Alex Padilla named as California’s next U.S. Senator; Shirley Weber to replace him

Other items in today’s column include:
*Herut decries possible nomination of Dennis Ross as U.S. Ambassador to Israel
*President Trump pardons former Rep. Duncan D. Hunter
*Christians United for Israel Say Membership Now Exceeds 10 Million
*StopAntiSemitism.Org Names the ‘2020 Antisemite of the Year.’
*Deborah Lipstadt announces her support for Rev. Rafael Warnock in Forward Op-Ed
*Appellate Court in New York Agrees Fordham University May Bar Students for Justice in Palestine

{Names in boldface type are known members of the Jewish community}

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO — Two chairs in the California game of political musical chairs have now been filled.  Alex Padilla, the California Secretary of State, has been appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to fill out the remainder of the U.S. Senate term of Vice President-elect Kamilla Harris.  It is the first time that a Latino will have represented California in the Upper House of Congress.  Padilla, like Harris, is a Democrat.  He will face the voters in the 2022 elections, coinciding with the time Harris’ first and only Senate term would be near its conclusion.

To replace Padilla as Secretary of State, Newsom chose Assemblywoman Shirley Weber of San Diego, who previously had served our city as a member of the San Diego Unified School District board and as a professor at San Diego State University.  Her colleague, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who had announced she plan to campaign for the job, graciously commented: “While I would’ve loved the opportunity to serve, I fully appreciate the need to amplify Black women in our state.  Shirley Weber is an icon and will serve California well.”

Given that  California Attorney General Xavier Becerea has been designated by President-elect Joe Biden as his pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Newsom also will have an opportunity to fill yet another constitutional office of California with his pick.

Under California law, whoever Newsom nominates for either position will have to win confirmation from both houses of the Democratic-controlled state Legislature.  .

Becera’s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services is drawing opposition from pro-life, anti-abortion groups, The Washington Times has reported. A letter sent to the U.S. Senate said, “We the undersigned have grave concerns about how he would use the power of the nation’s healthcare systems to advance his preference for abortion and express his disregard for people of faith by forcing support, payment, and compliance with policies that he prefers.”  Signers included Radiance Foundation co-founder Ryan Bomberger; Media Research Center President Brent Bozell; Eagle Forum Chairman Anne Schlafly Cori; pro-life investigator David Daleiden; Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser; Focus on the Family founder James Dobson; And Then There Were None founder Abby Johnson; March for Life President Jeanne Mancini; Family Research Council President Tony Perkins; and Live Action President Lila Rose.

The January 5, 2021 runoff elections in Georgia will determine whether Republicans maintain control of the U.S. Senate, or whether the Upper House will be flipped to control of the Democratic party.  Two simultaneous contests pit Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock respectively against incumbent Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.  Quite obviously Becera will have a more difficult time winning confirmation if Republicans retain control

Padilla, 47, grew up in Pacoima in Los Angeles County, earned a degree in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, worked for Hughes Aircraft, and then ran successfully for the Los Angeles City Council, later moving on to the California State Senate, and thence to his current position as California Attorney General.  With his wife and three sons, he maintains a residence in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles.

Newsom announced his selection of Padilla by saying: “The son of Mexican immigrants — a cook and house cleaner — Alex Padilla worked his way from humble beginnings to the halls of MIT, the Los Angeles City Council and the State Senate, and has become a national defender of  voting rights as California’s Secretary of State.  Now, he will serve in the halls of our nation’s Capitol as California’s next United States Senator, the first Latino to hold this office.”

In response, Padilla commented: “I am honored and humbled by the trust placed in me by Gov. Newsom, and I intend to work each and every day to honor that trust and deliver for all Californians.  From those struggling to make ends meet to the small  businesses fighting to keep their doors open to the health care workers looking for relief, please know that I am going to the Senate to fight for you.  We will get through this pandemic together and rebuild our economy in a way that doesn’t leave working families behind.”

The Times of San Diego reported that Padilla’s appointment was quickly welcomed by Jerry Sanders, president of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.  “With roots in Southern California, his appointment is a significant opportunity for San Diego to be well represented by someone who has a deep understanding of this part of the state.  We look forward to working with Secretary Padilla to advance the goals of the business community in our binational region.”

Weber, 72,  was described by the governor as “a tireless advocate and change agent with unimpeachable integrity.  The daughter of sharecroppers from Arkansas, Dr. Weber’s father didn’t get to vote until his 30s and her grandfather never got to vote because he died before the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965.  when her family moved to South Central Los Angeles, she saw as a child he parents rearrange furniture in their living room to serve as a local polling site for multiple elections.  Now, she’ll be at the helm of California’s elections as the next secretary of state — defending and expanding the right to vote and serving as the first African-American to be California’s chief elections officer.”

Assemblywoman Weber responded: “I am excited to be nominated for this historic appointment as the secretary of state of California.  I thank Governor Newsom for the confidence he’s placed in me and his belief that I will stand strong for California.  Being the first African-American woman in this position will be a monumental responsibility, but I know I am up for the challenge.  Expanding voting rights has been one of the causes of my career and will continue to motivate me as I assume my constitutional duties.”

Under California law, Gov. Newsom will be required within the next 14 days to set the date for a special election to choose a successor to Weber in the 79th Assembly District.

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Herut decries possible nomination of Dennis Ross as U.S. Ambassador to Israel

Moshe Phillips, a spokesman for the U.S. Branch of Herut North America, has urged President-elect Joe Biden not to select former U.S. Middle East Envoy Dennis Ross as the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel.  Phillips says Ross, although Jewish, had been partial to the Palestinians during his tenure in the administration of former President Bill Clinton.  He said Ross opposed construction of Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, favored financial support to the Palestinian Authority, opposed Jewish neighborhoods in Judea and Samaria, and condemned the extension of Jewish sovereignty over the Golan Heights.  Herut was the party in Israel that was formed by such followers of Ze’ev Jabotinsky as the then future Prime Minister Menachem Begin.  It was subsequently merged into the Likud coalition.

