Ron and Phil Show

Two weeks ago Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval skipped out on San Francisco’s assessor-recorder debate, sponsored by two ostensibly pro-Mayor Gavin Newsom and politically moderate organizations –– the City Democratic Club and Plan C. That left Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting and former Deputy Assessor Ron Chun to duke it out. … Sandoval’s absence might be telling –– that he’s swinging left, and conceding the centrist battleground to Chun and Ting, who won the endorsement of the City Democratic Club. … DANGERS OF SKIPPING: Sandoval had confirmed his appearance. … There’s the danger of conceding the consolation votes under ranked choice voting. … Sandoval might not have won voter’s first choice, but he might have gained the consolation prize of the second or third choice. … VERY QUALIFIED: Chun and Ting are very qualified. Ron was the former deputy assessor, former member of the assessment appeals board, IRS internal agent who checked up on other agents. So, Ron Chun has more “depth” in terms of professional experience, while Phil Ting has more “breadth” combining his professional and community experience. … Although Phil worked for Arthur Andersen accounting and SSR Realty, he has the edge in community experience –– having been executive director of Asian Law Caucus. … POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Both have run demonstrated very credible citywide runs. Chun finished third for assessor in 2002, Ting finished second for a municipal utility board seat in 2003. … So, it’s the rare occasion where the APAs have two well-qualified candidates. … WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?: For APAs, the tie-breaker may come down to the “politics” in “professionalism, not politics,” a theme espoused by both. … For example, Chun and Ting will likely differ on the issue of student assignments, which has little to do with the office. However, the issue does matter should Chun or Ting run for another office. … Chun was part of the effort fighting the old, discriminatory, anti-Chinese student assignment policy, while Ting’s ALC was not. … BANANA SPLIT: In the race for assessor-recorder, appointee Ting gets the party-aligned Westside Chinese Democratic Club. Contender Chun gets the non-aligned Chinese American Democratic Club.

GENERATIONAL CHANGE: San Jose City Council candidates –– Linda and Madison (who won two weeks ago) Nguyen –– are Democrats and age 30 and under –– which means that they were born at or after the fall of Saigon in 1975. … Add to that –– Hubert Vo won as a Democrat for the Texas legislature. It offers an insight into a new generation of Vietnamese American leadership once perceived as hardcore Republican, anti-communist and waving the flag of the former Republic of South Vietnam. … For old-timers, Democrats were perceived as the party that abandoned South Vietnam in 1975, despite Republican president efforts to send support after American withdrawal in 1972.