Two independent sources tell TheLiberalOC that at Wednesday’s special Executive Board meeting of the OC Labor Fed, that all 90-plus unions represented by the LaborFed united with the 20-plus Building Trade unions in demanding that the Democratic Party of Orange County remove Greg Diamond from his North OC Vice Chair post or organized labor will withhold support of Democratic candidates in the coming June primaries and November elections. Diamond, a candidate for District Attorney and a blogger for the Orange Juice Blog, also represents CATER, a secretive organization suing the city of Anaheim over the Convention Center expansion and alleged Brown Act violations concerns negotiations with the Angels. And its the lawsuits that represent thousands of union jobs that has raised the ire of organized labor.
“Organized labor was united in declaring Greg Diamond to be anti-Labor no matter what Greg Diamond says he is,” said a source granted anonymity by this blog.
The Building Trades sent the DPOPC a letter on march 31 calling for Diamond’s removal or else. Representatives told the Liberal OC then that the letter was “the tip of the iceberg” and they would be seeking support from other OC unions to join their effort. The Building Trades were successful in convincing the OC Labor Fed and its 90+ unions to sign on in support. We’re told each labor union at the meeting in Orange County as well as labor connections in Sacramento stood united and joined the Building Trades of OC and Los Angeles in demanding the Party remove Diamond. It is also highly unlikely Diamond will receive any labor support in his race to defeat Tony Rackauckas including LaborFed support he sought. Diamond’s campaign website currently posts no endorsements, no events and no issues.
The prospect of tight Democratic races in AD-65 and SD-34 without Labor support would be devastating to Sharon Quirk-Silva and Jose Solorio chances in November.
It takes two thirds of the DPOC Central Committee to remove someone from a leadership post; it’s unclear if Diamond has enough votes to defeat a motion to remove him from his party position. But fighting his removal from Party leadership in the wake of a unified labor move to demand his ouster holds serious consequences for the Party and our candidates. If he were to fight his removal, doing so with so much at stake is simply the height of arrogance that places his own interests ahead of those interests of Democratic candidates, the Democratic Party’s interest, and the interests of organized labor.
If Diamond can claim credit for anything, it was the ability to unite organized labor groups that are sometimes at odds, and bring them together. He’s a uniter and not a divider.
Diamond needs to be a team player here and do the right thing. He should resign his Party leadership position effectively immediately. This would free him to continue his lawsuit against the city of Anaheim on behalf of CATER, maintain his campaign for DA, and continue his long winded posts and commentary on the Orange Juice Blog.
I don’t speak for Chris Prevatt who publishes this blog and is a union member. But I call on Diamond to resign from the DPOC North Vice Chair and Central Committee. Make amends with Labor. Don’t hurt our candidates. Do the right thing and resign.
Great. No discussion about whether he was right or wrong in what he said, only urging him to be a good German and drop out for the good of the organization.
Dan, you seem to have been played a bit by the building trades, or their “anon minions” regarding what actions occurred.
You said:
“all 90-plus unions represented by the LaborFed united with the 20-plus Building Trade unions in demanding that the Democratic Party of Orange County remove Greg Diamond from his North OC Vice Chair post or organized labor will withhold support of Democratic candidates in the coming June primaries and November elections. “
That is not how things work with the OC Labor Fed.
The Labor Fed is a coalition of more than 90 local unions in Orange County. the Labor Fed can take a position for that coalition, but the organization does not make decisions that commit a specific action by individual member locals.
The strongest thing the OC Labor Fed can do is encourage its members to consider taking a particular action. No action by the Labor Fed Executive Board can result in what you have described. It appears that you didn’t bother contacting the Labor Federation to verify the action that you were told by “two anonymous sources.”
Had you done so, you would have found out that your sources were not being 100 percent truthful in what they told you. Or maybe you just misunderstood what they were saying in your eagerness to hammer on Greg Diamond.
Since it was a “Special Emergency Meeting” it’s doubtful all 90 plus representatives from the local unions were on hand to unanimously support the actions you claim. A decision to pull support from candidates, who were just endorsed by the OC Labor Fed at last month’s delegate meeting, unless the Democratic Party of Orange County removes Diamond from his leadership role seems to be an action that would need to go to the entire group of Labor Fed delegates for a decision. That meeting is scheduled for next week.
