There are so many debates and candidate forums this fall that it’s hard to keep track, much less attend them all. Mission Local did a good job on this one, at City College, reporting that D9 candidate Trevor Chandler opposes expanding rent control and would not have voted for a Gaza ceasefire resolution.
I was intrigued enough by a forum for D9 candidates held at Monkeybrains, the Mission-based Internet service provider, that I showed up between other events. It was advertised as a community discussion on tech issues, including AI, robotaxies, policy spy software, and the like. All of which we need to discuss.
But the candidates got the questions in advance, which made it less interesting. There was a bit of debate, but not much. In some cases, as with Sen. Scott Wiener’s AI regulation bill, many of the candidates didn’t have a position.
Still, I’m glad I went: Trevor Chandler, the candidate backed by the billionaires who are trying to take over local politics, introduced himself by saying that “my professional background is in LGBTQ civil rights.” He also told the tech-friendly audience that he had worked for Citizen, the “public safety app” which has been the subject of considerable concern over privacy, and in its early days, racism.
According to his LinkedIn account, Chandler worked for Citizen for nine months.
He worked for the Human Rights Campaign, which promotes LGBTQ issues, for six years.
What he didn’t mention, and never mentions, is that he spent almost as much time, five years and four months, working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
AIPAC is a long-established organization. It’s been around since 1954. Unlike the early versions of Citizen, it’s hardly an underground, dubious operation. Why won’t Chandler talk about his tenure there?
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Let me hazard a guess.
AIPAC is a classic single-issue organization. It raises and spends tens of millions of dollars to elect members of Congress who support the State of Israel. The group makes no distinction between Republicans and Democrats.
In fact, AIPAC has spent some of its money electing Republicans who support Israel—but oppose same-sex marriage, rights for transgender kids, and pretty much everything the HRC works for. Senators supported by AIPAC supported the Trump Supreme Court judges who overturned Roe v. Wade — and that decision, by many accounts, can and will be used to overturn the decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
AIPAC has funded candidates who opposed pretty much everything the vast majority of the voters in D9 support.
So I guess it’s not a surprise that Chandler wants to play down, or ignore, that part of his resume. I asked him about it a few weeks ago, at another event, and he told me: “I care more about what’s happening in the streets of the Mission than in the streets of Gaza.”
I think a fair number of the voters in D9 care about both.
