How the Engardio recall has scrambled local politics - 48 hills

"The big news out of the Democratic Party, of course, is the deadlocked vote on the Engardio recall-which happened in part because the Chinese community in the Sunset organized to push the DCCC members who won on a conservative slate last year not to oppose the recall. The 11-11 vote, leaving the party out of the recall, also happened because some members who might have supported Engardio-including Sup. Bilal Mahmood and state Assemblymember Matt Haney-didn't show up and didn't send a proxy."

"This one was tough for the party: The sentiment on the West Side, particularly among Chinese voters, appears overwhelmingly favorable to the recall. A poll by Sunset United Neighbors, a representative said at the meeting, showed that 83 percent of respondents voted for Engardio-and 73 percent now support the recall. Many of those voters also supported the West Side members of the billionaire slate that took control of the local party last year."

An 11-11 deadlocked DCCC vote left the party neutral on the Engardio recall after the Sunset Chinese community organized to pressure conservative-slate members not to oppose the recall. Some potential Engardio supporters, including Sup. Bilal Mahmood and Assemblymember Matt Haney, did not attend or send proxies, shifting the balance to pro-recall forces. Polling from Sunset United Neighbors showed 83 percent had voted for Engardio and 73 percent now back the recall. Many West Side voters had supported the billionaire-backed conservative slate, creating incentives for those leaders to abandon Engardio to preserve party control. Financial support for Engardio has been modest; some groups are easing back, while labor leaders publicly denounced Tung.

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