Why NOW Means So Much to Me

I hope you’ve heard that I was recently endorsed by the San Diego County NOW PAC. This endorsement resonates with me on so many levels and, more importantly, refreshes my hope and commitment to elected public service.

The first time I heard of the National Organization of Women, was in 1972. My mom was recognized by the group as an exceptional woman because she was raising three kids on her own and putting herself through college at the same time. The youngest of three daughters, I grew hearing things like "it doesn’t take a - - - - - to push a lawn mower . . . get on out there and do it." My mother’s appreciation for education served us all well. Each of my sisters has gone on to receive advanced degrees, Laura, my oldest sister, in teaching, Lis, the medical doctor, and me, the lawyer.

I guess we’ve all been "doing it" ever since.

For a candidate, knowing one’s base is crucial. I could not be prouder to have the National Organization for Women at the center of that base.

On another level, as a first time candidate, my eyes have been opened to some harsh realities of the democratic process. Of course fund raising is at the heart of campaigning - those demands were a contingency I was aware of. But the endorsement process used by most groups was something I had not fully understood.

I’ve learned that most groups allow their members to pay the membership fee, join, and vote. That means that the general membership attending that day votes on the endorsement. Stacking the vote by making timely memberships is, apparently, the norm.

NOW, on the other hand, decides its endorsement by vote of the board of directors; that is, the people who work with their mission statement on a regular basis; the people who care enough about that mission to give up their Saturdays and free time to tend to the business of the committee. Their endorsement can’t be bought or stacked. And that makes receiving our local NOW PAC endorsement all the sweeter to me.

Thank you, Sisters!

And to be true to my promise of setting the record straight, I was recently interviewed by City Beat on this subject. Mr. Wolfe mixed up the groups we were talking about: it was a key representative of the San Diego Democratic Women’s Club that expected candidates to seek them out, and thought that holding an endorsement forum for selected candidates is appropriate, not the Downtown Partnership. Kudos to Scott for fairly stacking that vote after the club president failed to secure the endorsement of her candidate at an earlier forum where the only San Diego Democratic Woman candidate in the race was prohibited from speaking. You’ve got some great women working on your campaign, Mr. Peters!