Ed Buck, a Democratic donor and activist whose West Hollywood apartment was the scene of two methamphetamine overdose deaths since 2017, was arrested on Tuesday after investigators said a third man suffered an overdose in his home last week.
Mr. Buck, 65, who has not faced charges for the earlier overdoses but was subject to a wrongful-death lawsuit, was charged on Tuesday with battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house. He faces up to five years and eight months in prison.
The charges relate only to the most recent incident on Sept. 11, when the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office says Mr. Buck injected a 37-year-old man with methamphetamine in Mr. Buck’s home. The man, who was not identified, survived the overdose.
Buck, who was arrested at his home Tuesday, should be held on $4 million bail because he is a “violent, dangerous sexual predator” who “mainly preys on men made vulnerable by addiction and homelessness,” prosecutors said in a motion. Buck took advantage of his position of power and offered drugs, money and shelter to mainly addicted and homeless men in exchange for participating in sexual fetishes, including a fetish that involved administering dangerous doses of drugs, the motion said.
Buck came under investigation in January after 55-year-old Timothy Dean was found dead of an accidental methamphetamine overdose in his apartment. It was the second such death in two years, following the July 2017 death of Gemmel Moore, 26. Both men were black. Buck, who is white, was not charged and critics later questioned if wealth, race or political ties influenced the investigations.
Moore’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Buck, 65, in February alleging that he injected her son with a lethal dose of crystal methamphetamine. The complaint describes Buck as a wealthy white man who “had a predatory and injurious system of soliciting Black men and watching them cling to life.”
Both Moore and another man found dead at Buck’s house, Timothy Dean, were black. The lawsuit accuses him of wrongful death, sexual battery and assault and says he was not prosecuted “because he is white, and because Mr. Moore was Black.”
After the second man’s death in January, I reported that local LGBT activists had besieged law enforcement with demands for action.
Right wing sites had a field day with the story, running images of Buck with prominent Democrats including Hillary Clinton, Rep. Ted Lieu, and Rep. Adam Schiff.
Every year, the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) publishes a comprehensive report on HIV incidence and prevalence in the city, showing HIV trends to guide the public health response. Continuing a downward trend since the peak of the HIV epidemic in the 1990s, the most recent report with 2018 data shares a historic milestone reached by the city: Fewer than 200 HIV diagnoses occurred in San Francisco.
A total of 197 people were diagnosed with HIV last year in San Francisco. This is a 13% decline from 227 diagnoses made in 2017, and a 62% decline from 523 infections ten years ago in 2008. The peak number of HIV diagnoses in San Francisco occurred in 1992 with 2,327 diagnoses.
Most people (94%) living with HIV are aware of their status, and 91% of people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2018 entered care within one month. It is estimated that 74% of people with a last known address in San Francisco who are living with HIV were virally suppressed in 2017.
“I am really delighted that we in San Francisco, since the 1980s, have been at the forefront of pushing for innovative ways to change policies, new sciences and technologies to help us get to this milestone,” said Mayor London Breed at a press conference at Zuckerberg San Francisco General’s Ward 86. “This shows that when we work together with the community, with our policy makers, with our public health experts, and our nonprofits we can make a difference and save people’s lives.”
“We are pleased, but not satisfied,” said Diane Havlir, MD, who spoke on behalf of the Getting to Zero consortium. “We’re not satisfied because we had nearly 200 new diagnoses of HIV in our city—and it’s a preventable disease.”
Differences by Race and Ethnicity, Housing Status and for People who Inject Drugs
People of color, people experiencing homelessness and people who inject drugs continue to experience higher diagnosis rates, lower viral suppression rates and lower survival rates.
People of color are disproportionately affected by HIV
African American and Latinx men had the highest diagnosis rates (145 and 89 per 100,000), and rates increased from previous years. Diagnosis rates for white men have declined steadily since 2012. Among women, African Americans had a much higher diagnosis rate (35 per 100,000) than women of other races.
Overall, 74% of people living with HIV in San Francisco were virally suppressed, while viral suppression rates were lower for African Americans (68%), trans women (68%), women (66%), people who use injection drugs (65%), men who have sex with men who inject drugs (68%) and trans women who inject drugs (64%).