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President Trump pardons former Rep. Duncan D. Hunter

Former Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (R-San Diego), who was sentenced to eleven months in federal prison for fraudulently misusing his campaign funds, was given a full pardon by President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday.  Hunter had not yet begun to serve his sentence, and now will not have to.  The Republican Congressman received one of a number of pre-Christmas pardons issued by Trump, including two former GOP members of the House of Representatives.  One was  Chris Collins of New York, who had been convicted on charges of committing securities fraud and lying to the FBI and was in the process of serving a 26-month sentence.

Another Republican whose sentence Trump commuted was  Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas), convicted in 2018 of misuse of charitable funds, according to the Reuters news service. Stockman had served two years of a 10 year sentence, and will be subject to supervised release and an order to make $1 million in restitution payments, according to the White House.

Besides those three former elected officials, Trump also pardoned former campaign aide George Papadopoulos who pleaded guilty to lying in the Russian meddling case investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.  Another was Alex van der Zwaan, who was given a 30-day sentence and fine $20,000 for lying to Mueller’s investigators.   Yet another pardon went to Crystal Munoz, who had been convicted on a charge of conspiracy to commit marijuana.
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Christians United for Israel Say Membership Now Exceeds 10 Million

Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, says the organization now has in excess of 10 million members, making it the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States.  “When we set out to create this organization, I could never have predicted we would see such success,” he said.  “But our members don’t just stop at joining the organization, they reach out to their friends and church families, they make their voices heard in the nation’s capital, and they are having a tangible positive impact in support of Israel. … From a policy perspective, our most well-known achievement is likely seeing the U.S. embassy moved from Tel Aviv to its rightful place in Jerusalem, but our members’ collective voice has had an impact on a wide range of American policies including the U.S. approach to Iran and Turkey.    Sandra Parker, CUFI’s Action Fund Chairwoman commented, “From the Taylor Force Act to the Never Again Education Act, and a host of measures in between, we have seen our policy priorities heard and advanced in Washington.  The key to this success is building strong relationships on both sides of the aisle and ensuring policy always trumps politics.”

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StopAntiSemitism.Org Names the ‘2020 Antisemite of the Year.’

An organization that opposes anti-Semitism has name a ‘winner’ in a contest to name the worst anti-Semite in the nation.  Whether this shames ‘the winner’ or will make her proud remains to be seen.  According to the organization, Nerdeen Kiswani, a law student at City University of New York (CUNY) was selected because she “boasts a despicable resume of antisemitic and oftentimes violent behavior.  She in infamous for calling for death to America and Israel during the July 2020 Brooklyn ‘Day of Rage’ protests, threatening to set an African American man on fire over wearing an IDF sweatshirt, glorifying terrorism on social media, and bullying a Jewish student of of their law school.

Commented Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism.org, “Too many antisemites like Kiswani are spreading their radical hate through mainstream sectors, from education to law, by disguising it as criticisms of Israel. We must expose the real goals of these antisemites to prevent them from destroying our society. That is why StopAntisemitism.org has been at the forefront of efforts that call on public and private entities to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, which defines anti-Zionism as antisemitism.  We are taking action against hate before it’s far too late.”

Last year Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, was at the top of StopAntisemitism’s list.  Runners up this year included Simone Zimmerman and Ice Cube.
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Deborah Lipstadt announces her support for Rev. Rafael Warnock in Forward Op-Ed

In an article in The Forward, Deborah E. Lipstadt, author of AntiSemitism Here and Now,  says that Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, is a better pro-Jewish choice than Republican incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler.  Whereas Warnock had made some statements critical of Israel in the past, which he since has recanted, Lipstadt said, Loeffler has accepted the embrace of right-wing Q-Anon conspiracy mongers, whose philosophy she describes as follows:  “They speak of a ‘white genocide conspiracy’ theory. It contends that there is a plan afoot to destroy white Christian culture by flooding countries in Europe and North America with black and brown people. But, the theory contends, ‘these people’ are not talented enough to pull off this cultural genocide on their own. The true culprits are those financing and directing the genocide from behind the curtain: the Jews.”
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Appellate Court in New York Agrees Fordham University May Bar Students for Justice in Palestine

An Appellate Court in New York, citing an amicus brief from StandWithUs, has ruled that Fordham University, as a private university, was within its rights declining to grant recognition to a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine on the grounds that it has proved to be a disruptive influence on other college campuses across the country.  In its decision, the court agreed that Fordham University, in New York City, had the right to decide that SJP would “work against rather than enhance” the university’s commitment to “open dialogue and mutual understanding.”

Carly Gammill, director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism, commented, “Today’s court ruling sets a precedent for private universities, showing that they have a right to reject hatred and discrimination from fomenting on campus.”

Aaron Eitan Meyer, pro bono attorney for StandWithUs. said, “As we stated in our amicus brief, and as counsel for Fordham argued, the university properly followed its own guidelines and made a reasoned decision based upon its findings that a student club affiliated with national Students for Justice in Palestine was not desirable. The lower court erred in granting the petition, and should not have effectively compelled Fordham to act contrary to its own interest. It is gratifying and reaffirming to see the Appellate Division correctly decide this issue based upon applicable law, rather than anyone who argued about what they feel Fordham should or should not have done or how inapplicable federal law theoretically could have been applied.”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com