Steve Ngo for San Francisco Community College Board

Friends-

We won! As of late yesterday, we received 87,605 votes, securing us a seat on the San Francisco Community College Board! Though the Elections Department is still counting votes, there are now not enough left to overcome our lead that widened from 278 votes to 4,283 over the past 14 days.

When we launched this endeavor over eight months ago, there was just you, me and our shared belief in the power of education to transform lives. As the endorsements came, your sustained support continued to make this candidacy viable, and ultimately, victorious. This feat was only possible because of you, the time and labor you gave to gather signatures, plan events, send e-mails, make phone calls and drop literature (even in the rain). One hundred volunteers and 700 donations powered this campaign.  We won this election together. This achievement is ours.

I am so proud of and grateful for all you’ve done. I am so humbled by the people of this great city for giving me a chance to serve.

I am also excited about all that we will continue to do. There are so many public policy challenges that confront us, and not just in education. But if this year taught me anything, it is that we have the power to change the course of events in our world — from the bottom up. This generation, our generation, the most diverse and progressive-minded with the most immigrants and children of immigrants in the history of our nation, made our mark this year. We elected a president and advanced civil and human rights in our country, standing decisively against the attack on the freedom to marry. And that was just the beginning.

As I mentioned often on the campaign trail, I believe electoral politics is, at its best, movement politics — not about a single person or candidate but a vision of justice and the journey a people take to get there. I was very much honored to have you beside me this year and look forward to the steps we’ll continue to take together.

Yours always,Steve

Dear Friends-

This long campaign just got a little longer. With 100 percent of the precincts in San Francisco reporting as of 1:30 a.m. or so this morning, we finished among the top four finishers in this race - 278 votes ahead of the fifth place candidate. This was an amazing feat in and of itself; we received 51,431 votes as of this morning. Remember, the highest four vote-getters are elected.Unfortunately, there is no resolution yet to this campaign. I’ve confirmed with the Department of Elections that there are at least 27,000 absentee ballots and 16,000 provisional ballots that were submitted on Election Day at the polls. These ballots still need to be counted.

Votes cast early and absentee votes received on Sunday and Monday have also not been counted. I do not yet know the approximate number of those votes that still need to be counted.

The Elections Department will post results daily by 4pm until all the votes are counted. You can go here everyday to check it out:

http://www.sfgov.org/site/elections_index.asp?id=70720

We are confident we will remain among the top four candidates, but only time will tell. We expect to know no later than in a couple of weeks. Today’s updated count was promising as we increased our lead over the fifth place candidate to 417 votes:

1. M. Marks 92,769/20.64 %
2. N. Berg 70,033/15.58 %
3. C. Jackson 57,980/12.90 %
4. STEVE NGO 52,382/11.66 %
5. M. Hernandez 51,965/11.56 %

What I am certain of, however, is that every single vote counted in this race — every dime you gave, every e-mail you sent, every precinct you walked made a difference. It will carry us. We would not be here without you. Thank you for all of your words of encouragement and support!

We will get there.

Yours always,

Steve

Dear Friends-

We are only $475 away from raising $75,000!  This was the target we set for ourselves at the beginning of the campaign. After over 700 donations, we are almost there.  This feat is a testament to your generosity and commitment to our shared vision of expanding equality, freedom and opportunity.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

But today, I’m not asking you to donate to the campaign again to help us reach that goal.  We’ll raise that money on another day.

Here is my last “ask” of this campaign:
Will you please make a donation to defeat Proposition 8?  In addition to education, we know that the fight for full equality of our LGBT brothers and sisters is one part of the unfinished legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.  That fight is taking place right now on the ballot in California.  Your donation, in any amount you can afford, will help advance our common struggle to expand civil and human rights in our country.  There is a television and media war taking place, as you know.  One of the television ads cites Senator Dianne Feinstein’s, Senator Barack Obama’s and Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar’s opposition to Proposition 8.  We can win and defeat proposition 8!  To see the ad and donate, go here.

Yours always,
Steve
P.S.  If you want my take on the other state propositions, here you go:

Vote NO on these:

4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Vote YES on these:

1A, 2, 3, 5, 12

Friends-

The San Francisco Chronicle just endorsed our campaign for Community College Board!
As we head into the final stretch, we get an added boost:
State Controller John Chiang joins us in San Francisco today to kick-off our 8-day sprint to Election Day.  We are holding a press conference this morning where he will offer his formal endorsement and share his reasons for supporting our campaign.  He was our very first donor so he has been with us since the beginning.  As one of the best elected public servants in California, we are honored to have Controller Chiang with us as we close out the campaign.

I hope you can join us tonight for our phone bank at Obama-Biden headquarters, 939 Market Street (Powell), between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.  We will also be turning out the vote for Obama, No on 4 and No on 8.  There will be food so it can be a working dinner.  Hope to see you there!

Thanks again for your support.