You write: “Organized labor was united in declaring Greg Diamond to be anti-Labor no matter what Greg Diamond says he is,” said a source granted anonymity by this blog.
It’s disappointing that a real labor leader would make such a statement anonymously. One would think they would be proud to put their name on their remarks rather than needing anonymity.
Come to think of it, your entire post is based on anonymous sources, and unverified with the OC Labor Fed. While it makes for a fun headline, an unverified report like this only adds to your weak credibility, at least on this topic.
Greg Diamond in a gnat in importance when compared to the tight Democratic races in AD-65 and SD-34. It is unlikely that the threat issued by the Building Trades would be followed through by their own coalition, much less, the entire family of labor. The threat isn’t without precedence. Similar threats were made by building trade unions over the Democratic Party’s delegates, at the California Democratic Party 2007 Convention in San Diego, voting unanimously to oppose the alignment of the Foothill South (241) Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach. I seem to remember those threats did not materialize into any quantifiable action to abandon Democratic Party endorsed candidates.
It’s source(s); one call isn’t enough. It takes two. There are sources I have used before who have never steered me wrong. Until I’m presented with a different set of information, I stand by what I wrote.
Diamond already has a post up on OJ; it seems he’s going to fight this. It reveals much of his ego and his character. You have to wonder if a phone call from SQS and Solorio would do the trick. If only he spent as much time going after Republicans. In Greg’s world, Tom Tait can do no wrong. Jordan Brandman can do no right. A Republican purchased an ad for Greg’s DA race on OJ.
Thank you for the good point, Ted.
Thanks especially to Chatka for a more excellent comment than I could have hoped for when checking in this morning. (My thanks not least for including the words “in comparison” after describing me as “a gnat.” I can accept that.) I hope that you don’t mind my porting it over the OJB, because it adds substantially to the discussion. I’ll wait a bit to allow you a chance to object.
Your point that FAR fewer than 93 union representatives probably showed up to the OCLF Executive Board’s special meeting is well taken. (Actually, given that it’s an executive board, I’d presume that far fewer than 93 even hold seats on it, right?)
Sharon’s always welcome to call — but she’s too smart either to take this threat seriously or to think that I’d resign even if she asked. But this is a good time to note that my positions are not hers, and vice-versa.
You know, I should really ask Jose to endorse me. Maybe after the Central Committee meeting on April 28.
One last thing: Chatka, I think that it is very unlikely that a “real labor leader” made that anonymous statement about my support for Labor. That sounds more like a “real Democratic Party official or political apparatchik working for one.” Jim Adams wouldn’t refuse to say that openly, but sadly we do have a recent history of party officials lobbing attacks behind the backs of their targets. And if it’s not a labor leader, that would explain the need for anonymity.
Let’s ask Dan! Dan, without revealing your source for that quote — was it a leader of a local labor organization? On second thought, I withdraw the question: I wouldn’t trust your answer if you said that it was.
Greg, I thought smart lawyers never asked questions that they didn’t already know the answers. Confidential sources are confidential.
I wish you could see the emails I am getting from those in Democratic circles, some of whom I think you think are friends, applauding this post. But you won’t be seeing my email anytime soon.
A silver lining.
As a republican I say let GD pull down the democratic party with him.
We, the county progressive movement, of which Labor is a critical component, are at one hell of a crossroads. Someone has decided to place a wedge in the few cracks we have– and just whack away. There is a lot to be lost in this divisive pounding. It is certain that there is more that unites us than divides us. However, this latest attempt at internal politicking cries out for extraordinary leadership in some painful areas were reasonable minds and souls disagree and where there is real suffering of working men and women. What we don’t need are segments of our movement to declare that other segments are not worthy enough to be part of the discussion. If were are going to fight internally, then lets fight our way to common ground. We are bigger than this moment.
No one said Greg shouldn’t be part of the discussion; he can do so without the bully pulpit that is his leadership position.
He’s a huge backer of Tom Tait. His only ad is paid for by a Republican. He regularly beats up Democrats