State Assembly race for District 12

News Archive

Candidate Michael Denny Congratulates Leland Yee

San Francisco County
    Leland Yee                 Dem      64,964   78.02
    Howard Epstein         Rep       12,852   15.44
    Michael Denny           Lib            5,216    6.26
San Mateo County
    Leland Yee                 Dem  7,199   73.35
    Howard Epstein         Rep   1,847   18.82
    Michael Denny           Lib          769   7.83
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San Francisco General Elections Results


League of Women Voters Debate
Democrat and Republican are "no shows"
Denny tells audience
"I hope you aren't counting on them for anything important"

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Community shows support for Denny!

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October 21, 2002                                                                                For Immediate Release

Denny tells administrators that educators should be given schools. And the City and District Attorneys must investigate School Board.

On October 17, Michael Denny, Libertarian candidate for Assembly in District 12, addressed the American Federation of School Administrators, AFL-CIO local #3 at their “Meet the Candidates” night. Denny told administrators Libertarians strongly support the right of workers to organize. Denny said he teaches Junior Achievement in public schools as kids need to know that free-enterprise and competition improve goods and services while reducing costs. “I want schools to incorporate these ideas because it’s good for education, the kids and your union.” said Denny. “Politics will not solve anything. Only a passionate application of creativity and skill will help our kids and your union. And I know you are up to the task if given the freedom to do your jobs.”

“Other candidates believe the system can be fixed” said Denny. “I disagree. The school system is a monster. Responsibility must be taken from bureaucrats and put directly in the hands of educators and their students. We cannot continue with each side blaming the other while students and our community suffer. Libertarians like simple solutions” said Denny. “The schools, including land and buildings, should be given to the educators that run these schools. With these resources, they can borrow money and open their schools of their own. With educators in control, not bureaucrats, the lives of our students, community and your union will be improved.”

Vincent Chao, labor representative for the union told Denny “You’re going to get votes for that one, Mike.” Chao continued, “Teachers currently receive tax credits, would you extend tax credits to administrators?” Denny replied he would extend tax credits to anyone involved in education including parents with kids in school. “You’ll never hear a Libertarian speak badly of a tax credit” said Denny.

After the meeting, Denny called for the City and District Attorneys to investigate the School Board. “The Board members abrogated their duties by not fixing classrooms from bond proceeds approved by voters” said Denny. “This negligence of the Board is a breach of their fiduciary duty and the public trust. It represents negligence and possibly willful misconduct that must be investigated. Board members found guilty should serve time in prison, repay the schools out of personal funds and certainly be removed from office.” “Why has nothing been done about this?” asks Denny. “The Board continues to function as though nothing has happened. Where is the accountability? Where is the responsibility to make sure these public officials do what they were elected to do - protect and promote the public trust?” 

“With the political incest in this town, it’s hard for one politician to go after another without upsetting the establishment” said Denny. “If a private company misspent money on a government contract, the City and District Attorneys would have come after them with a vengeance seeking redress, retribution and recovery. But instead, ex-City Attorney Louise Renne works for the same School Board she should have investigated while in office. That’s not right -- perhaps this needs to be investigated too."

“That’s why teachers and the administrators should be given their schools” says Denny. “They work for the students and the community. The School Board works for itself.”

The San Francisco Sentinel
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/id189.htm
 

Dear SF Homeless Coalition, 

I read your article in the Street Sheet about Prop N with interest. And you are right, N is not about Care. However, your proposal is not about Care either. Yours is about taking money by force and distributing it to others you deem more needy. But is this Care?

Care comes only from the heart, through the voluntary and loving interaction of people. Little Sisters of the Poor, Rafael House and Boys Hope Girls Hope are good examples of the many organizations that truly care. They are staffed by volunteers working for the needy. Many have taken vows of poverty so they can focus on the needs of others. These organizations do a far better job of serving society at a reasonable price than those funded by the public sector because they can focus their efforts on serving the needy instead of playing politics. They care more about solving the problems as their compensation does not grow with the size of the problem. And they don't take government money because they know government funds are not about caring. They're about control.

Why did the City refuse to issue permits for a free clinic to doctors from Volunteers in Medicine (http://www.vimclinic.org/) who were awarded a U.N. "Quality of Life" award and named the official physicians to the artists at the Apollo Theater in NY? With our problems, these doctors should be rock stars here. Do the City and its non-profits want a government monopoly on social services? It seems like they can't stand a little competition from people who seek to serve the community more than themselves.

We will only have Care and reasonable solutions for the needy in our society when organizations like yours and proposals like N begin to address the real need for genuine human caring. How about tax credits for those that fund private solutions like those mentioned above? Until that happens, please know that your politics and Gavin's are the same. And as far as Care goes, you both need a lesson on the meaning of the word.