“San Francisco continues to make unprecedented progress towards ending the HIV epidemic,” said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “However, we continue to see racial disparities related to HIV health outcomes. To end HIV transmission and AIDS-related deaths, the public health system needs to address the systemic racism that is inhibiting our progress.”
“We have to double down on these gaps that we’re seeing,” said Havlir. “We need to listen, and we need to deploy new innovative approaches with tools that have. With PrEP. And with upcoming tools like long-acting injectable [HIV] therapies which could make it a lot easier for some of our populations.”
Homelessness compounds HIV risk and severity of health outcomes
As the number of new HIV diagnoses shrinks year after year in San Francisco, and the number of people experiencing homelessness grows, a higher proportion of HIV diagnoses are occurring among people without access to medical care, social support and prevention resources—in particular people without housing.
In 2018, 20% (40) of new HIV diagnoses were among people without housing compared to 10% (29) in 2015. There were 8,011 people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco in January 2019, according to the 2019 San Francisco Homeless Point-in-Time Count and Survey, a 14% increase since 2013.
People without housing are also much less likely to be virally suppressed. Only 33% of people experiencing homelessness were virally suppressed, compared to 74% of people overall.
“We know that many elements that are key to success, for people living with HIV, are challenging if you don’t have a place to live,” said Monica Ghandi, MD, MPH, medical director of the SFGH HIV clinic. “That would be like making and keeping appointments. Where you store your medications, and where you keep them safe. Maintaining safe sex, and healthy eating. All of these barriers to taking your medications every day are amplified 100-fold if you don’t have a home.”
“Our focus on disparities really has to focus on ensuring that we reach people where they are,” said Hyman Scott, MD, MPH from Bridge HIV at SFDPH. “There are no ‘hard to reach’ populations—there are just ‘hard to deliver’ services. We need to re-think the way we approach some of these services that we deliver.”
HIV and people who inject drugs
People who inject drugs account for 25% of new HIV diagnoses, (10% are men who have sex with men who inject drugs; 1% are trans women who inject drugs; 14% are other people who inject drugs), a proportion which has risen over the years.
In addition to accounting for a higher proportion of HIV diagnoses, injection drug use is associated with worse health outcomes: People who inject drugs are less likely to be virally suppressed and have lower three-year survival rates after an AIDS diagnosis.
The percentage of people who are diagnosed with HIV who inject drugs is rising steadily every year, while reductions are seen in other populations including men who have sex with men.
“San Francisco has a robust syringe access program, which has kept HIV transmission rates low among people who inject drugs, but it’s not sufficient to eliminate HIV transmission among people who inject,” said Laura Thomas, director of harm reduction policy at San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “Housing instability and displacement make it challenging for people who use substances to always do so safely. That’s why it’s so important for us to establish safe injection sites in our city.”
“Unless we invest in expanding low barrier substance use and mental health counseling services like those offered at our Harm Reduction Center and at the Stonewall Project, I worry that increased HIV infection trends like those we’re seeing with people who inject drugs will continue,” said Mike Discepola, MA, senior director of behavioral health services and the Stonewall Project at San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “We will not get to zero new infections in San Francisco unless we focus services on our most vulnerable populations. This includes those who inject and use drugs, are experiencing homelessness or have untreated mental health concerns.”
An Aging HIV Population
With nearly 16,000 people living with HIV in San Francisco, two-thirds (10,691 people) are age 50 and older.
“We know that this is the generation that didn’t plan to live,” said Vince Crisostomo, manager of theElizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network at San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “They didn’t plan financially, they didn’t set up 401Ks. But, they did live. And service providers need to be thinking about how to adjust services to meet the needs of these long-term survivors. How can we provide culturally competent services for people of older age who are living with HIV?”
“To end the epidemic we cannot leave anyone behind,” said Hollendoner. “We must achieve this ambitious goal together and prove to the world that it can be done.”
Guided by a new 5-year strategic plan, San Francisco AIDS Foundation charts a course for improving the sexual health outcomes of people of color and other priority communities, establishing safe injection sites, creating a comprehensive network of health and wellness services for people over age 50 who are living with HIV, and living our values of racial justice.
