The chairman of a political party attempting to qualify for the June primary in California is based in Fort Bragg and has expressed interest in the local wave energy issue.
But John Wheeling is also a man hard to reach whose various political efforts have baffled some locals.
The California Secretary of State”s Website identified John Wheeling as chairman of the Working Families Party, with his address given as a post office box in Fort Bragg. The party has until Jan. 1 to qualify.
The Website at www.workfingfamiliescalifornia.com, has photos of candidates John Edwards and Barack Obama, describes the mission and gives a phone number which has been disconnected. Contributions and suggestions by mail are suggested to be sent to Wheeling”s Fort Bragg post office box.
“We”d like to see a genuine conversation about our society and economy. We think that the real divide is not left-right but top-bottom,” the Website states. The party favors open primaries, restrictions on media monopolies, oil price controls and alternative energy development, among other issues,” the Website states.
Wheeling, giving the same local address, has sought to get involved in the local wave energy issue.
He contacted ocean activist Cindy Arch and left a message, stating he was from a political organization called In the Public Interest and was interested in the wave energy issue.
Arch couldn”t find any such organization and called this reporter seeking information on Wheeling. This reporter attempted to contact Wheeling several times on his Fort Bragg-based cell phone. Wheeling called back once two week”s ago, and left a message identifying himself as being with IPI (In the Public Interest). That call was missed and further efforts to contact him have been unsuccessful. There was no number listed with his name, nor any other local reference or email to contact him through.
The Working Families Party, which lists Wheeling as its California chairman on the Website, is a significant third party with union backing in the state of New York. It is also gaining a presence in New England states. Party officials have said they want to become recognized in California and Oregon. An official at the office in New York didn”t recognize Wheeling”s name and was unaware of a current effort in California. However, the party is loosely organized and he said Wheeling”s effort could well be a valid effort to establish the party.
There are currently six recognized political parties in California, Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Peace and Freedom, Libertarian and American Independent, the Secretary of State”s office said.
Twelve political parties, including the Working Families Party, are seeking to qualify for the California ballot in June 2008.
The Working Families Party is the only one of the group without an email contact address.
For Wheeling, or any of the other 11 parties, the deadline to qualify for the June ballot was Jan. 1. The party must submit the names of 88,991 registered members of the party or 889,906 signatures on a statewide petition, according to the Secretary of State”s office.
That gives the party the right to run statewide candidates in the following election.
The party can stay on the ballot if its candidate gets at least 2 percent of the vote in a gubernatorial election year, among several formulas. Another is getting the signatures of 1 percent of the number of people who voted in the previous election.
Mendocino County elections officials didn”t have a record of signature-gathering locally by the Working Families Party.
In the Public Interest is a common name for non-profit groups. There are groups with Art, Science and Medicine in front of In the Public Interest easily located on the Web. It also is the name of a column written by Ralph Nader, but this reporter could not locate any group by that name.
The 12 parties seeking to get qualified in June 2008 are the American Eagle Party, based in Garden Grove, the Equal Justice Party, based in Richmond, the God, Truth and Love Party, based in Temecula, the New World Party, based in Los Angeles, the No More Black Holocaust Party, based in Los Angeles, the Reform Party, based in El Cerrito, the Socialist Action Party based in Oakland, the Superhappy Evolution and Neuroscience Party, based in Los Alamitos, the United Conscious American-African Success and Fairness Party, based in Los Angeles, the United Conscious Builders of All American Equal Dream Party based in Los Angeles, the Unity08 Party based in Arlington, Va., and the Working Families Party, based in Fort Bragg. Warren Williams is listed as first officer of three of the Los Angeles-based parties.
