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Stephan Passalacqua
By PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
The two candidates for Sonoma County district attorney will court the gay vote at a weekend event in Guerneville, an organizer said Thursday.
Two-term incumbent Stephan Passalacqua and challenger Jill Ravitch will each march in the Sonoma County Pride Celebration 2010 parade on Sunday and Ravitch will have a campaign booth afterward, organizer Robert Muller said.
The two apparently engaged in a bit of one-upmanship to secure their spots, Muller said.
Passalacqua got wind that Ravitch was to have the booth and asked to be allowed to ride in the parade with his family, Muller said.
Ravitch responded with a request to be in the parade, too, Muller said.
Jill Ravitch
“Passalacqua’s camp, apparently learning of Ravitch’s participation in the event, opted to join the parade,” Muller said. “Not to be outshone, Ravitch made the decision Wednesday evening to march in the parade.”
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, and Supervisor Efren Carrillo are also scheduled to be in the parade. The event, which runs from noon to 6 p.m., last year drew about 5,000 people.
It’s unclear which district attorney candidate is supported by gay voters. However, Ravitch, who is gay, is probably more popular, Muller said. She has actively courted gay voters, soliciting donations on the national Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Web site.
“The gay community, like everyone else, is a group of independent thinkers,” said Muller, who’s been in gay politics in Sonoma County for 30 years. “It’s not a case of all gay people will vote for her because she’s gay or there’s an impression that she’s gay.”
The election is Tuesday. Passalacqua, 47, of Healdsburg, is seeking a third term. Ravitch, 51, of Sebastopol, was a Sonoma County prosecutor for 15 years before leaving in 2004. She is third-in-command in the Mendocino County district attorney’s office.
The two rivals have a long history which has spilled onto the campaign trail in personal attacks and accusations. Passalacqua has accused her of making deals with criminals and Ravitch has pointed to his low conviction rate. In 2006, Ravitch ran against Passalacqua and lost by 1,700 votes.
Muller said it is noteworthy that both are now reaching out to gay voters. He put out a press release Thursday about their planned appearances. He said he thought both would be received well.
“I thought it was interesting given the tenor of the race,” he said.
The parade begins at noon at Brookside Lane and Main Street and circles through downtown Guerneville. Following the parade, organizers will stage a Pride Celebration at 1 p.m. on the grounds of the Guerneville Lodge, 15905 River Road, featuring six musical acts, a beer and wine garden, and many merchandise vendors and community groups.
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Politicians solicit votes, any where and any way they can. passalacqua= politician?
I really don’t know about that, but what I do believe is that his duty to society is/was to render truth to justice. I believe he incapable of this.
@Karla Ravitch is openly gay. She strikes me as pretty private, so she may not be “all loud” about her orientation, but there is no secret here. An article earlier this year contrasted the two candidates & noted that she was gay. Next, more substantive issue?
Karla, that is a very silly accusation. First of all, Ravitch is OPENLY gay. Secondly, the Press Democrat endorsed Ravitch. That tidbit of information was relevant considering it is about the candidates participating in a GAY PRIDE PARADE.
Good reporting by the PD. Good campaigning by Ms. Ravitch, our next DA.
Has no one noticed that the Press Democrat used the issue to “out” Ravich? I can’t recall any earlier article where they flat out reported this as a “fact.” I think it’s a disguised smear. There’s someone on the editorial board of the Press Democrat trying to disguise a smear attempt as “news” reporting.
Were is the article, i.e., “Passalacqua, a straight man, stated today…” Where is the news report, i.e., “President Obaba, a straight man, condemned BP Oil yet again in his latest press conference…”
We’ve got a bigot somewhere at the Press Democrat and I’d like to see him or her outed. Who edited this article anyway? Can someone from the Press Democrat respond here?
I think it shows that politics gets dirty and silly at times. I voted for Stephan once or twice, but the new ad I saw was another example of mudslinging. I do like the courting of the gay vote. We know sometimes it is all for DOMA, DADT though.
I think Jill Ravitch will get my vote based on that ugly ad.
Both are qualified, I prefer Jill this time.
I am also shamelessly plugging yes on 13 & 15 but no NO NO no on 14, 16, 17.
I hope people will see the more ads, the more money is in the process, determine whose money is spent. 16 is PG&E trying to keep a corner on the market, 14 is most likely Republican/Chamber of Commerce backed to control primaries of their opposing candidates, 17 is Mercury Insurance.