A lesbian couple who asked to hold their wedding at a California winery were turned down because of the owner’s “religious beliefs.”
One of the brides posted her correspondence with the winery on Facebook to call for a boycott after its “overt homophobia”.
The email from Viaggio winery’s weddings and events director read: “While Viaggio Winery welcomes your business, we have never hosted a same-sex marriage.
“[The owners] understand that California statutory law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, and they don’t like to think they would ever discriminate on that basis even if a law allowed them to do so.
“However, the owner also has a very strong personal religious belief regarding marriage, which is for marriage to be between heterosexual couples only. They believe that the United States Constitution and the California Constitution protect these religious beliefs and their right to express them.”
It then said that the owners would be willing to let the couple hold their reception there and take photos in their wedding dresses, as long as the ceremony was not on their property.
Responses to the Facebook post included: “The nerve thinking you and your beautiful bride would want to spend a dime there, or expose your family and friends to such a bigoted environment, after being told of the owner’s ‘feelings.’”
Another person said: “As a Christian I am so sick and tired of people using Jesus as a cover or an excuse for their homophobia. While they offer to take your money. How generous.”
The winery owners Teri and Larry Lawrence are also real estate agents.
According to her biography on the couple’s real estate website, Lawrence is “an active member of Eagle Forum of Sacramento, where she keeps abreast of current events regarding the family and business affairs”.
The Eagle Forum of Sacramento says it opposes same-sex marriage, abortion, sex education that does not teach abstinence or “‘New World Order’ interventions”.
Lawrence later provided a statement to FOX40 in which she said she had changed her mind about allowing same-sex couples to marry at the winery.
She said: “I realise now that contrary to my intent, this was hurtful to the people involved. Our staff, our customers, and our community have helped me see that I was wrong.”
The couple found another venue and are now happily married.
California lawmakers approved a statewide rent cap on Wednesday covering millions of tenants, the biggest step yet in a surge of initiatives to address an affordable-housing crunch nationwide.
The bill limits annual rent increases to 5 percent after inflation and offers new barriers to eviction, providing a bit of housing security in a state with the nation’s highest housing prices and a swelling homeless population.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has made tenant protection a priority in his first year in office, led negotiations to strengthen the legislation. He has said he would sign the bill, approved as part of a flurry of activity in the final week of the legislative session.
Assembly Bill 1482, which was authored by four Bay Area assembly members and now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, is a first for Californians who live in older apartment complexes.
The cap does not apply to apartments built within the last 15 years, only applies to single-family home rentals owned by corporations and does not affect tenants under rent control in cities such as San Francisco.
The bill also gives tenants extra protections against being evicted without cause. No Republicans in Sacramento voted for the bill. A number of Democrats abstained. Opponents argue the bill could make it less attractive to build new apartments, therefore further constricting the already tight housing supply.
One of the GLBT Historical Society’s key goals is to facilitate student access to LGBTQ history. We do this through a multipronged approach, overseeing opportunities for student engagement both at the museum and at the archives. Since the opening of the GLBT Historical Society Museum in 2011, we have offered docent-led tours to students at all levels. Of the nearly 80 museum tours we conducted in 2018, over half were provided to student groups.
Personalizing the Historical For many students, the museum is their first exposure to queer history. Others have heard of well-known figures such as Harvey Milk, but are amazed by the range of the exhibits and time periods covered. The tours inevitably inspire intelligent questions and debates, leaving students curious to learn more. The historical becomes personalized: “I had no idea all this existed,” is a common refrain that we’ve overhead as students are on their way out of the museum. The archives also welcomes student tours several times a quarter, often organized by college professors who teach queer theory, history or library-science courses. In addition, every few months the archives hosts specially designed volunteer days for college student groups participating in alternative spring break community-service activities or student leadership programs.
