I usually just follow the local DSA voter’s guide, as we are typically aligned on most issues, but they don’t have one posted yet as of right now, so here’s the SHOW UP voter’s guide.

UPDATE: SoCo DSA just posted their guide, you can find it here: https://socodsa.org/guide/ It’s probably had more thought put into it, but mine has 1000% more profanity so you decide who you want to follow (we’re mostly in line on most choices).

Don’t like our choices? Then read up on the issues yourself and make up your own fucking mind. Or flip a coin, whatever. Just don’t vote the way all the TV commercials and Facebook bots tell you to. Whatever assholes are spending millions of dollars on those do not have your best interests in mind.

Local Races

Santa Rosa City Council District 4:
Vote Melanie Jones-Carter.
Why? Her platform of Housing for All, Make Downtown a Destination, Fix our Infrastructure, and Help the Homeless deserves your vote. She’s Anti-Flock and Anti-ICE. And, unlike her opponent Terry Sanders, she is not endorsed by the police or sheriff’s department.

Santa Rosa City Council Districts 2 and 6:
No one showed up to challenge the incumbent mayor and vice-mayor of Santa Rosa, so I hope you like the job they’re doing because they’re gonna keep doing it.

Sonoma County Supervisor, 2nd District:
Vote Joanna Paun.
Why? Because the Sonoma County DSA is backing her, and she’s the only candidate committed to ending the County’s collaboration with ICE. She’s grassroots, union-backed, anti-Flock, and pro-worker.

Sonoma County Supervisor, 4th District:
Vote Melanie Bagby.
Why? Because she’s the only Democrat in the race.

School District Shit? Fuck if I know. You’re on your own.

UPDATE: Check out the progressive voter’s guide here: https://votesonomastrong.com/#guide They seem to have done some actual research on these races and you should follow their advice.

Local measures

Sonoma County Junior College District Measure AB: Bonds to Improve School Infrastructure
Vote YES.
Why? Because schools need money, and bonds are a good way to raise that money.

County Measure H: Continues a Tax That Funds Parks
Vote YES.
Why? We’re already paying it, and parks are great and need funding to maintain.

City Measure L: Raises Sales Tax to Fund City Services
Vote NO.
Why? Because we already have a 10% local sales tax rate, and sales tax is a regressive way to raise money (it impacts the poor the most). 37% of the city’s total budget for 2026/2027 goes to the police department. That’s $85.5 million dollars a year. Maybe we should just fire some cops to balance the budget. Or impose a punitive tax on all the vacant commercial property downtown. There’s a lot of ways to raise money that aren’t more sales tax.

Statewide Races

I don’t have the time or energy to look into all of these so here’s one simple trick to making a pretty good choice most of the time. If it’s a race between a Democrat and a Republican, vote for the Democrat. Fuck Republicans. If it’s between two Democrats, choose the woman or person of color, they worked way harder and are probably way smarter than the white guy they’re running against. That covers every statewide office aside from the non-partisan Superintendent of Public Instruction. For that one vote Barrera, his opponent Shaw sounds MAGA as shit.

Judge shit? Fuck if I know. You’re on your own.

UPDATE: The progressive voters guide says vote yes on all of these: https://votesonomastrong.com/#guide They seem to have done some actual research on this shit so I’ll take that advice.

STATEWIDE Propositions

Prop 1: Bonds for Housing Affordability Programs
Vote YES.
Why? Because people need help affording housing and the state should provide that help.

Prop 2: Increases the State’s Rainy Day Fund
Vote YES.
Why? Because every time we have a budget surplus they blow it on shit they can’t sustain when revenues fall again. Learn to budget better motherfuckers. Maybe this will help.

Prop 3: Funding for Schools by Taxing the Rich
Vote YES.
Why? Because schools cost money and you’re not a rich asshole. If you are a rich asshole then pay some more fucking taxes, asshole.

Prop 4: Repeals Prohibition Against Public Funding of Election Campaigns
Vote YES.
Why? Because the amount of money being spent on campaigns is obscene, and it’s coming from all the worst people. Publicly funded campaigns with real spending limits is the solution, and this is a step in the right direction.

Prop 5: Changes Recall Elections so Replacements are Filled by Special Election
Vote YES.
Why? Because while in theory I like the idea of being able to recall some scumbag politician, in practice every recall campaign I’ve been witness to in this state has been a fucking clown show funded by the worst people around, with all the dumbest has-beens, never-wases, and fail-sons hoping that this is their big chance to slither into office. Maybe if the best they can get is whoever is already next in line for the position they’ll stop wasting our time with this bullshit.

Prop 37: Creates Loan Program for Middle-Income Home Buyers
Vote YES.
Why? Because houses are crazy expensive and anything to help with that is a good thing.

Prop 38: Bonds for Immunology Medical Research
Vote NO.
Why? Because fuck cancer, but also fuck billionaires. I had this as a YES vote before looking into it a little closer. One guy, Gary K. Michelson, a billionaire, has poured $43 million into supporting this proposition. You don’t spend that kind of money unless you have something to gain, so this is some bullshit masquerading as a good thing.

Prop 39: Require Govt. ID for Voting
Vote NO.
Why? Because this is some fascist bullshit to try to suppress the vote. Fuck those assholes.

Prop 40: One-Time Tax on Billionaires
Vote YES.
Why? Because fuck billionaires. 5% isn’t nearly enough, but it’s a start.

Prop 41: Some Bullshit Trying to Negate Prop 40
Vote NO.
Why? Because fuck billionaires.

Prop 42: Some Other Bullshit Trying to Negate Prop 40
Vote NO.
Why? Because fuck billionaires.

Prop 43: Limits Voter’s Ability to Raise Revenues for Local Government Services
Vote NO.
Why? Because the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is for it, and fuck those guys. Taxes are how we fund society. Pay your taxes, assholes. Especially you rich assholes.

Prop 44: Requires Community Health Clinics Spend 90% of Revenue on Program Services
Vote YES.
Why? Because money should got to programs, not bullshit.

Prop 45: Expedites Environmental Review for Certain Project Categories
Vote YES.
Why? Because while California’s tough environmental regulations are laudable, they’ve long been exploited by NIMBY’s to stall basically any building project, and we need housing. Fuck NIMBY’s.

Oh, and you? Yeah, you. The one who read all this but still can’t be bothered to show up and vote?

Fuck. You.