13 is going to force people of limited income into paying higher property taxes or seize their home, 15 would help with campaign funding and we could know the candidate is not in the bag for X corp.
To those who berate Jill Ravitch (or SP, for that matter) for not going to the Pride Parade are pursuing a non-issue. I have not attended, but will be there this year for the first time. What to make of that?
I also don’t usually go to the Cinco de Mayo festival in Roseland (I was even part of the community organizations who got that off the ground), nor on the UFW marches. It’s not that I’m not “down” for my community, but I’m not really into big crowds; I have to be in the “right mood.” When I do go to Latino events, I don’t see too many elected officials there. Should I translate that into they don’t care about my community? Am I being naive?
If any elected official show up to your event (whoever the sponsor might be: LGBQT, Latino, etc.) how about simply thanking them and asking to them to keep coming back?
@Go Ted It is not one of Jill’s better moments, but to translate that into “Ravitch is just not fit to lead” is a stretch, a cognitive leap that defies gravity.
What should be of much more interest than the fact Ms. Ravitch is human and subject to the human condition, is that Mr. Passalacqua has not felt compelled to tell the truth in his statements. Or that the Mendocino County DA had to actually send him a cease and desist letter to stop him from trashing her office.
Refusing to shake hands or purposely misleading the voters? Hmmmmm. Tough call.
@Joe L. My comment about the article being rubbish is in relation to the sensationalism. Rather then addressing any real issues concerning gays and the elections, Mr. Payne simply tries to foment dissention and acrimony in a race already steeped in muck. Nothing really substantive is addressed. “Ravitch was to have a booth, so Passalacqua wanted one, then she learned he was participating, so she wanted a place…” This is like 7th grade, but without the pimples.
I think it is great that both of the candidates for DA are coming to the parade and if they want to fight over votes, let ‘em fight. That’s politics baby & I’m going to welcome both of them with open arms on Sunday. The DA is not obliged to attend any celebrations. I’d rather see them fulfill their function by prosecuting miscreants and let them spend their off-time as they see fit.
Ravitch is just not fit to lead. Do we really want a DA that is so petty and childish she would refuse to shake hands after a debate. What else will she do? The thought is just to scary. Check out the you tube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ7kWq0BZ-E&feature=related
cut and paste the link into your browser…
I say that we are all lucky to live in a community where both candidates for DA are supportive of gay rights. I, for one, think that we have two great, progressive candidates. Whoever wins will serve our community well.
passalacqua has been supporting the gay community for years. he has had booths at juliard park when pride was there and meeting the locals.
ravitch on the other hand has been in the closet for years, only coming out during an election. she said she was gay 4 years ago and went to the festival just before that election but never went back until this year.
so who is the hypocrite now?
Both candidates are Democrats.
Stephan Passalacqua was one of only two elected officials who participated in a candlelight vigil out in Guerneville when a gay man was murdered in a domestic violence related homicide. He’s also hired openly gay prosecutors, one of whom is his Assistant District Attorney. He walks the talk.
What Hippocrates they both are. Have either one of them ever even gone to the parade? Please people don’t vote for either one of them. They are dishonest for doing this and if that is how they will do the job I don’t want then there. This campaign is a joke.
Joe L. you are a closed minded idiot. You can not generalize republicans as homophobes. That would be like saying liberals are all socialist and we all know only 90% of liberals are socialist.
I am extremely disappointed in Stephan for this ‘one upsmanship.’ What has he EVER done for the GLBTQI community in Santa Rosa? Nothing. Now he wants to come and parade his family around just because Jill is joining her community for a celebratory day? All he has done is lie and personally attack Jill the entire race. He’s a dirty politician, and this is a new low! What’s next, Stephan? You’re a disappointment of a human being.
This is unbelievable. What next: they are both out for Black or Mexican voters? Despicable journalism if you can call it that.
Really, Ms. Gonzalez? What’s rubbish? It is reporting competition between the two and as a gay man, I find that to be good reporting.
What was bad about it, in my eyes, was that the reporter didn’t tell us which party each candidate is attached to. If I knew that either one was a Republican, it would greatly affect my view, since Republicans are notorious homophobes! If Republican, I would ask them “Do you publicly distance yourself from your party’s disgusting policies toward gays?”
Really? Really? This is rubbish, not even up to caliber of the National Enquirer. You are obviously trying to further acrimony in an already contentious race. I guess there’s no time or place for real journalism at the PD.