Hi John,
Results have started coming out on many important elections, propositions, and ballot measures. There is a lot to pay attention to right now, but I wanted to make sure you heard the news about the two groundbreaking factory farm ban measures that were on the ballot in Berkeley, California and Sonoma County, California.
Berkeley Results Are Looking Good
In Berkeley, initial results show that Measure DD has gotten 59% ‘YES’ votes. Should the trend continue, it will go into effect immediately once the official vote is certified, which would make Berkeley the first city in the country to ban factory farms!
Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that large, industrial animal operations harm animals, the environment, workers, and public health. Berkeley’s only large animal operation, the Golden Gate Fields horse racing track, shut down earlier this year following years of pressure including protests organized by DxE. By passing Measure DD, Berkeley voters will guarantee that no such facility ever opens in Berkeley in the future. This bold new law will also set a precedent that other cities -- and eventually states -- can follow!
Sonoma County’s Factory Farm Ban Did Not Pass, But Momentum Is Building
In Sonoma County, California, where there are dozens of factory farms and industry opposition was fierce, initial results show that Measure J has gotten 15% ‘YES’ votes. We have a long way to go, but we have put the factory farming industry on the defense and they are treating our movement as a serious threat. The opposition was forced to spend millions of dollars and resort to fearmongering and outright lies to scare voters into voting no. The opposition outspent the Yes on J campaign 8-to-1! They did this because they know that public support for their industry is falling and they were desperate to confuse voters.
Unfortunately, the industry had powerful elected leaders on their side. The County Board of Supervisors went to unprecedented lengths to hinder Measure J’s chances, including removing critical language from the ballot question and pressuring elected officials in every city in the county to oppose Measure J.
Losing Forward
While we are disappointed that the opportunity to alleviate animal suffering and move our society in a better direction fell short in Sonoma County, we've always known that ending factory farming will take time -- and losses -- along the way.
As celebrated gay rights activist Evan Wolfson describes it, we must “lose forward.” During the fight for marriage equality, Wolfson says that even losing campaigns created “the opportunity to enlist more support, build more coalitions, and make it possible for more candidates and non-gay opinion-leaders to move toward fairness.”
Beyond marriage equality, many important advancements initially lost at the ballot box before they succeeded. For example, 15 years before California legalized women’s right to vote, early leaders in this movement got the issue on the California statewide ballot but it lost. Wins and losses across the country led the way to the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave people of all sexes the right to vote.
Although Measure J ultimately lost at the ballot box, this campaign was a huge win in so many ways, from generating 100+ news articles about Sonoma County factory farms to bringing out new volunteers who have been inspired and transformed by this experience. We made factory farming the #1 issue in Sonoma County. The awareness, education, and momentum we created is only going to continue. All of us involved learned so much throughout this campaign, and Measure J supporters are already discussing what’s next.
Join the Call Tonight
Join our Zoom call tonight at 6:00 PM Pacific Time to hear more takeaways from the Measure J campaign and other animal protection initiatives that were on the ballot in Denver. We’ll be joined by organizers with Pro-Animal Future who led the Denver ballot measure campaigns to ban fur and ban slaughterhouses, which gained significant amounts of support though not the majority needed to win.
As our movement tries new tactics to address a powerful industry, we are constantly learning and finding new avenues for creating change. Join us tonight to learn more, and let’s keep fighting to change the world for animals.
Almira
