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Tom Noddy Explains How the Santa Cruz Recall is Undemocratic

by Santa Cruz News Network
Known world-wide as a performing artist for his enchanting "Bubble-Magic" show, Santa Cruz's Tom Noddy explains why he believes the campaign to recall Santa Cruz City Councilmembers Chris Krohn and Drew Glover is "an effort to reverse the results of the election through a less democratic process". In a recent post on his Facebook page, Noddy states: "the two progressives, in order to hold their seats, must receive 50% +1 of the electorate and if they don't, they will be replaced by one of the field of opponents who will win the seat if they get the most votes of any of the opponents in the field running against the incumbent and, under this process, the incumbent is NOT considered to be a member of the field (! ... that's the trick). So the winner of the recent election if he gets 49% of the vote can be replaced by one of the big pro-development opponents who gets 30%"
sm_tom-noddy-bubble-magic---torus.jpg

Photo: Tom Noddy's Bubble Magic has been featured on televisions shows all over the world over the years. (Credit: tomnoddy.com)


Here is Tom Noddy's full post concerning the recall campaign:


A petitioner in front of Trader Joe's tried to get me to sign and he was explaining how important it is to remove two of the four person majority of progressives who won seats on the Santa Cruz city council in the last election.

When I declined, he tried to engage me in an a discussion of how dangerous the homeless population of our town are and how those two council members support them.

I tried to engage him in a discussion of how using the Recall so soon after the election is an effort to reverse the results of the election through a less democratic process.

He insists that this Recall Election IS a democratic process. I reminded him that the two progressives, in order to hold their seats, must receive 50% +1 of the electorate and if they don't, they will be replaced by one of the field of opponents who will win the seat if they get the most votes of any of the opponents in the field running against the incumbent and, under this process, the incumbent is NOT considered to be a member of the field (! ... that's the trick). So the winner of the recent election if he gets 49% of the vote can be replaced by one of the big pro-development opponents who gets 30%

We had not discussed the widely debated topic of race (one of the people being recalled is one of the first black men to serve in this town) but as I was leaving he hollered about how these guys are "... turning Santa Cruz into Oakland!"

I don't know for a fact that his was a reference to race but ... yeah ... it was.

If you are not from around here ... Santa Cruz's black population is well under 2% and in Oakland (70 miles to the north) it's closer to 25% black.

Don't sign that petition ... that group isn't trying to "Save Santa Cruz" except in the sense that this guy spoke to ... and then hollered about. Don't let them use your distaste for seeing homeless people to enlist you in their cause ... it's dirty.


For more information about Tom Noddy's Bubble Magic, visit tomnoddy.com.


More information about the campaign to stop the recalls can be found: here.

A list of donors to the recall campaign can be found: here.

A list of businesses to boycott whose owners are supporting the recall effort can be found: here.

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Trip Weir
Mon, Sep 9, 2019 5:12PM
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