Friends-We have 12 days left. This is our big push with only 2 weekends before Election Day. Since March, we’ve taken this journey together and are nearing the end. We can win this together in these last days. Here is how you can put us over the top:

10 days left. Saturday, October 25th. 1 p.m. Caffe Trieste (NOT the one in North Beach). Market and Gough. There we will meet and send you to drop literature in specific precincts or put more window signs up in the City.

9 days left. Saturday, October 26th. 1 p.m. Caffe Trieste (NOT the one in North Beach). Market and Gough. Same as Saturday.

8 days left. Monday, October 27th. 5:30 p.m. Phone bank at Obama-Biden Headquarters, 939 Market Street (near Powell). We’re calling for Obama, No on 4, No on 8, as well as our campaign.

7 days left. Tuesday, October 28th. 5:30 p.m. The Bucheon Gallery, along with friends Susan Christian and Rebecca Prozan, are hosting a reception to help raise money for the campaign. This beautiful gallery is at 389 Grove Street in Hayes Valley. We are providing refreshments and asking for $40. We’re only thousands away from our fundraising goal!

6 days left. Wednesday, October 29th. 7 p.m. Butterfly Restaurant, along with friends Genevieve Jopanda, Tina Lee, Keesa Ocampo and Rich Pio Roda, are hosting the last fundraiser before Election Day. This mixer will feature a personalized appetizer menu prepared by rising-star chef Rob Lam. Butterfly is at Pier 33. Minimum donation is $75, reduced to $50 only with a $25 matching donation to the No on 8 campaign.

5 days left. Thursday, October 30th. 8 a.m. Muni/Bart station of your choice. Bring a buddy or we can find you one to help hand out flyers.

4 days left. Friday, October 31st. 8 a.m. Muni/Bart station of your choice. It’s Halloween. Wear your costume if you want! Help hand out flyers.

For details on any of these ways to help, please contact Michael Berino at michael@stevengo.com. If you have a more flexible schedule and would like to help on your own time, please let us know. We have virtual phone banks set up and are doing Bart/Muni stops every day during the week and hitting up commercial strips, festivals and grocery stores on the last two weekends.

Our campaign continues to gain momentum throughout the City with recent endorsements by Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, the Richmond District Democratic Club and Central City Democrats in addition to the Bay Area Reporter, Sing Tao Daily and AsianWeek. They join other citywide leaders, including Board of Equalization Vice-Chair Betty Yee, Assemblyman Mark Leno, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Mayor Gavin Newsom, District Attorney Kamala D. Harris, Public Defender Jeff Adachi, Treasurer Jose Cisneros, Assessor Phil Ting, Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Tom Ammiano, Carmen Chu and Bevan Dufty, as well as organizations, such as the San Francisco Democratic Party, SEIU Local 1021, AFT 2121, Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, Plan C, San Francisco Women’s Political Committee and the San Francisco Young Democrats.

I am equally proud of your endorsement. We would not have a chance to win this race without you. Thank you very much to all of you who have been making phone calls, e-mailing your friends, writing more checks, standing at Bart/Muni and dropping literature during these past several weeks. Your help in the last 12 days will make all the difference. As always, I am grateful for your friendship and support. See you soon!

Steve

Spread the word. Send friends to www.SteveNgo.com.

Dear Friends-

We have 19 days left to win this race. People are voting right now. Could you please call some voters for me?

Please come by after work every Monday. We’re set up at the San Francisco Obama-Biden headquarters, located at 939 Market Street (at Powell). We’ll provide some dinner, as well as a phone and a call list. Together, we will turn out the vote for Obama, No on Proposition 4, No on Proposition 8 and me. Here is the schedule:

• Monday. Oct. 20 @ 5:30pm-8:30pm.
• Monday. Oct. 27 @ 5:30pm-8:30pm.
• Monday. Nov. 3 @ 5:30pm-8:30pm (the Monday before Election Day!).

Please contact Michael Berino to reserve a slot. His e-mail is michael@stevengo.comOur virtual phone bank is also up and running, so if you can’t call on any of these days, but want to make a difference, Michael can set you up via e-mail on your own computer where you can call voters in the comfort of your own home. We have friends and family calling from all over the country so please help if you can.

One more thing. Please e-mail your friends again. Remember that e-mail list I asked you to save? Can you send a reminder e-mail to all of your friends who live in San Francisco to vote for me? Our website is updated so please feel free to direct them there in your e-mail.

Go here: www.SteveNgo.com

Thanks again for all your support. November 4th!

Steve

Friends:

Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, Supervisors Tom Ammiano, Carmen Chu and Bevan Dufty have endorsed my candidacy for San Francisco Community College Board! They join other city leaders, including Mayor Gavin Newsom, District Attorney Kamala D. Harris, Public Defender Jeff Adachi, Treasurer Jose Cisneros and Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting.

We continue to build widespread support throughout the city with 50 days to go until Election Day!