Sincerely,

Michael F. Denny

District 12 Assembly candidates all from S.F.
By Susanne Hilty
 

For many Libertarians, a desire to lighten the heavy load of government is what draws them to politics. But only a few make a living at this noble cause while simultaneously volunteering their time and energy to the party. One of these is LPSF Membership Chair Michael Denny.

Denny, a Richmond district resident and father of four, is in the alcoholic beverages industry. The company he founded in 1987, American Wine Distributors, is one of a growing number of firms which help distributors of wine, beer, and other spirits navigate the maze of government regulations, ultimately saving consumers of these beverages a ton of money.

On Tuesday May 1, Denny spoke to over 20 attendees at the LPSF's monthly Financial District event. This was not a "dry" business lecture. While discussing the onerous taxes and regulations on alcohol and ways sellers are learning to get around them, Denny generously passed out samples of several of the wines he distributes.

"The alcoholic beverage industry is regulated slightly less than atomic waste," Denny deadpanned at the start of his talk. "Separation of church and state" doesn't really exist, he continued. The law is heavily influenced by a religious morality which frowns on intoxication, and laws are designed to prevent the industry from "inducing people to drink" by making it difficult and expensive to put alcohol on the shelves. Although the Prohibition of alcohol at the federal level ended in 1933, there are still so-called "dry" counties in the U.S. where alcohol is locally restricted or prohibited, including some areas with significant numbers of people. The major metropolitan area of Evanston, Illinois, for example, he said is "not completely dry, but [it is] very difficult to buy alcohol." In the completely dry counties, even transporting beer through by truck without stopping is illegal. Georgia, Connecticut, Kansas, and Maine are among the worst states. And if all this seems incredible to us, it’s because "California is still the freest state in the country for alcoholic beverages." Denny cited a group called the Small Business Survival Committee <www.SBSC.org>, which rates business-friendly climates state by state.

Meanwhile, according to Denny, the feds have stepped up their taxation of alcohol. "In the beginning [just after Prohibition], the federal government took almost no revenue at all from alcoholic beverages," he said. "Now the federal government is one of the largest taxers of alcohol." Ten years ago, the federal tax on wine was increased by 1000 percent.

Regulation of beer, wine and spirits still occurs mostly at the state level, however. This has resulted in a crazy-quilt patchwork of regulations and requirements across the country, Denny said, with each state having its own complex rules and procedures. In some states, you have to register with the Secretary of State to get a permit of any kind. Others, like Connecticut, charge $100 per item that you’re selling into that state. In Pennsylvania, liquor is sold through state-run stores. "There’s almost as many options as there are states," he said.

That’s where his company steps in. "I liken what I do to a tax accountant," Denny explained. What might cost a distributor $60,000 a year to accomplish on its own, the head of American Wine Distributors said he can do for $20,000, partly through economies of scale. Like an accountant, Denny must know the laws and figure out which mechanisms to use and which to avoid. "It's just a matter of ... allowing buyers and sellers to trade as if these [laws] don't even exist," he said. According to a San Francisco Chronicle article in April 1993, his company handles "product storage, delivery, insurance, legal compliance and even administrative functions." The company currently has 17 employees.

Some entrepreneurs have more recently tried using the Internet to bypass expensive and confusing state laws and sell directly to consumers, but this effort mostly failed, Denny said. Wine.com went broke after ending up in lawsuits all over the country, Denny said, as did Wineshopper.com. Others, like E-Vineyard, have been more careful and are still in business.

It has been said that the Internet interprets regulation and censorship as bugs and routes around them. The same may be said for the free market in general. Denny believes that within 3 to 5 years, there will be "many, many options for suppliers and consumers to source products directly." He noted that the libertarian public-interest law firm Institute for Justice has been involved in lawsuits on behalf of those fighting anti-consumer regulations.

Unfortunately, alcoholic beverage wholesalers, whom Denny called the "fat cats" of the industry, are opposed to reform. Members of the Wine and Alcoholic Spirits Wholesalers Association, who coincidentally met in San Francisco around the time of Denny’s talk, "don't want any laws to change that would allow their customers to go around them," he said. The government, of course, likes the revenue. "The tax and political incentives are very strong to keep the system in place," Denny lamented. Leading the fight for the status quo is California’s notoriously anti-freedom Senator Dianne Feinstein, along with Orrin Hatch of Utah.

The costs, both direct and indirect, are horrendous. Some states—Denny mentioned Florida as being particularly bad—add almost $2 in taxes to each bottle of wine, even before sales tax. "To operate [as a distributor] in the United States, it costs over $8000 a year, just in permits," he said. Denny estimated that the total tax and regulatory burden placed on his industry bleeds $200 million from the economy annually.

None of these costs, happily, were borne by those who came to hear the Wine Man speak and got to try a sampling of his wares from France, Australia, and New Zealand. Four lucky individuals who won an impromptu raffle among the attendees each took home a free bottle. The wine was widely praised as delicious, and the benefits of free trade were toasted.

"I was into wine way before libertarianism," Denny admitted.

