Petition asks Eric Swalwell to urge Ro Khanna to rescind endorsement of state Senate candidate Lily Mei

Rebecca Kaplan publicizes the endorsement of a rival to many Alameda progressives

ELECTION 2022

—DIVIDE AND CONQUER—In the aftermath of last weekend’s crashing by the Proud Boys of an LGBT event at the San Lorenzo Library, a petition is being circulated that asks Rep. Eric Swalwell to do more to support the LGBT community.

—The petition, created by Austin Bruckner, an aide to Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley (Bruckner stressed the petition effort is not affiliated with Miley’s office), and an organizer for the annual Castro Valley Pride event, applauds Swalwell’s efforts for supporting LGBT causes in the past, but urges him to do more than making simple, perfunctory gestures. (For example, Swalwell tweeted against the Proud Boys’ shenanigans in San Lorenzo.)

—To prove Swalwell’s allegiance, the petition asks him to urge fellow East Bay Rep. Ro Khanna to rescind his controversial endorsement of 10th State Senate District candidate Lily Mei's campaign because of her stances against the LGBT movement as a Fremont school board member and Fremont councilmember .

—“We ask that you help stop Fremont Mayor Lily Mei from ascending to the State Senate; because doing otherwise would send a harmful message to LGBTQ families,” said a letter included in the petition that will be given to Swalwell at an event in his district on Thursday morning.

—“We ask that you reach out to your Congressional colleague, Congressman Ro Khanna to request that he pull his endorsement of Fremont Mayor Lily Mei in her run for the State Senate,” says the letter to Swalwell.

—Last fall, a near-unanimous majority of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee supported charges brought by a group of Southern Alameda County Democrats that Mei has exhibited a history of opposing LGBT issues and causes. As a school board member, Mei routinely voted to ban books from school curriculum, including the LGBT literary classic Angels in America, in addition, to voting against Pride month and Harvey Milk Day.

“Lily is not a friend of LGBTQ+ families and does not share our commitment to protecting their rights. We need protection now more than ever,” the petition adds.

—During the recent primary campaign in the 10th State Senate District, Mei labeled the central committee’s determination as politically-motivated. Her campaign’s tagline for the primary was “people over politics.”

—The move to divide and conquer Alameda County’s congressional caucus is a clever. Khanna is known to harbor animosity toward Swalwell. The enmity is mostly derived from Khanna’s interest in being former Rep. Pete Stark’s successor in the East Bay congressional district…