Most groups undertake item-level, archival processing work that fleshes out our collection finding aids. In March, for example, we welcomed a group of Willamette University students who inventoried over 500 T-shirts in our extensive T-shirt collection. And this past month, a group of LGBTQ teens finished their two-week Outward Bound program by inventorying approximately 100 banners in our banner collection. Finally, we regularly offer internships to undergraduate and graduate students in library science, museum studies and related fields. Depending on their interests and experience, interns focus on archival work, including processing; curatorial activities; museum operations; or a combination of the three. Designed to provide hands-on job training and mentorship, these positions usually last for a quarter or a semester. The number of requests for student tours, inquiries into group service projects and applications for internships indicates that there’s a real hunger among young people for knowledge about queer history — and we’ll continue to respond through our student outreach initiatives.
Kelsi Evans is director of archives and special collections at the GLBT Historical Society. Nalini Elias is the society’s curator of exhibitions.
In 2011 California ratified the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act, a law that mandates the inclusion of the political, economic and social contributions of people with disabilities and LGBTQ people in educational textbooks and the social studies curricula in California public schools. The legislation was groundbreaking in its own right, but was only a first step. Real change involves updating textbooks and classroom materials, providing teacher support and fighting efforts to water down or undermine the requirements of the statute. Eight years after passage of the FAIR Education Act, History Happens is checking in with two California educators to learn how the act is being implemented both in the policy realm and in the classroom. Don Romesburg, a professor of women’s and gender studies at Sonoma State University and one of the key advocates of the legislation, engaged in a conversation with Ángel Rafael “Ralph” Vásquez-Concepción, an eighth-grade teacher at Everett Middle School in San Francisco, to compare notes from their respective vantage points.
Ralph: Don, can you please offer some updates on the implementation of the act? How have you seen it roll out from your perspective as an advocate for the act and as a university professor?
Don: Implementation has been slow and has required tireless advocacy by LGBTQ historians, advocacy organizations, students, community members and educators. In 2014, queer historians produced Making the Framework FAIR, a policy document drawing on decades of scholarship, including research based on materials in the GLBT Historical Society’s archives. It proposed comprehensive curricular changes for the California Department of Education to incorporate into its History–Social Science Framework. In 2016 the CDE approved the revised framework, and it now features significant LGBTQ content for elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. Finally, in 2017 the CDE also approved 10 possible textbooks for the state’s K–8 classrooms, which cover most of the LGBTQ material. Since then, organizations such as the California History–Social Science Project and Our Family Coalition, as well as individuals such as me and Rob Darrow, who works with the Safe Schools Project in Santa Cruz County, have been collaborating with the state’s teachers and administrators to inegrate the LGBTQ content into their curricula. It’s been encouraging to see how enthusiastic educators are. Many want to bring LGBTQ history into their classrooms, but are unsure how. Most K–12 teachers never learned any LGBTQ history in their own primary, secondary or undergraduate education or in their credentialing and graduate programs. So there’s a big demand for training, but unfortunately not much funding to support it. Progress is being made slowly. Individual professors are teaching this content: I’ve been doing it with my undergrads at Sonoma State and so has Wendy Rouse, who teaches history for future teachers at San Jose State. Ralph, I’m interested to know how well you think implementation is going, since you’re on the ground. How proactive has San Francisco Unified School District been about training teachers on the LGBTQ content? How supported do you feel in your school, and what are some examples of ways you are teaching queer content in eighth grade?
Ralph: I feel very supported. At Everett we consistently bring up LGBTQ experiences not just in social sciences and history, but in natural sciences as well. There are many queer and Two-Spirit people who have made important contributions to our democratic and scientific institutions, and as a school we enagage that history as much as possible. During Pride Week, queer content is the backbone of lesson-planning, ensuring that our students get exposure in all their classes. Every teacher brings their unique expertise to bear; for example, I use contemporary art history and queer poetry. Don: Also, Ralph, how could you use the GLBT Historical Society’s resources in teaching students?
Ralph: While consulting the archives for past exhibitions I have curated at the GLBT Historical Society Museum, I have used materials that could serve as primary source documentation of queer life in this city. It would be great to create lessons around some of these materials. Don, can you offer some clues as to how similar legislation is proceeding in other parts of the country?
