The ‘Deep Slate: My November 2020 Voting Guide

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Wow. This feels like the election of my lifetime… and maybe of my 5 year old’s lifetime too. And that would be true even if 2020 had been a *normal* year.

Be strong. Be safe. Be kind. Let’s get this done. GO VOTE!

‘deep

.ps: Continue the tradition: #votingstickerselfie AFTER YOU VOTE: Take a pic with your voting sticker on your nose and hashtag it as #votingstickerselfie!

.pps: If you…

  • Like what you read, please do let me know! Questions, criticisms, comments welcome!
  • Want to know where to vote, am I registered?, has my ballot been counted? etc, jump to the Extras below.
  • Want to get an email when I post the next ‘Deep Slate, just email me!

.ppps: Oakland? or San Jose? check out the Extras section.

WHAT IS THIS?:

Every San Francisco election cycle, I put out my “‘Deep Slate” voter guide. This post is my guide for this election!

The format of this post is:

  1. The LIST: the simple list of my endorsements for this election.
  2. The DETAILS: the whys and wherefores of each endorsement. This is how I arrived at each position.
  3. My VALUES: a brief explanation of my values and sources, to help make sense of my opinions.
  4. Sources: a collection of my sources and a tiny bit about how I arrive at my endorsements.
  5. Extras: If you want to know where to vote, or want to find older ‘Deep Slates, or some Oakland/San Jose stuff….

Also note that a few days after the election, you can come back and check the RESULTS by clicking here.

THANKS:

Thanks, as always, to the number of folks who have asked me for my opinions. I say it every time but it is quite true: I really am honored by your interest.

And big props to my lovely wife, for proofreading this and also for being so supportive of all my meetings and involvements!

So without further preamble, let’s dive in! (damn, that was a lot of preamble)

Continue reading →

The ‘Deep Slate: My March 2020 Voting Guide

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Wow. It’s finally time. With any luck, tomorrow will be the beginning of the end of the most disastrous presidency ever (probably – but certainly in my lifetime.) I’m sure most folks are totally focused on the California Presidential Primary race — and I get it! — but there are also other important races so please vote for them too!

Seriously – GO VOTE!

‘deep

.ps: Let’s continue the tradition: #votingstickerselfie. AFTER YOU VOTE: Take a pic with your voting sticker on your nose and hashtag it as #votingstickerselfie!

.pps: If you…

  • Like what you read, please do let me know! Also questions, criticisms, comments welcome!
  • Want to know where to vote, jump to the Extras below.
  • Want to get an email when I post the next ‘Deep Slate, just email me!

.ppps: Oakland? or San Jose? check out the Extras section.

WHAT IS THIS?:

Every San Francisco election cycle, I put out my “‘Deep Slate” voter guide. Here is my guide for this election!

The format of this post is as follows:

  1. The LIST: the simple list of my endorsements for this election.
  2. The DETAILS: the whys and wherefores of each endorsement. This is how I arrived at each position.
  3. My VALUES: a brief explanation of my values and sources, to help make sense of my opinions.
  4. Sources: a collection of my sources and a tiny bit about how I arrive at my endorsements.
  5. Extras: If you want to know where to vote, or want to find older ‘Deep Slates, or some Oakland/San Jose stuff….

Also note that a few days after the election, you can come back and check the RESULTS by clicking here.

THANKS:

Thanks, as always, to the folks who asked for my opinions: I really am honored by your interest.

And big props to my lovely wife, for proofreading this and also for being so supportive of all my meetings and involvements!

So without further preamble, let’s dive in! (damn, that was a lot of preamble…)

Continue reading →

The ‘Deep Slate: My November 2019 Voting Guide

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Whelp – it’s that time again. Voting season & while this isn’t a major OMG election (that’ll be in March & November of next year!) this one has some important stuff for the future of our City.

So let’s do this….

And remember: GO VOTE!

