Politician of the Year: TIME magazine gives their “Person of the Year” Award to whoever dominates the headlines, good or bad. In that sense, one can make a strong argument for former Mayor Filner. However, his headlines were more about person than politics. Instead, the Politically Aware Politician of the Year is City Council President and Interim Mayor Todd Gloria.
Gloria’s decision not to run as Filner’s successor is proving pivotal in getting City government back on track. Having taken special election politics out of his decision making, Gloria has moved America’s Finest City further forward in his brief tenure than Filner did. In doing so, he has gained kudos from both sides of the aisle. Whatever Gloria runs for next, KUSI’s laudatory Election Day interviews with Republican City Councilmembers can be his “work across the aisle” ad.
Best New Thing: AB 1266. Few things have made us as proud to be a Californian as the legislation that allows students to more freely express their gender identity. It’s not everything, but it’s a good start. My fingers are crossed that we can put a dent in the unconscionably high suicide rate for transgender teens.
Best Advocacy Issue: Marriage equality. In June, the Supreme Court brought same-sex marriage back to California, but that wasn’t the end. 2013 saw Rhode Island, Minnesota, Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois and Hawaii allow same-sex marriage. Given the pending court decisions across the nation, we may not be done yet. Best hope – New Mexico.
Worst of the Year: Obamacare. I remain a staunch supporter, but there’s no denying the difficulties of the Affordable Care Act. From the healthcare.gov fiasco to the discovery that “if you like your plan” you may not be able to keep it, it was a rough year for health care reform. With a new lawsuit attacking the subsidy for state exchanges, 2014 may not be much better.
Comeback of the Year: David Alvarez. He didn’t exactly go anywhere to come back from, but he certainly was considered a long shot when he entered the mayor’s race. With support from labor and strong fundraising, Alvarez beat the odds, and former Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher, to make the run-off against Councilmember Faulconer.
Best Photo: The Sports Illustrated cover shot of Jason Collins. The demise of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell left major male professional sports as one of the last places we pretended there weren’t gays. Collins ended that, though it’s disappointing that he hasn’t been given a contract since his announcement. Hopefully his NBA, MBA, NHL and NFL colleagues (Philip Rivers, I’m talking to you) will see the value of equality and inclusion soon.
It’s About Time: One of the most glaring ways San Diego County has lagged behind the progressive changes in the City was its official stance in favor of a U.S. Constitutional Amendment to deny citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants. In a well-orchestrated vote early this month, County Board of Supervisors Chairman Greg Cox and the Supervisors Roberts (Ron and Dave) ended the policy. The move didn’t change anyone’s immigration status, but it says much about how far the County has come since the days of Gov. Pete Wilson, Prop. 187 and the demonization of anchor babies. Now the only questions are why it took so long, and why the vote was 3-2.
