Who are the People in Orange Shirts?

At this time, we have not received word as to whether efforts to gather 300 signatures by folks aligned with the Mariko Yamada campaign. What the Vanguard can tell you is that things got a little weird last night at least early on.

People supporting the Yamada campaign did indeed tow clipboards around as did folks supporting the Mark Leno campaign. Mark Leno ended up in a similar boat to Yamada, Carole Migden managed to garner 60% of the vote last night–which is difficult to believe that she had that strong a support based on the large number of Leno folks parading around. That one perhaps has a chance of going to the floor. Less so with Yamada I would think.

Back to the Yamada-Cabaldon battle. So it becomes obvious that there are not two sides but three. You have the Yamada camp trying to get signatures. You have the Cabaldon camp passing around fliers to people trying to get them not to sign. And you have the orange shirts.

I tried several times to talk to the orange shirts, and the conversations were weird and evasive. One group claimed they were being paid and asked who paid them, they told me one name that I will withhold, when I asked them, “So it was [blank]?” They said, no, no it wasn’t [blank]. Another guy who I asked said he was there on his own and then ran off like I was the paparazzi chasing him down.

I caught wind that it was Paul Mitchell’s group “Ed Voice,” who are big time Cabaldon supporters and pretty much confirmed that that is who it was.

It seemed clear to me that things were getting carried away from what I saw. I would be stunned at this point however if Cabaldon does not end up one way or another being the party endorsed candidate. But stay tuned for updates on that and Bill Clinton coming to San Jose.

—Doug Paul Davis reporting

About The Author

David Greenwald is the founder, editor, and executive director of the Davis Vanguard. He founded the Vanguard in 2006. David Greenwald moved to Davis in 1996 to attend Graduate School at UC Davis in Political Science. He lives in South Davis with his wife Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald and three children.

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48 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Yamada did not obtain enough signatures to overturn the Cabaldon endorsement. Most everyone was refusing to sign the petition, even though the Leno forces obtained 660 signatures to overturn Migden and in LA another campaign collected 479.

    It is important to mention that the orange shirt crew was getting people not to sign the petitions by showing them Yamada’s own literature. That’s pretty bad when a candidate’s own literature so sours Democratic activists that it becomes the most powerful tool for Cabaldon supporters!

  2. Anonymous

    Yamada did not obtain enough signatures to overturn the Cabaldon endorsement. Most everyone was refusing to sign the petition, even though the Leno forces obtained 660 signatures to overturn Migden and in LA another campaign collected 479.

    It is important to mention that the orange shirt crew was getting people not to sign the petitions by showing them Yamada’s own literature. That’s pretty bad when a candidate’s own literature so sours Democratic activists that it becomes the most powerful tool for Cabaldon supporters!

  3. Anonymous

    Yamada did not obtain enough signatures to overturn the Cabaldon endorsement. Most everyone was refusing to sign the petition, even though the Leno forces obtained 660 signatures to overturn Migden and in LA another campaign collected 479.

    It is important to mention that the orange shirt crew was getting people not to sign the petitions by showing them Yamada’s own literature. That’s pretty bad when a candidate’s own literature so sours Democratic activists that it becomes the most powerful tool for Cabaldon supporters!

  4. Anonymous

    Yamada did not obtain enough signatures to overturn the Cabaldon endorsement. Most everyone was refusing to sign the petition, even though the Leno forces obtained 660 signatures to overturn Migden and in LA another campaign collected 479.

    It is important to mention that the orange shirt crew was getting people not to sign the petitions by showing them Yamada’s own literature. That’s pretty bad when a candidate’s own literature so sours Democratic activists that it becomes the most powerful tool for Cabaldon supporters!

  5. Anonymous

    What Cabaldon has done is unethical. Buying votes in W. Sac. and then employing red shirts smacks of third world dictatorship tactics. He should run for office in Zimbabwe or Washington D.C. where these behaviors are encouraged. I imagine the people who were bought in W. Sac. will be outraged when they find out they were personally used for political gain.

  6. Anonymous

    What Cabaldon has done is unethical. Buying votes in W. Sac. and then employing red shirts smacks of third world dictatorship tactics. He should run for office in Zimbabwe or Washington D.C. where these behaviors are encouraged. I imagine the people who were bought in W. Sac. will be outraged when they find out they were personally used for political gain.