‘deep

.ps: Let’s continue the tradition: #votingstickerselfie AFTER YOU VOTE: Take a pic with your voting sticker on your nose & hashtag it as #votingstickerselfie! This helps people *see* how many folks are out there voting and will hopefully get them out there too. Peer pressure works. 😀 

.pps: If you…

  • Like what you read, please do let me know! Questions, criticisms, and comments are welcome!
  • Want to know where to vote, jump to the Extras below.
  • Want to get an email when I post the next ‘Deep Slate, just email me and say so!

.ppps: Oakland? or San Jose? check out the Extras section.

WHAT IS THIS?

Every San Francisco election cycle, I put out my “‘Deep Slate” voter guide, and this post is my guide for this election.

Here’s the format:

  1. The LIST: the no-frills list of my endorsements for this election.
  2. The DETAILS: the whys and wherefores of each endorsement. This is how I arrived at each position.
  3. My VALUES: a brief explanation of my values and sources, to provide context for my opinions.
  4. Sources: a collection of my sources and a tiny bit about how I arrive at my endorsements.
  5. Extras: If you want to know where to vote, or want to find older ‘Deep Slates, or some Oakland/San Jose stuff….

Also note that a few days after the election, you can come back & check the RESULTS by clicking here.

THANKS:

Thanks, as always, to the number of folks who have asked for my opinions. I say it every time but it is quite true: I really am honored by your interest.

And big props to my lovely wife 😍, for proofreading this and also for being so supportive of all my meetings & involvements!

So without further preamble, let’s dive in! (damn, that was a lot of preamble)

Continue reading →

The ‘Deep Slate: My November 2018 Voting Guide

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Hi folks. I’m writing you from Houston, Texas* where I’m managing a small field office for the Beto O’Rourke campaign for U.S. Senate!

Betologo black

There are some seriously good people here working their butts off to get us over this big Texas-sized hump! And this campaign’s ground game is amazing.

So will Operation Deep in the ❤️ of Texas succeed? I guess we’ll see in about 2 weeks! 🤞🏽

On a personal note, this is the hardest it’s ever been for me to leave home to fight the good fight. I’m super thankful for Kimberly for being on solo-parent duty this week, even though she has a cold!

Anyway, all this Houston-ness makes me super-appreciative of our blue state, so please GO VOTE & make it even better.

(Also note, dear readers – we have some new Oakland & San Jose specific websites to recommend – check out the links in the Extras section.)

‘deep

*Actually, I’m on the plane, on my way back now, finishing this up. I’ve been writing all week in between my duties and after we closed up shop for the day.

.ps: Let’s start a new tradition: #votingstickerselfie AFTER YOU VOTE: take a pic with your voting sticker on your nose & hashtag it as #votingstickerselfie!

.pps: If you…

  • like what you read, please do let me know! Also questions, criticisms, comments welcome!
  • want to know where to vote, jump to the Extras below
  • want to get an email when I post the next ‘Deep Slate, just email me!

WHAT IS THIS?

Every San Francisco election cycle, I put out my “‘Deep Slate” voter guide: this post is my guide for this election!

The format of this post:

  1. The LIST: the simple list of my endorsements for this election.
  2. The DETAILS: the whys and wherefores of each endorsement. This is how I arrived at each position.
  3. My VALUES: a brief explanation of my values and sources, to help make sense of my opinions.
  4. Sources: a collection of my sources and a tiny bit about how I arrive at my endorsements.
  5. Extras: If you want to know where to vote, or want to find older ‘Deep Slates, or some Oakland/San Jose stuff….

Also note that a few days after the election, you can come back & check the RESULTS by clicking here.

THANKS:

Thanks, as always, to the number of folks who have asked me for my opinions. I say it every time because it is quite true: I really am honored by your interest.

And big props to my lovely wife, for proofreading this and also for being so supportive of all my meetings & involvements!