Don: It’s been so exciting to see how what started in California has taken off nationally. New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois and Oregon have passed laws similar to the act, and now we are waiting to see how implementation proceeds. In Massachusetts, an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum has been put forward, but it’s optional; I’m curious if it will become mandatory, following in the other states’ footsteps. In August, Maryland’s Department of Education announced that it would incorporate the LGBTQ civil rights movement into its history framework when it is revised in 2020. I expect that we’ll see a number of other states follow suit in the next couple of years. California fortunately set the curricular standard pretty high, and it’s going to be hard for other states to just mention Stonewall and think they’ve done it right. Ralph, what role do you think California’s teachers can play in helping other states create change?
Ralph: We live in a very special state, where teachers have the freedom to prepare students to engage differences and be culturally responsive. Teachers elsewhere face pressure from religious groups and homophobic organizations, and some live in fear of being outed and having their livelihoods destroyed. By continuing to develop community programming around Pride and actively seeking to bring visibility to LGBTQ curricula, teachers in California can help ensure that queer history is not erased, and that it is ultimately protected by federal policy. I also foresee the need for more collaboration between college professors and K–12 teachers.
Don Romesburg is aprofessor of women’s and gender studies at Sonoma State University. Ángel Rafael Vásquez-Concepción teaches eighth grade at Everett Middle School in San Francisco.
Neighborhood EventCastro Art Walk at the GLBT Historical Society Museum
Thursday, September 56:00–9:00 p.m.The GLBT Historical Society Museum4127 18th St., San FranciscoFreeThe GLBT Historical Society Museum is participating in September’s Castro Art Walk, a monthly event in the Castro neighborhood on the first Thursday of the month. Participating merchants extend their business hours to host special events and share artwork with the neighborhood. Drop by the museum during your self-guided tour of the Castro and enjoy our exhibitions at your own pace. Entry is free and the museum will remain open until 9:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. More information is available here.
Panel DiscussionQueering Familias: Building Latinx Resilience & Hope
Thursday, September 127:00–9:00 p.m.The GLBT Historical Society Museum4127 18th St., San Francisco$5 | Free for membersRooted in a history of resistance, LGBTQ Latinx people in the Bay Area have created numerous activist groups and institutions that have built a strong foundation for subsequent generations. Over time, they have forged personal and community bonds that create familias, or chosen families. This intergenerational panel brings together Latinx activists, artists, performers and community leaders to discuss the unique ways they have mobilized by building strong bonds of kinship. The event is being held in conjunction with the exhibition “Chosen Familias: Bay Area LGBTQ Latinx Stories,” now on view at the GLBT Historical Society Museum. Tickets are available online here.
Book LaunchIn Search of Stonewall: 25 Years of Scholarship
Thursday, September 197:00–9:00 p.m.The GLBT Historical Society Museum4127 18th St., San Francisco$5 | Free for members The year 1994 marked the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and it was also the year in which a new journal, The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review (known since 1998 as The Gay & Lesbian Review/Worldwide), published its first issue. In honor of its own 25th anniversary, the journal has released a book, In Search of Stonewall: The Riots at 50, The Gay & Lesbian Review at 25 (G & LR Books, 2019) collecting Stonewall-related articles published in the Review over the past quarter century. Join three contributors to the collection — Jewelle Gomez, Will Roscoe and Eve Goldberg — for a panel discussion about Stonewall scholarship and for readings from the collection. Copies of In Search of Stonewall will be available for purchase and signing. Tickets are available online here.
Living History DiscussionEnola Gay: The Birth of Militant AIDS Activism
Friday, September 207:00–9:00 p.m.The GLBT Historical Society Museum4127 18th St., San Francisco$5 | Free for members In September 1984, members of Enola Gay, a gay men’s direct-action affinity group, joined a blockade at the entrance to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory during a large demonstration against the development of nuclear weapons. The activists poured real human blood at the entrance and chanted “Money for AIDS, not for war!” The protest called attention to government neglect in the face of a deadly epidemic and has been described by one historian as “the first recorded instance of civil disobedience to confront AIDS.” To mark the 35th anniversary of the event, Enola Gay members Robert Glück, Richard Bell and Jack Davis will share photographs and stories from the group’s history, discuss the shifting priorities for sexual politics during the 1980s and reflect on direct action and intersectional organizing during the early years of the AIDS crisis. Tickets are available online here.