  7. Anonymous

    What Cabaldon has done is unethical. Buying votes in W. Sac. and then employing red shirts smacks of third world dictatorship tactics. He should run for office in Zimbabwe or Washington D.C. where these behaviors are encouraged. I imagine the people who were bought in W. Sac. will be outraged when they find out they were personally used for political gain.

  8. Anonymous

    What Cabaldon has done is unethical. Buying votes in W. Sac. and then employing red shirts smacks of third world dictatorship tactics. He should run for office in Zimbabwe or Washington D.C. where these behaviors are encouraged. I imagine the people who were bought in W. Sac. will be outraged when they find out they were personally used for political gain.

  9. Anonymous

    It should also be pointed out that the West Sacramento delegation was only a factor for the pre-endorsement. Cabaldon then got nearly the same percentage of the vote in the next round without club delegations.

  10. Anonymous

    It should also be pointed out that the West Sacramento delegation was only a factor for the pre-endorsement. Cabaldon then got nearly the same percentage of the vote in the next round without club delegations.

  11. Anonymous

    It should also be pointed out that the West Sacramento delegation was only a factor for the pre-endorsement. Cabaldon then got nearly the same percentage of the vote in the next round without club delegations.

  12. Anonymous

    It should also be pointed out that the West Sacramento delegation was only a factor for the pre-endorsement. Cabaldon then got nearly the same percentage of the vote in the next round without club delegations.

  13. another viewpoint

    Yamada’s prospects have always hinged on an underdog,grassroots, anti-Party machine politics-as-usual campaign narrative. What went on yesterday
    probably reinforced this narrative and helped rather than hurt her campaign.

  14. another viewpoint

    Yamada’s prospects have always hinged on an underdog,grassroots, anti-Party machine politics-as-usual campaign narrative. What went on yesterday
    probably reinforced this narrative and helped rather than hurt her campaign.

  15. another viewpoint

    Yamada’s prospects have always hinged on an underdog,grassroots, anti-Party machine politics-as-usual campaign narrative. What went on yesterday
    probably reinforced this narrative and helped rather than hurt her campaign.

  16. another viewpoint

    Yamada’s prospects have always hinged on an underdog,grassroots, anti-Party machine politics-as-usual campaign narrative. What went on yesterday
    probably reinforced this narrative and helped rather than hurt her campaign.

  17. Anonymous

    You are in denial. Her campaign is a disaster. She has no grassroots. She is in deep trouble. She alienated her progressive base in Davis. They have nearly completely deserted her. She is outworked, outhustled, and out maneuvered at every term. She will be lucky to get 40% of the vote come the primary.

  18. Anonymous

    You are in denial. Her campaign is a disaster. She has no grassroots. She is in deep trouble. She alienated her progressive base in Davis. They have nearly completely deserted her. She is outworked, outhustled, and out maneuvered at every term. She will be lucky to get 40% of the vote come the primary.

  19. Anonymous

    You are in denial. Her campaign is a disaster. She has no grassroots. She is in deep trouble. She alienated her progressive base in Davis. They have nearly completely deserted her. She is outworked, outhustled, and out maneuvered at every term. She will be lucky to get 40% of the vote come the primary.

  20. Anonymous

    You are in denial. Her campaign is a disaster. She has no grassroots. She is in deep trouble. She alienated her progressive base in Davis. They have nearly completely deserted her. She is outworked, outhustled, and out maneuvered at every term. She will be lucky to get 40% of the vote come the primary.

  21. Convention Watcher

    Hey DPD, you must be having an interesting time at the Convention! Thanks for reporting on it – the voters get an inside peek on how politics really works. It is an interesting system. To a certain extent, I suspect a candidate has to be willing to get down and dirty, without doing anything illegal – not an easy line to walk.

    I really think Yamada cooked her goose when she attempted to encourage talk of peripheral development around Davis. She did not handle that controversy very well (was very arrogant towards Davisites who came to protest), which did not enure to her benefit. It also made other cities very nervous, most notably Woodland. I can’t help but think other cities felt the same way. On the other hand, Cabaldon has stayed out of controversial venues – which he has been roundly criticized for, but it has proven effective (just as it has with Barack Obama). Sometimes it helps to stay above the fray, so to speak.

  22. Convention Watcher

    Hey DPD, you must be having an interesting time at the Convention! Thanks for reporting on it – the voters get an inside peek on how politics really works. It is an interesting system. To a certain extent, I suspect a candidate has to be willing to get down and dirty, without doing anything illegal – not an easy line to walk.

