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Gay Community Important to Teng and Big Signatures in the Sunset

GAY COMMUNITY KEY TO TENG CHANCES: Former Supervisor Mabel Teng has recast herself as an independent, anti-political machine reformer in her race to wrest the Assessor-Recorder’s office from incumbent Doris Ward.

Ward had received most of the available political endorsements, ranging from Mayor Willie Brown and the S.F. Democratic Party to Board President Tom Ammiano and six supervisors, yet despite being ignored by most of the Democratic Party and progressive establishments, Teng finished first in the March 2002 primary. She qualified for a November runoff with 31 percent of the vote, while Ward garnered only 23 percent.

Teng did pick up an important supporter two weeks ago in supervisor and state Assembly Democratic nominee Mark Leno, who showed his support at a Chinatown appearance with the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.

The Leno endorsement, coinciding with Teng’s endorsement by the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club, represents a key battleground for the hearts and minds of the LGBT community in Supervisor Districts 8 (Upper Market/Castro) and 9 (Mission). Currently, two gay men — Leno and Ammiano — represent the two districts.

Teng edged Tax Assessment Appeals Commissioner Ron Chun in the two districts. In the March 2002 primary, Teng received 25 percent support in districts 8 and 9. Tax Assessment Appeals Commissioner Ron Chun came in second with 24 percent, edging out Ward’s 23 percent of the vote in the two districts.

Chun, who has stayed neutral in the race, became a deputy assessor to Ward as of July 1. In the March primary, he had received the endorsement of the Bay Guardian newspaper and blocked Ward from receiving the endorsement of the Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Democratic Club. Ammiano supported Ward for re-election.

LEE AND MA SHOW STRENGTH: The recent signature campaign has provided the first test of strength for supervisor candidates in District 4 (Sunset). Current Supervisor Leland Yee is expected to move on to the state Assembly in Sacramento. Candidates for supervisor have the option of paying a $500 fee to run or gathering 1,000 voter signatures from within the supervisor district to defray the fee.

The signature-gathering, while labor intensive, is a test of the campaign’s support, finances and organization. However, the signature-gathering could also burn out volunteers and campaign resources. At the filing deadline on July 25, four District 4 candidates had the most signatures out of all city candidates for supervisor, college and school boards.

Nonprofit director and former mayoral aide Andrew Lee garnered an unofficial total of 5,228 signatures, which the Department of Elections had not verified as of July 26. The total may signify Lee’s support and a measure of Lee’s financial strength, given that his campaign was hiring staffers to supplement volunteer efforts to collect signatures.

Following Lee was certified public accountant and state Senate aide Fiona Ma with 2,315 signatures. The unofficial total, said Ma, was gathered through volunteers. Using volunteers will be a strength as Ma abides by the $75,000 spending limit imposed by the S.F. Ethics Commission.

Businessman Ron Dudum, who finished a strong fourth place for supervisor in 2000, gathered 1,624 signatures.

JEW INFLATES SIGNATURE TOTAL: Former Republican Ed Jew actually came up with 915 confirmed signatures by the Department of Elections. But his campaign inflated its claim of 2,300 signatures in the Chinese-language press. The Department of Elections had reduced his original total to 1,701 signatures. Jew’s credibility could be questioned for reporting the higher signature figure. In addition, the high percentage of disqualified signatures signifies poorly trained campaign volunteers or workers. Jew and other candidates have until Aug. 1 to “make up” those disqualified signatures.

SPAM FOR SAM: Reach Samson Wong at samson@sfindependent.com.