So without further preamble, let’s dive in! (damn, that was a lot of preamble)

Continue reading →

The ‘Deep Slate: June 2018 Edition

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UPDATE: A lawyer friend got me to change my mind about one of the Superior Court judges & made me clarify my opposition to judicial races. See below.

Whew. Another election where I’m caught behind the eight ball trying to get this done. The June primary was supposed to be a snoozer locally, until Mayor Lee died & things just got nuts. C’est la guerre. (Also, my condolences to Mayor Lee’s family. He seemed a decent man regardless of anything else.)

Anyway this is a big election, both for SF and for California. There’s a lot here, so I’ll just dive in.

Regardless, GO VOTE!

‘deep

.ps: Let’s start a new tradition: #votingstickerselfie AFTER YOU VOTE: Take a pic with your voting sticker on your nose & hashtag it as #votingstickerselfie! [WHY?]

.pps If you…

  • like what you read, or have questions, criticisms, comments – please do let me know! I appreciate the feedback!
  • want to know where to vote, jump to the Extras below
  • want to get an email when I post the next ‘Deep Slate, just email me!

WHAT IS THIS?:

Every San Francisco election cycle, I put out a “‘Deep Slate”: my endorsements for that election. Here’s how it’s laid out:

  1. The LIST: the simple list of my endorsements for this election.
  2. The DETAILS: the whys and wherefores of each endorsement. This is how I arrived at each position.
  3. My VALUES: a brief explanation of my values and sources, to help make sense of my opinions.
  4. Sources: a collection of my sources and a tiny bit about how I arrive at my endorsements.
  5. Extras: If you want to know where to vote, or want to find older ‘Deep Slates.

Also note that a few days after the election, you can come back & check the RESULTS by clicking here.

THANKS:

Thanks, as always, to the number of folks who have asked for my opinions. I say it every time because it is quite true: I really am honored by your interest.

And big props to my lovely wife, for being Editor in Chief of this Slate and for supporting my efforts, meetings & involvements!

So without further preamble, let’s dive in!

Continue reading →

The ‘Deep Slate: November 2016 Edition

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UPDATED 11/14/16 WITH RESULTS as of now 😱 (still subject to change)

ED NOTE: After 7 days of writing, this post is finally finished.  welcome to my voter guidezzzz.zzzz….zzz.zzzz   OWWW!

Ugh-oh-matic. 42 ballot measures. I hate ballot measures – they fly in the face of the value of a representative democracy. 42? GACK.

If you’re wondering why this happens, it’s because everyone knows that presidential election years are when the most voters turn out. That means everyone who thinks high voter turnout will help them get something through, or is just looking to make a name for themselves, jumps on board.

Anyway, I’d whine and moan more, but I have a ridiculous amount of writing to do, and better get cracking. You, dear reader, should go use the bathroom, put on your comfy pants, and settle in for a long read.

Here we go…

Regardless, GO VOTE!

‘deep

.ps: Let’s start a new tradition: #votingstickerselfie AFTER YOU VOTE: Take a pic with your voting sticker on your nose & hashtag it as #votingstickerselfie!

.pps If you…

  • like what you read, please do let me know! Also questions, criticisms, comments welcome!
  • want to know where to vote, jump to the Extras below
  • want to get an email when I post the next ‘Deep Slate, just email me!

WHAT IS THIS?:

Every San Francisco election cycle since sometime in the ‘90s, I write up one of these posts, my voting guide, which I megalomaniacally call the  “‘Deep Slate.”

The format of this post is as follows:

  1. The LIST: the simple list of my endorsements for this election. 
  2. The DETAILS: the whys and wherefores of each endorsement. This is how I arrived at each position.
  3. My VALUES: a brief explanation of my values and sources, to help make sense of my opinions.
  4. Sources: a collection of my sources and a tiny bit about how I arrive at my endorsements.
  5. Extras: If you want to know where to vote, or want to find older ‘Deep Slates….

Also note that a few days after the election, you can come back & check the RESULTS by clicking here.