    I really think Yamada cooked her goose when she attempted to encourage talk of peripheral development around Davis. She did not handle that controversy very well (was very arrogant towards Davisites who came to protest), which did not enure to her benefit. It also made other cities very nervous, most notably Woodland. I can’t help but think other cities felt the same way. On the other hand, Cabaldon has stayed out of controversial venues – which he has been roundly criticized for, but it has proven effective (just as it has with Barack Obama). Sometimes it helps to stay above the fray, so to speak.

  23. Convention Watcher

    Hey DPD, you must be having an interesting time at the Convention! Thanks for reporting on it – the voters get an inside peek on how politics really works. It is an interesting system. To a certain extent, I suspect a candidate has to be willing to get down and dirty, without doing anything illegal – not an easy line to walk.

    I really think Yamada cooked her goose when she attempted to encourage talk of peripheral development around Davis. She did not handle that controversy very well (was very arrogant towards Davisites who came to protest), which did not enure to her benefit. It also made other cities very nervous, most notably Woodland. I can’t help but think other cities felt the same way. On the other hand, Cabaldon has stayed out of controversial venues – which he has been roundly criticized for, but it has proven effective (just as it has with Barack Obama). Sometimes it helps to stay above the fray, so to speak.

  24. Convention Watcher

    Hey DPD, you must be having an interesting time at the Convention! Thanks for reporting on it – the voters get an inside peek on how politics really works. It is an interesting system. To a certain extent, I suspect a candidate has to be willing to get down and dirty, without doing anything illegal – not an easy line to walk.

    I really think Yamada cooked her goose when she attempted to encourage talk of peripheral development around Davis. She did not handle that controversy very well (was very arrogant towards Davisites who came to protest), which did not enure to her benefit. It also made other cities very nervous, most notably Woodland. I can’t help but think other cities felt the same way. On the other hand, Cabaldon has stayed out of controversial venues – which he has been roundly criticized for, but it has proven effective (just as it has with Barack Obama). Sometimes it helps to stay above the fray, so to speak.

  25. tansey thomas

    I quit going to these conventions awhile back. The intrigue and arm twisting is incredible. Many there seem more like feral animals. It is quite rough on novices. It’s dirty work but somebody has to do it. Your are doing incredibly important work, DPD.

  26. tansey thomas

    I quit going to these conventions awhile back. The intrigue and arm twisting is incredible. Many there seem more like feral animals. It is quite rough on novices. It’s dirty work but somebody has to do it. Your are doing incredibly important work, DPD.

  27. tansey thomas

    I quit going to these conventions awhile back. The intrigue and arm twisting is incredible. Many there seem more like feral animals. It is quite rough on novices. It’s dirty work but somebody has to do it. Your are doing incredibly important work, DPD.

  28. tansey thomas

    I quit going to these conventions awhile back. The intrigue and arm twisting is incredible. Many there seem more like feral animals. It is quite rough on novices. It’s dirty work but somebody has to do it. Your are doing incredibly important work, DPD.

  29. Anonymous

    Cabaldon will make sure that he has someone else do his dirty work. Those of us who live in West Sacramento have seen his sleezy politics at it’s best. There are no grass roots in his campaign. The only green is the corporate and developer money that Cabaldon has lined his pockets with. There is no limit to how low he will stoop to win!!!

  30. Anonymous

    Cabaldon will make sure that he has someone else do his dirty work. Those of us who live in West Sacramento have seen his sleezy politics at it’s best. There are no grass roots in his campaign. The only green is the corporate and developer money that Cabaldon has lined his pockets with. There is no limit to how low he will stoop to win!!!

  31. Anonymous

    Cabaldon will make sure that he has someone else do his dirty work. Those of us who live in West Sacramento have seen his sleezy politics at it’s best. There are no grass roots in his campaign. The only green is the corporate and developer money that Cabaldon has lined his pockets with. There is no limit to how low he will stoop to win!!!

  32. Anonymous

    Cabaldon will make sure that he has someone else do his dirty work. Those of us who live in West Sacramento have seen his sleezy politics at it’s best. There are no grass roots in his campaign. The only green is the corporate and developer money that Cabaldon has lined his pockets with. There is no limit to how low he will stoop to win!!!

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