The Noe Valley Democratic Club, San Francisco Young Democrats, Chinese American Democratic Club, Chinese American Citizens Alliance, FDR Democratic Club, Plan C, Westside Chinese Democratic Club and Tenant Associations Coalition have also joined our campaign. These organizations build on the support of the San Francisco Democratic Party, Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, Services Employees International Union, Local 1021 and the American Federation of Teachers, Local 2121, the faculty union at City College.

There are only 50 days left to go and I mean it when I say I cannot win this without you — by walking several neighborhood blocks, handing out flyers at Muni and Bart Stations, or making a donation so we can reach more voters by mail.

Here is where and when we are meeting this weekend to walk precincts:

Saturday, September 20th. 11:00 a.m. Martha Bros. Coffee Shop. Inner Richmond. 3rd and Clement.

Sunday, September 21st. 11:00 a.m. Peet’s Coffee. Inner Richmond. 16th and Geary.

Please contact our Field Coordinator, Michael Berino at michael@stevengo.com, if you can help drop flyers on doorsteps this weekend or if you are interested in handing out materials at your Muni or Bart stop.

I cannot thank you enough for all your sacrifice in time and money. See you soon!

Steve

Friends:

The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee have joined our campaign for San Francisco Community College Board! Alice is one of the oldest LGBT organizations in the country, and has fought tirelessly to secure equal rights and opportunities for LGBT Americans in California and throughout the country. SFWPC is the largest women’s organization in San Francisco. I am profoundly honored to have their support, and look forward to working with them on defeating Proposition 4 and Proposition 8 on Election Day.

Our voter outreach program continues. We need your help from now until November 4th. Please join me this weekend, September 13 and 14 as we begin to drop campaign literature on doorsteps throughout the City. Here is how we can win:

Walking.

Saturday, September 13. Inner Richmond. 11 a.m. Toy Boat Dessert Cafe. 401 Clement Street (between 5th and 6th).
Sunday, September 14. Inner Richmond. 11 a.m. Peet’s Coffee. 5201 Geary (at 16th).

If you can volunteer this weekend or any other time, please contact Brett Silton at brett@stevengo.com.

Giving.

There are only 54 days left to give — and every dollar counts. In addition to dropping off brochures on doorsteps and making phone calls, we will be sending mail directly to voters, with your financial support. I would be grateful for any amount you can give today.

Friends:

SEIU Local 1021 and AFT Local 2121 have just joined our campaign for San Francisco Community College Board! Service Employees International Union, Local 1021, is made up of over 54,000 members in Northern California. The American Federation of Teachers, Local 2121, represents the faculty of City College of San Francisco and has over 1,100 members. I’m deeply honored to have their support. We are now over 55,000 stronger.

We are more ready than ever to fight for change in November, from the bottom to the top of the ticket!Our voter outreach program begins in full tilt this month through Election Day. We need your help. Please join me this weekend, September 6 and 7 as we begin to drop campaign literature on doorsteps throughout the City. Here is how we can win this race together:

Walking.

Saturday, September 6. Inner Richmond. 12 p.m. Toy Boat Dessert Cafe. 401 Clement Street (between 5th and 6th).
Sunday, September 7. The Castro. 12 p.m. Muni Exit at Diesel Store. Castro and Market.

If you can volunteer this weekend or any other time, please contact Brett Silton at brett@stevengo.com.

Giving.

There are only 61 days left to give. A donation in any amount will have an impact on this race. We need to reach as many voters as possible. In addition to dropping off brochures on doorsteps and making phone calls, we will be sending mail directly to voters. But we need money to do it. We are slowly getting closer to meeting our budget — and every dollar counts. I would be grateful for any amount you can give today.

Thank you again for your friendship. This endeavor would not be possible without your time and support. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!

Steve

Dear Friends:

I am excited and honored to announce that San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros and San Francisco School Board Commissioner Hydra Mendoza have endorsed my candidacy for the Community College Board. I admire their leadership and their service to San Francisco, and look forward to working with them on forging a K through Life Partnership between City College, Unified and the City to expand the transformational power of education to more people in the City.

Building on the momentum of the San Francisco Democratic Party endorsement last week, we got up 100 signs this weekend, mainly in the Outer Sunset and Inner Richmond. Thank you to those who spent a part of your Saturday with me to help spread the word — and to those who put up a sign in your window! We are continuing with our merchant walks this weekend, but with a slight change of plans:

* Saturday, August 23rd at 12:00 p.m. Excelsior. The corner of Mission and Brazil
* Sunday, August 24th at 12:00 p.m. Noe Valley. Bell Market at 3950 24th Street

To get a window sign delivered to you and or to volunteer, please contact our campaign manager Brett Silton at brett@stevengo.com.

We are also working hard to meet our budget for the campaign. We will be sending mail to voters in October and need your support to make this happen. The more money we have, the more mail we can get into voters’ mailboxes. Every dollar will have an impact. Please consider making a donation in any amount today.

I know I cannot do this without you and am so grateful for your friendship and support! I hope to see you this weekend!

Steve