Candidate Denny featured in Junior Achievement video

 

Victor Lee, Gordon J. Lau Elementary School student, San Francisco

As they grow and learn, young people can take their places as responsible citizens and become leaders. San Francisco elementary school student Victor Lee's life has been touched by junior Achievement.  In turn, he touches the lives of others. "I talk to business people because I want all business people to become involved so that all children can have JA”, says Victor. "When I heard Victor speak about his experience with JA, and how it has motivated him, I realized that JA was something I wanted to do," says Michael Denny, JA volunteer.For Victor, the JA experience is doing an activity and visualizing the future.  "If we have JA, we will learn how to make the world a better place," says Victor.

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For Immediate Release
August 7, 2002
 

Secretary of State Candidate Lightfoot Hails SF Chinese Name Policy Change

California Secretary of State candidate, Gail Lightfoot, resident of Arroyo

Grande, congratulated fellow Libertarian Candidate Michael Denny's success in

overturning the San Francisco Department of Elections Chinese Name Policy
 

"It is very apparent California needs outsiders to invade the turf of career

politicians. The sooner the better." Lightfoot said. " I am telling voters a

Libertarian is the perfect fit for Secretary of State. Why? Because it is the

Libertarians who want most of all to hear all sides of an issue and from

every candidate. The Secretary of State is the Chief Elections Officer and

keeper of the State Archives. I will make sure our children understand

political history and voters are fully informed on all issues and

candidates." Lightfoot explained.
 

Lightfoot went on to say she knows Michael Denny and both his sons

personally having spent a weekend at their San Francisco home during her

campaign for US Senate in 2000. Denny hosted her visit to San Francisco

graciously taking her to several other events during her trip to participate

in the one radio debate between the candidates for US Senate. Lightfoot,

Medea Benjamin and Jose Camahort were in the studio with other candidates on phone lines for the debate. Afterwards Medea said "She and I would never

agree on anything." Lightfoot laughed. "I have to agree. We Libertarians are

not about compromise. We are about individual Liberty and Choice, not government edict no matter how worthy."

Visit www.lpcslo.org for more information on Gail Lightfoot, Libertarian

Candidate for Secretary of State.

 

 

Denny and Family Celebrate Chinese Name Victory

With his Taiwan Chinese Election Committee

 

Candidate Denny Honored by Jack Shih Dance Troup

August 6, 2002                                                                                     For Immediate Release 

Libertarian Candidate Denny Overturns
Department of Elections Chinese Name Policy

 In a surprise decision, one week before the November elections filing deadline, John Arntz, Director of Elections announced the repeal of San Francisco’s Chinese name policy for ballot translations. Angelina Wong of Channel 26 television reported that the Department of Elections said Candidate Denny had “won” the debate over the City’s previous Chinese name policy.  

The debate began when Candidate Denny filed papers with the Department of Elections (DOE) to run for the State Assembly in District 12. The DOE asked Denny for his Chinese name for the ballot translation. As Denny is active in the Chinese community and has a home in Taiwan, he was happy to provide his Chinese name, 戴明浩. But the DOE rejected his Chinese name as it made him “seem Chinese” and might “confuse” Chinese voters. They insisted on using a phonetically transliterated version of his English name that results in a name that makes no sense in Chinese, and would never be used by a Chinese person, 邁克 爾.丹尼.

The Chinese press normally uses this form of name for people who do not have Chinese names and/or who are not Chinese. However, here the Department of Elections policy was specifically using this form of name to identify the race of candidates to Chinese voters. 

So Denny and his sons, who study Mandarin Chinese, went before the Election Commission and introduced themselves in Chinese using their Chinese names. Denny produced Election Department documents stating, "Chinese candidates who have their own Chinese names...don't need to be phonetically transliterated into Chinese.” Denny pointed to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Anderson v. Martin, which found it unconstitutional for governments to identify the race of a candidate on the ballot. 

Denny maintained that the ruling likewise precludes indicating a candidate is not of a particular race. The commission decided to hold a public hearing about the Chinese name policy and asked the City Attorney's Office to report their opinion. However, DOE took no action in spite of numerous letters and phone calls.  

The DOE announcement conceding the policy change came one day before Denny planned to formally sue the DOE. Richard Winger, publisher of Ballot Access News and San Francisco political attorney Peter Bagatelos, assisted Denny in his case. The details are available on his website at www.MichaelDenny.net. 
Click here to see the letter

“It’s unfortunate that my opponent Leland Yee couldn’t recognize that this policy was wrong when I brought it to his attention”, says Denny. “Career politicians seldom have the courage to fight bad policy if it might offend a core constituency. But I think Lee underestimated the community, and the DOE finally did the right thing. But the battle wasn’t won without a fight for what was right. That’s why private citizens must get involved in the process. We cannot expect career politicians to do the right thing.”
Click here Letter to Supervisor Leland Yee

Michael Denny at the Elections Commission disputing Chinese name policy
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