I’ve gotten some calls and emails on our school board endorsements, particularly our comment that we couldn’t back Rachel Norton because of her support for JROTC. (Okay, that photo’s a bit of a cheap shot; she discusses her own position here.
Well, school activist Caroline Grannan asked me, why did you endorse Yee — who, according to the Chronicle’s summary of candidate positions, is also a JROTC backer. In fact, Fog City Journal described him as supporting the military program.
In our endorsement interview, Yee told us he would not vote to bring back JROTC and that he didn’t support Prop. V. What’s up? It’s a fair question.
I called Yee today and here’s what he said, for the record:
“My position in JROTC has been misquoted all over. I do not support the JROTC ballot measure. I will not vote to bring back JROTC to the schools. I have always said that I support JROTC if it meets state requirements. But since it doesn’t, I’m not for bringing it back. People ask these yes-or-no questions, and they don’t understand what my position really is.”
So there you have it.