Book LaunchThe Ventriloquists: A Novel of Queer Resistance
Thursday, September 267:00–9:00 p.m.The GLBT Historical Society Museum4127 18th St., San Francisco$5 | Free for members Author E. R. Ramzipoor will read selections from her new novel, The Ventriloquists (Park Row Books, 2019), a work inspired by the true story of a ragtag gang of journalists and resistance fighters who published a satirical fake edition of the Nazi-controlled Brussels newspaper Le Soir during World War II. Inviting the reader on a fast-paced, high-stakes caper featuring a diverse cast of queer heroes, the novel highlights the LGBTQ community’s role in reclaiming occupied spaces. Ramzipoor will supplement her talk by discussing stories of everyday queer heroes from World War II until the present, focusing on ordinary people who carried out daring feats of resistance. Tickets are available online here.
Current Exhibitions Front GalleryChosen Familias: Bay Area LGBTQ Latinx StoriesOpen through October 20, 2019More information Community GalleryThe Mayor of Folsom Street: The Life & Legacy of Alan SelbyOpen through October 20, 2019More information Main GalleryQueer Past Becomes PresentLong-term exhibitionMore information
Visit Us THE GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUMExhibitions & Programs4127 18th St.San Francisco, CA 94114(415) 621-1107www.glbthistory.org/museum Monday–Saturday: 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.Sunday: Noon–5:00 p.m. DR. JOHN P. DE CECCO ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONSResearch & Public History Center 989 Market St., Lower LevelSan Francisco, CA 94103-1708(415) 777-5455www.glbthistory.org/archives Call to schedule a research appointment or make an appointment online by clicking here.
San Francisco’s police chief apologized Monday for the way the department historically treated LGBTQ people and for “the harm that was caused.”
“Unless the wrongs of the past are acknowledged and dealt with appropriately, our past will continue to put a stain on the present and on our future,” Chief William Scott said during a “Reflection and Reconciliation Session” aimed at increasing trust between the LGBTQ community and police.
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott answers questions during a news conference, May 21, 2019, in San Francisco.Eric Risberg / AP file
The forum was hosted by the Police Department and GLIDE, which provides social services to the homeless and others.
A department release said input from the forum and other planned “listening sessions” will move the department “forward in ways that emphasize respect, safety and diversity.”
It marked the 53rd anniversary of rioting in 1966 at Compton’s Cafeteria in the Tenderloin district after police were called to evict transgender people — many of them sex workers — who gathered there and tried to arrest a transgender woman.
The 1966 confrontation preceded by three years New York’s famous Stonewall Riots, which were considered a landmark in LGBTQ civil rights activism.
Historically, police were known for beating gay men in the Castro district and for arresting transgender women for wearing dresses.
“I and the men and women of this police department are truly sorry,” Scott told an audience at the Glide Memorial church. “We are sorry for what happened. We are sorry for our role in it. And we are sorry for the harm that it caused.”
Scott agreed to meet with LGBTQ community members after a Pride Parade march in July was disrupted by protesters opposed to a police and corporate presence. About 40 people interrupted the parade for about an hour and two people were arrested after protesters broke down barricades, threw water bottles at police and at least one person fought with officers, authorities said.
On Monday night, some people submitted comments asking whether the Police Department would agree not to have uniformed officers march in the Pride Parade.
But Cmdr. Teresa Ewins, a lesbian, said it was important “for kids to see us,” to show the LGBTQ presence in the department, the San Francisco Examiner reported.
“Many of us joined to make a difference,” she said. “It’s a special day for me as well as everyone in the department who is LGBT.”
Some speakers said more work needs to be done to reconcile police and the LGBTQ community.
Anubis Daugherty, 25, said he was homeless for six years and police sweeps of homeless communities disproportionately affected LGBTQ people who are a significant portion of homeless and impoverished people in the Tenderloin, the Examiner reported.
“I was born here, I was raised here,” Daugherty said. “If you want to truly apologize for something you have to stop what you’re doing.”
California Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman is calling for a boycott of In-N-Out Burger after the fast-food chain donated $25,000 to the California GOP to boost party coffers ahead of the November election.
