Senator Leland Yee
State Capitol, Room 4074
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Senator Yee,

As the Executive Board of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, it is with great disappointment that we write to express our frustration at your recent “No” vote on AB 1229. While we are relieved that the bill ultimately passed in the Senate, we are concerned that your vote against restoring a city’s right to mandate affordable housing rental units as part of new construction is a vote against tenants, low-income communities, and our collective ability to access affordable housing in San Francisco.

Housing access and tenants’ rights have been a priority issue for the Milk Club this year. We are appalled at the onslaught of million dollar condos going up throughout our city, as our affordable housing pool dwindles and new affordable developments struggle to get off the ground. Few of the new luxury apartment buildings being developed include units for low to moderate income San Franciscans who would like to live and work here. Our new and existing housing stock is growing increasingly unaffordable and has already resulted in the displacement of many seniors, low and moderate income renters, and people living with HIV and AIDS. The diversity of our community is in peril and the most vulnerable of us are the most directly affected.

AB 1229 lends us hope that we can change the growing tide of housing unaffordability in San Francisco. It is a powerful step toward undoing the harm caused by the Second District Court of Appeal’s erroneous decision in Palmer v. City of Los Angeles.Accordingly, your “No” vote on this crucial housing policy change has left us scratching our heads. You denounce AB 1229 as a “piecemeal solution”, but fail to provide an alternative that would similarly aid local jurisdictions in furthering the goal of affordable urban housing.

While we appreciate that you have been an ally in the struggle for LGBT rights and for progressive causes, we are stunned by your vote on this matter. Please don’t forget that because of your commitment to our issues, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club endorsed you in your race for Mayor in 2011 and presented you with the Community Ally Award at our Annual Dinner and Gala on July 24^th.

This is not your first vote against tenants’ rights and affordable housing. Your recent track record on these matters does not meet our standard of a progressive legislator and deviates from the communities that you’ve committed to representing. We want to meet with you and your staff immediately to discuss your vote and to gain clarity on what your position on future housing issues will be. Further, we intend to meet with you in advance of all future votes regarding housing issues and, if necessary, on the rest of our progressive goals. Ultimately, we will respect and support your future ambitions only to the extent that you respect the constituency that has supported you so fervently until now.

Very sincerely yours,

Tom Temprano, President

on behalf of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Executive Board

Here are the official Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club endorsements for the November 2013 election: 

District 4 Supervisor: No Endorsement
Assessor-Recorder: Carmen Chu 
City Attorney: Dennis Herrera 
Treasurer: José Cisneros

Measure A: Yes
Measure B: No
Measure C: No
Measure D: No Position

Don't forget to vote on November 5th. If you are not registered to vote in San Francisco and want to be, take 5 minutes to register yourself online today. You can register up until October 21st.

Where is the war on drugs headed today? And what role will San Francisco and the LGBT community play in the war’s future escalation or resolution? Join the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club as they come together for a panel discussion on drugs, drug policies and their impact on our community.

Monday, August 12, 2013
6:30pm
San Francisco LGBT Center (1800 Market St)
Ceremonial Room

Panelists include:

+ Laura Thomas of the Drug Policy Alliance. Thomas serves as a deputy state director who oversees the alliance’s Model City Initiative for San Francisco.

+ Michael Siever, PhD. Michael is the former director of behavioral health services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Stonewall Project.

+ Micaela Davis, Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Attorney, ACLU of Northern California 

+ John Lorenz, San Francisco Drug Users Union

Did you know the war on drugs began in San Francisco? We were the first city to prohibit drug use. 

The Harvey Milk Club’s Annual Dinner and Gayla on July 24th was a huge success! We want to thank everyone who attended, including our keynote speaker Lt. Dan Choi, and all those who contributed to this magical evening of San Francisco queer progressive politics. We would like to take a moment to specifically acknowledge all of the generous sponsors of this year’s event, without whom we would not have had such a memorable night:

Hero

Instigator

Assemblymember Tom Ammiano

City Attorney Dennis Herrera

Senator Mark Leno

Assemblymember Phil Ting

Fair Drug Pricing

Organizer

Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club

Supervisor David Campos

Treasurer Jose Cisneros

Peter Donohue

Drug Policy Action

Supervisor Eric Mar

National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW-CNA)

Platinum Advisors

The Sierra Club, San Francisco Bay Chapter

Tom Temprano

Trumark Urban

Activist

50+1 Strategies, LLC

Judge Gail Dekreon

Bob Dockendorff

Veronika Fimbres and Randy Dolphin

Eileen Hansen

United Educators of San Francisco, AFT#61/CTA

Betty Yee for Controller

For Immediate Release (PDF Download) 

U.S. Army Lieutenant Dan Choi, staunch advocate for the successful repeal of the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy affecting LGBT service members, will be the keynote speaker at the Harvey Milk Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Democratic Club’s thirty-seventh Annual Dinner and Gayla at Roccapulco Supper Club on Wednesday, July 24th from 7-10 pm. Choi repeatedly chained himself to the White House’s fence in protest against this repressive policy. Tom Temprano, Milk Club President, said of Choi “Lt. Dan Choi’s use of direct action to demand justice for the queer community is reminiscent of the actions of Milk Club leaders past and inspiration to our current generation of leadership. It is an honor to have him address our club.”  

Lt. Dan Choi’s selection as keynote speaker draws attention to the Milk Club’s long-standing commitment to ensure more accountability and transparency from the U.S. military and government. In addition to supporting Choi, the Club has been an outspoken supporter of U.S. Army intelligence officer Bradley Manning, who is currently facing court martial for exposing truths about the U.S. military’s actions during the Iraq War.

We were very saddened to hear of the passing of Jazzie Collins. This post is dedicated to the memory of Jazzie: stalwart Milk Club member, fierce trans activist, and committed human rights advocate. The Milk Club will not be the same without her. 

CLICK HERE for Jazzie's obituary in the SF Bay Guardian. We miss you, Jazzie!

What is happening to Central Market?

New high-rise developments, tax breaks for Twitter and other tech companies, rising rents for tenants, and long-time community organizations and residents being displaced. And that's only part of the story. 

Join the Milk Club on Tuesday, July 9th from 7-9pm at the San Francisco LGBT Center (1800 Market St) for a panel discussion on the State of Central Market featuring community members and neighborhood activists who are working to keep Central Market a space for all. 

Come find out what's really happening along Central Market and what we can do about it!

Join the Harvey Milk Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Democratic Club as we celebrate 37 years of queer progressive leadership with awards and eats

 

Sponsorship Levels and Ticketing

{$1000}          {$600}            {$350}            {$200}

CLICK HERE FOR SPONSORSHIPS, TICKETS & INFO

We are the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club and we are here to recruit you for PRIDE. 

Given the controversy surrounding this year's Pride parade, we feel it is particularly important for queers and queer progressives to come together, be visible, and be heard during this year's festivities. Interested in marching with us? Complete this brief survey.  

We hope you can join the Milk Club at the following Pride weekend events: