Turkey, Asli recently returned there to find her native country in the midst of a coup. She will fly back to Turkey to vote there. That shows an enormous commitment to her belief in Democracy.
Ximena Diez-Jackson: “I’ve lived through one dictatorial regime and I don’t want to live in another.” This will be Ximena’s first election as a U.S. citizen and her viewpoint keeps me very grounded when I get frustrated with our system.
UCD Graduate Student Association: My time as a graduate student at UCD was a great period of my life, filled with deep discussions of ideas and promise for a better future. Primarily, I am glad that the UCD-GSA has chosen to make endorsements at all. Students (graduate and undergraduate) are a huge part of our community and they always will be. That they are working to make their voices heard is a very positive sign to me.
Mark Grote: Mark has been a very great influence on me throughout the time I’ve known him. His intelligence, thoughtfulness, and morality are unquestionable and I value him extremely as a supporter and a friend.
Ashley Hill: Ashley is on this list because there is simply no person I respect more than her. As a human being, she sets a mark I constantly try to live up to.
Luis Rios
“Without naming specific names and as a grass roots campaign, I owe my candidacy to the first five Davisites that initially supported me, parents with young children. The first five supporters are parents who believe in a safe community and schools, city-sponsored events and efficient services. They believe in a new hope and believe in my experience, leadership and community-oriented vision. My first five supporters care about the community first; not business-driven endeavors, rather community-oriented endeavors for all residents, regardless of levels of socioeconomics.
Gloria Partida
It is difficult to rank endorsements. It is easier to tell which I wish I had received. I believe most of the endorsements I have received represent the different facets of my work in the community and all my community work has been approached with full commitment and passion.
Many endorsements required a questionnaire and some an interview. While some of these were with members of the community I knew many were not. It is much more difficult to convey ones qualifications in brief moments with people that only know you via a set rubric.
In this category of endorsements I am pleased with the ones secured and of the ones lost I am most disappointed with not receiving the endorsement of the Stonewall Democrats and the Yolo County Central Democratic Committee.
Both of these I felt I was truly a good representative member of and the Stonewall Democrats in particular I felt stood for a segment of my community that understood how important Democracy was for ensuring justice and liberty for all.
In the segment of endorsements from electeds, I was again pleased with all the people that stepped forward and recognized my work in the community and the collaborations we had worked through together.
The most meaningful set of endorsements from a personal standpoint were from community leaders and members of the community. As an advocate, these are my boots on the ground brothers and sisters that understand the struggles and delights of community service and appreciate the rewards of working toward the betterment of the community.
Thank you to the Vanguard for being part of the this journey and also understanding the meaning of community involvement.
Ezra Beeman
That I have been endorsed by former Davis Mayors Joe Krovoza, Ann M. Evans, Bill Kopper and Sue Greenwald has meant a great deal to me, as each of these people has had an indelible impact on Davis as one of the most forward-thinking cities in California.
These four former Davis Mayors know what it takes to be effective on the Davis City Council and they have chosen to endorse me – that also meant a lot to me.
Fifth place is shared by the terrific range of current and former City commissioners that have endorsed me, including Johannes Troost, Gerry Braun, Roberta Millstein, Pam Gunnell, Mark Braly, Eileen Samitz, Nancy Price and others, as well as Davis community leaders including Dick Livingston, Dean Vogel, Steve Tracy, Pam Nieberg, and others.
City Commissioners and community leaders are deeply knowledgeable in their respective areas and highly engaged in making Davis the best it can possibly be. Their endorsement of my platform and candidacy is therefore especially significant and important to me.
Finally, while not an endorsement per se, I think it is important to note that I would not have run for the Davis City Council in the first place without the strong support of my family.
Mary Jo Bryan
List five of your endorsements that mean the most to you (in whatever way you want) and explain why.
I have received over 250 contributions and over 60% percent of those have been for $50 or less. This had been a grassroots campaign and I value all financial and non-financial contributors equally, I take this opportunity to thank everyone. My five most important endorsements are:
- John and Nan Yates’ endorsement and their enthusiasm energized me to begin my campaign with confidence.
- Richard and Rachel Livingston’s endorsement is paramount and my “go to” experts on campaign strategy, historical perspective and “down to earth” friendship.
- Betsy Marchand’s endorsement gave me her political savvy, her daunting energy, and her kindly advice. Her willingness to mentor me from start to finish kept me focused and on tract.
- Former Mayor Kent Gill and League of Women Voters member Lois Gill, are historical gems from the 1960s provided me with perspective and the understanding that you are never too old to do what needs to be done.
- Dorothy Place’s endorsement represents the spirit of volunteerism in my campaign, and how you need to be ready and willing to go the extra mile, no matter what it takes.
Age is not a barrier or an excuse for us. All of these folks and myself are 70 to 90 years old. Thank you everyone it has been a great campaign.
Late to the party – still attending to my father’s funeral in New Mexico.
Respectfully, our campaign and movement fights for a seat for everyone at the table in Davis. If I had to pick, it would be the first five renters who will become more enfranchised and more empowered come June 5th as all of us who have seats already will begin to make space for those who currently have none.
Mx. Eric Gudz (they/them)
https://act.gudz4davis.org/endorsements
Sorry for your loss…
To the extent it helps, Dad is still part of who I am… not the same, but suspect your father is a part of who you are, and is ‘with you’ still, in many important ways…
Best to you and yours, Eric…
Condolences on your loss Eric. I hope you and your father had many happy years together.