Jovanka Beckles forgot Buffy Wicks.
Jovanka Beckles and her campaign staff were so happy to win the race for second place in the “top two” California Assembly District 15 Primary, they forgot there was a number one, and sent a press release that said, well, they won – save for the little mention of a “November campaign.” But the release says nothing, nada, zero, zip about the front runner Buffy Wicks but does thank Oakland District One Councilmember Dan Kalb, her challenger for second place. The press release is hilarious in it’s way and bold in political intent. Here it is:
Jovanka Beckles:
Statement on my Assembly District 15 Primary Election Victory
Richmond, CA, June 16, 2018
I’m enormously grateful for the fabulous support, team spirit, hard work – and fun! – of my volunteer campaigners in the primary. They showed what genuine people power can do. Dan Kalb ran a strong campaign and I appreciate his gracious concession statement Thursday.
I’m excited, looking forward to campaigning for November’s general election to represent the people of Assembly District 15 in Sacramento.
The State Assembly is vital to Californians’ lives. The state government manages a huge budget – about $266 billion dollars – more crucial to people’s daily lives than the federal government, managing and shaping education, justice and prisons, housing, delivery of healthcare, protecting our environment and our working conditions.
I’m determined to engage with the broadest range of Assembly District 15 residents to think through how best I can represent all of us in Sacramento.
I have taken no corporate money. I never have and I never will. That means I’m free to listen to everyone. I’m not bought.
In the primary campaign, my fellow candidates and I heard your concerns. My locally-experienced colleagues have grappled with the District’s many challenges for years. Several of us have worked on environmental protection and justice in our East Bay communities. We are worried about our schools and have toiled to deliver better education and support to our children. We all face crises of affordable housing, healthcare, inequality and the need for a livable basic income, and just and peaceful law enforcement. As a two-term Richmond City Council member, I have been directly engaged with these issues.
I look forward to further engagement with all of our District’s people even while I continue my day job as a Wraparound children’s mental health specialist in Contra Costa County.
I look forward to wrapping around the whole District in my campaign to learn from you.
There are no strings attached to my candidacy. I’m nobody’s puppet. You know my story. I want to hear your stories. I want to work in Sacramento to make our state a better place for all of us.
If this is the shape of the campaign to come, buckle up!