THANKS:

Thanks, as always, to the number of folks who have asked me for my opinions. I know I say it every time but it is quite true: I really am honored by your interest.

And big props to my lovely wife, for proofreading this and also for being so supportive of all my meetings & involvements!

So without further preamble, let’s dive in!

Continue reading →

The ‘Deep Slate: June 2016 Edition

Posted on by · 1 Comment

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I’ve never dreaded writing a ‘Deep Slate more than this one. Why you ask? Because I’m going to publicly disagree with many of my close friends’ choices on on the two most controversial races in this election. If you do disagree with me (and I think many of my progressive friends will), I hope you’ll read and consider the reasoning behind my choices.

Regardless, GO VOTE!

‘deep

.ps: Let’s start a new tradition:#votingstickerselfie AFTER YOU VOTE: Take a pic with your voting sticker on your nose & hashtag it as #votingstickerselfie!

.pps If you…

  • like what you read, please do let me know! Also questions, criticisms, comments welcome!
  • you want to know where to vote, jump to the Extras below
  • you want to get an email when I post the next ‘Deep Slate, just email me!

WHAT IS THIS?:

Every San Francisco election cycle, I put out my “‘Deep Slate”: my endorsements for that election. This post is my slate for this election!

The format of this post is as follows:

  1. The LIST: the simple list of my endorsements for this election. 
  2. The DETAILS: the whys and wherefors of each endorsement. This is how I arrived at each position.
  3. My VALUES: a brief explanation of my values and sources, to help make sense of my opinions.
  4. Other Sources: a collection of other resources & ballot slates put together by friends or organizations that I value.
  5. Extras: If you want to know where to vote, or want to find older ‘Deep Slates….

Also note that a few days after the election, you can come back & check the RESULTS by clicking here.

THANKS:

Thanks, as always, to the number of folks who have asked me for my opinions. I know I say it every time but it is quite true: I really am honored by your interest.

And big props to my lovely wife, for proofreading this and also for being so supportive of all my meetings & involvements!

So without further preamble, let’s dive in!

Continue reading →

‘Deep vs. Too Much ‘Deep

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Chubby. I hate being chubby. And yet, that has more or less been the word for me for most of my adult life.

Sometimes the word is slightly kinder, sometimes slightly meaner: A neighborhood blog once described me as “jolly.” ACK. My relatives in India would often generously choose “healthy.” When trying to decide if I was attractive, I’d go with “robust.” My Dad, on the other hand, ever the voice of compassion, would go with “fat.” My scale, going off body mass index calculations, says “overweight” at best and “obese” at worst, and while that is a little ridiculous (and science agrees), you get the picture. Too Much ‘Deep is the norm more often than not. 

And then in February of this year, I had to coin a new phrase: I had hit ‘DEEP MAX, the most ‘Deep EVER RECORDED! 218 lbs! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! 😱😭😵😲 GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

For some perspective, I’m 5’ 11”, and in my book, 190 lbs is “Good”, anything less than 200 lbs is “OK”, and 205 lbs or over is “Oh lordy NO!” I would have given anything to be merely “chubby” again. Something had to be done, and yet I had little hope.

When it comes to my weight, I feel constantly mired in failure, and for good reason: my weight seems to only ever climb, and my efforts to combat this fact always seem to fail. Amidst the despair, I’m left in the crush of a desperate need to fix it and a certainty that nothing ever works. Yep, it sucks.

And yet today, 3 months after ‘Deep Max, I’m actually excited about my weight. WHAT?! Seriously, for me this is a big deal. I have found something that, at least for now, is working, and working amazingly well. And more importantly, I think it might work long term. And most importantly, it is more fun than it is hard. Whoa.

Weight DeepMax3


My Weight Since Last Summer
(from my Withings smart scale)

 

So, if you’re at all interested, read on. I think everything I’m doing should be applicable to most people, even if you’re not interested in the tech part1.