Bauman called for the boycott of the popular California-based chain via his Twitter account late Wednesday with the following: “Et tu In-N-Out? Tens of thousands of dollars donated to the California Republican Party… it’s time to #BoycottInNOut – let Trump and his cronies support these creeps… perhaps animal style! ”
According to a public filing dated Aug. 28, In-N-Out Burger made a contribution for $25,000 to the California Republican Party on Monday. The document on the California secretary of state’s website also lists the GOP’s “late contribution” as going toward the Nov. 6 election.
This isn’t the first time the privately owned burger chain has donated to the California GOP. Public records show the chain donated $30,000 in August 2017 and another $30,000 in May 2016.
However, In-N-Out Burger also donated extensively to a moderate Democratic PAC known as “Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy.” The pro-business PAC received $50,000 in contributions in May 2018 and $30,000 in both 2016 and 2017.
CNBC reached out to the California Democratic Party and Bauman for comment.
In a statement, In-N-Out Burger Executive Vice President Arnie Wensinger said the company “made equal contributions to both Democratic and Republican Political Action Committees in the state of California. For years, In-N-Out Burger has supported lawmakers who, regardless of political affiliation, promote policies that strengthen California and allow us to continue operating with the values of providing strong pay and great benefits for our Associates.”
Wensinger added, “We have been fortunate to do business in this great state for almost 70 years. While it is unfortunate that our contributions to support both political parties in California has caused concern with some groups, we believe that bipartisan support is a fair and consistent approach that best serves the interests of our company and all of our customers.”
In-N-Out operates more than 330 restaurants in six states, but most of the locations are in California. The chain, known for its “Double-Double” hamburgers and “animal style” burgers and fries, was founded in 1948 in Southern California and is majority owned by billionaire Lynsi Snyder.
Some social media users were unhappy to hear about the recent GOP donation and agreed with the call for a boycott. The hashtag #BoycottInNOut was trending Thursday on Twitter after Bauman used it in his tweet.
One user, @KatrinaHagen2, said the burger chain’s food has been “a staple” of their kids and friends but added that the boycott was “a no brainer.”
“They’ve lost me as a customer,” said user @makingtheater. “Pity, but I will find my animal style somewhere better.”
@PatClearySoCal tweeted: “Guess I ate my last InNOut burger last week. I will write them to let them know about my decision. Maybe we all should.”
Then again, the boycott inspired others to have lunch at the burger chain.
Another user, @ramincol, called the boycott “stupid” and asked whether “we have gone just crazy with boycotts. If a business wants to support either party why does it matter?”
California GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox also weighed in on the controversy by making a point to have lunch at one of the restaurants. Cox also took a jab at his challenger, Gavin Newsom — a Democrat and the state’s current lieutenant governor.
A California state senator has formally asked state Attorney General Xavier Becerra to investigate whether the powerhouse AIDS Healthcare Foundation is fraudulently misusing savings from a federal drug-discount program designed to help poor patients.
The request comes from state Sen. Ben Hueso (D-Chula Vista), who has urged an investigation into the politically powerful organization that has dumped upwards of $60 million into state ballot drives since 2012, according to Hueso’s letter obtained by POLITICO.
The senator’s concerns center on a somewhat obscure federal drug discount program known as 340B, which requires pharmaceutical companies to sell their drugs at steep discounts to participating hospitals and other providers that serve a significant percentage of indigent patients.
Hueso contends that the AHF is spending millions from the drug discount program to lobby for various California ballot measures not directly related to health care, such as rent control and affordable housing, an aspect of their work that has been well discussed here on JMG over the years.
The AHF, the self-proclaimed largest AIDS advocacy group in the world, contends that with an annual budget of $1.6 billion they don’t come close to approaching the limit of allowable lobbying.
However they have declined to provide documentation to support that claim, which recently resulted in being removed from Baton Rouge’s drug discount program. While based in California, the AHF has a sprawling network of pharmacies and thrift stores nationwide.
The group is perhaps best known here on JMG for their characterization of Truvada as a “party drug” when used for HIV prevention and for its combative CEO, Michael Weinstein, pictured above.
