In this episode, the Moment of Truth team covers presidential candidate Ron DeSantis‘ visit to Salinas, CA and includes a report from Airam Coronado, a Salinas-based activist at protests against DeSantis. We also interview “accidental activist” & Temecula mom of three, MoT regular contributor Christina Johnson—currently on the front lines of the struggle against Christo-fascism on California school boards. All very timely in the wake of the first “Moms for Liberty” meeting in Santa Cruz County, CA–a heavily Democratic area; PLUS, more on Harlan Crow and the Crow family’s connections to a proposed development on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz … and revealing the connection between California YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) and the Manhattan Institute (MI), home of Christopher Rufo, the central architect of the anti-Critical Race Theory strategy for the GOP and recent author of the essay “The Horrors of Gender Affirming Care” for the MI’s “City Journal.” Also a contributor to the MI City Journal, Diane Yap, of the SF-based “Friends of Lowell” school organization–whose thinly veiled racist Tweets and essays for the MI have created controversy in San Francisco and beyond. Why is Nolan Gray, of CA YIBMY also writing for the City Journal?
SHOW NOTES:
On Moms for Liberty in Santa Cruz, CA: https://lookout.co/santacruz/community-voices/opinion-from-community-voices/story/2023-09-24/moms-for-liberty-far-right-hate-group-trying-to-recruit-in-santa-cruz-county-we-stand-united-to-say-no
On DeSantis in Salinas: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/09/28/gop-florida-governor-ron-desantis-met-with-protests-in-salinas/70994580007/
CA YIMBY research director Nolan Gray in the City Journal: https://www.city-journal.org/person/m-nolan-gray
Diane Yap of Friends of Lowell, at the City Journal: https://manhattan.institute/person/diane-yap
Friends of Lowell shares a mailing address with a Paul Manafort-founded organization and 2020 election deniers: https://twitter.com/sf_mills/status/1710655874614837268?s=20
Christina Johnson on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theempresscjj
