OntheWilderSide

KFPK is a Pacifica radio station serving the Los Angeles area. Pacifica stations are free speech, community radio in support of peace and justice. Each Pacifica station has a Local Station Board (LSB) which is elected by the membership. The results of the recent KPFK election are here and below. It appears that they are contested, and may change over the next few weeks.

From the KPFK web-site:

The 2007 KPFK Local Station Board Elections is now over.

The ballots have been collected and quorum has been reached.

Official Elections Results Issued By Casey Peters, Pacifica National Election Supervisor
Note – These results are under contest due to eligibility questions of some candidates, and may change in the next few weeks.

Results as of Dec 30th of the Hand Count of KPFK ballots for Listener Sponsor Delegates to Local Station Board [are below, includes 9 slots and 5 alternates, with my comments in brackets. -KW]

**Ahjamu Makalani (write-in) ELECTED (1st round)** [This new member is a leader in the PDA. He was promoted by the Committee to Strengthen KPFK which took 7 of the 9 seats.]

**Update of 1/21/2008 – on the KPFK web-site, it appears that the new results have been certified, and that Ahjamu Makalni was disqualified – guess because he was a write-in.

Grace Aaron ELECTED (20th round) [Member of Committee to Strengthen KPFK]

Donna Warren ELECTED (22nd round) [Green Party member. I supported Donna Warren’s candidacy when she was attacked by some partisan Greens* in California. Member of Committee to Strengthen KPFK]

Shel Plotkin ELECTED (24th round) [Member of Committee to Strengthen KPFK]

Leslie Radford ELECTED (25th round) [Host of Radio Justice web-site. Attacked the Committee to Strengthen KPFK members fiercely on Indy Media. Leslie Radford’s slate gained only 2 out of 9 seats. There can be value to having the dissent represented, let’s hope that is the case.]

Summer Reese ELECTED (25th round) [Member of Committee to Strengthen KPFK. Also, mentioned as a possible candidate to consider on Leslie Radford’s Radio Justice web-site. So, perhaps Summer Reese can be a mediator among factions.]

Lich Doan ELECTED (25th round) [Member of Committee to Strengthen KPFK. I am in New York, not LA. So, I am not seeped in details. But, if I had to guess, I think that the concern about eligibility question might be because someone is suggesting Lich Doan is “unpaid staff” rather than listener. That is only my guess.]

Ricco Ross ELECTED (28th round) [Another prominent Democrat. Member of Committee to Strengthen KPFK]

Reza Pour ELECTED (28th round) [Listed as a suggested candidate on the Radio Justice web-site.]

**Update on 1/21/2008: Based on disqualifying of the write-in candidate, Israel Feuer has moved up to being an elected member.**

[The alternates…this is where it might get even more interesting…]

**Israel Feuer FIRST ALTERNATE [Ran as an independent. Member and former candidate of the “Peace and Freedom Party.” Long-time volunteer and activist. I guessed he would win, because during the election, Israel’s profile had so many more hits than everyone else’s. It might be nice if someone above got squeezed out, and allowed an independent on the board. Though, not sure who is getting the squeeze right now.]

**Note that as of 1/21/2008, certified election results show that Israel Feuer won a seat, and is a full-fledged board member. 

Bayard Condon SECOND ALTERNATE [I believe he ran as a total independent. He ran on a platform of bringing more 9-11 Truth programming to the station. Good showing, I think, for Bayard and the cause.]

Rufina Juarez THIRD ALTERNATE [A Radio Justice web-site suggested candidate]

John Wenger FOURTH ALTERNATE [I believe that this candidate had been on the Committee to Strengthen KPFK, yet, was not on the list as of the mailer. That is only my recollection. John Wenger is another Green who was viciously attacked, along with Donna Warren, by a faction of California Greens. I did not know John Wenger enough to defend him as fiercely as I defended Donna Warren.]

Lamont Yeakey FIFTH ALTERNATE [Committee to Strengthen KPFK]

[End of results posted at the KFPK web-site]

So, as of this count of the ballots, there were 10 members of the Leslie Radford/Radio Justice grouping who did not win any place as an LSB member or alternate.

*For the record, here are the California Greens who signed onto the attack piece against Green Party member Donna Warren (who won the election anyway), and Green Party member John Wenger (who did not win a seat):

Mike Feinstein – mfeinstein@feinstein.org
Genevieve Marcus – drmarcus@pacbell.net
Linda Piera-Avila – lindap_a@verizon.net
Sasha Karlik – sasha@greens.org
Tracy Larkins – lark2@mindspring.com

Related information:

Green heroine, Donna Warren, runs for KPFK

Attack piece against Greens running for KPFK LSB

Filed under: Anti-War, elections, Our Favorite Radio Stations, progressive politics, write-in vote Tagged: | Donna Warren