Continue reading →

The ‘Deep Slate: November 2015 Edition

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Note: if you don’t want to read my blather & just want to know my recommendations: Here’s just the LIST. But, the blather really is the best part, so you can understand what I think & decide how you may agree/disagree. But you should agree 🙂

[Ed. Note: One of the things I liked most about last year’s ‘DeepSlate (perhaps the best ever) was that I got it out early, which gave people time to get back to me with critiques of my choices. I was hoping to do the same this year – especially since this election has fewer items… but alas no. This has been one of the most stressful years I can remember (for a variety of reasons) and on top of it all we have a newborn baby! So needless to say I’m exhausted & WAAAAY behind the eightball on everything. I’m lucky to be able to post this before the election at the rate I’m going 🙂 I better get typing before I fall asleep! So….
GO VOTE!
‘deep
.ps If you like what you read, please do let me know! Also questions, criticisms, comments welcome!
.pps Every year, I get a smattering of “hey don’t forget to email me your slate” folks, some of who I forget to mail 🙁 So I’ve started an email list for the ‘DeepSlate so that I don’t forget these folks.  If you want me to put you on it, just let me know.  I promise I won’t spam you (less than 10 emails a year methinks).  Or you can always just check back on my blog.]
.pps: Let’s start a new tradition:#votingstickerselfie AFTER YOU VOTE: Take a pic with your voting sticker on your nose & hashtag it as #votingstickerselfie!

WHERE TO VOTE:
Before anything else, the most important thing: WHERE YOU CAN VOTE: You can find your polling place in SF HERE or for the rest of CA HERE.

ABOUT THIS SLATE: Every San Francisco election cycle, I put out my “‘Deep Slate”: my endorsements for that election. If you know who I am, you know how I skew, but regardless, I recommend you read the “MY VALUES” section below to understand where I’m coming from. THE LIST section is just the no-frills list of how I’ll be voting (for printing!) & THE DETAILS section is the longer explanation of how I arrived at each vote.

I believe I’ve been doing the ‘Deep Slate since sometime in the ‘90s. You can read all the ones I’ve saved by clicking here – it get’s a bit dicey because before 2012, they were email only (not blog posts), so I’ve posted the email versions I could find.

Thanks:

Thanks, as always, to the number of folks who have asked me for my opinions. I know I say it every time but it is quite true: I really am honored by your interest.
And big props to my lovely wife, for proofreading this and also for being so supportive of all my meetings & involvements!

Contents

The format of the slate is simple:

  1. THE LIST: the simple list of my endorsements for this election
  2. THE DETAILS: the whys and wherefors of each endorsement.
  3. MY VALUES: a brief explanation of my values and sources, to help make sense of my opinions.
  4. Other Sources: a collection of other resources & ballot slates put together by friends or organizations that I value.

Also note that a few days after the election, you can come back & check the RESULTS by clicking here.

Continue reading →

Kabhi Kabhi Baby

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I was thinking about what kind of culture my little girl would get. Mostly, I’m thankful she’ll be a San Franciscan – but it’s also important to establish some important basics*… 😀

Kabhi Kabhi Baby

I’m a bit sad that I’m not sure how much of the great Indian stuff I have to offer her and there is certainly some of the bad I don’t want to. There’s a lot of great American she’ll just get, but plenty of bad I won’t be able to stop. But luckily there is a lot of great San Franciscan for her to get – from composting, to caring about the world around her, to therapy, to slow food, to trying to make herself better, and feeling free to be whoever she is…

SUPER BONUS:Kimberly Conley will be speaking to her in Mandarin 🎉💥✨🎈😍

*For those who don’t know”Kabhi Kabhi” is one of those seminal Bollywood songs, one that probably marks you as Indian on some level. (In so far as I know what it means, as tenuous an Indian as I am…)

I’m not sure what an American equivalent would be – maybe something like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – but more recent and even more popular?

It is the music of my childhood. I learned to love it at home from Dad and Mom. Before I even knew what music was probably, and certainly before I knew what music would mean to me, this was becoming part of me.