Before we get to the nitty-gritty, we just want to make sure that everyone knows that tonight's Prop 8 town hall at the Veteran's Building has been postponed indefinitely. We'll let you know if there's an update on that. UPDATE! We've just received tons of new information about upcoming events. It's all pasted after the jump.

Everybody got it? Okay, good. Now, on to the details:

We'd say between 75 and 100 people showed up for the panel discussion "Prop 8 and Race: What's Next?" The title of the talk -- "what's next" -- is an excellent question, and it was only answered in the vaguest possible terms. Teamwork! Cooperation! Back-patting and thoughtful introspection! Outreach and community building! Oh, okay.

If there is a specific strategy for starting work on any of those lovely action items, we didn't hear it. And y'know, some of the people on the panel and in the audience were staffers on the official campaign. Hm. How is it that we keep finding ourselves in this fog?

But that's not to say that it was a total waste. If nothing else, the meeting accomplished a sort of consensus: that we must do more to address the problems of racism and homophobia, that blacks and gays should not be enemies, and that there's not a lot of use in playing the "who's suffering more" game. Of course, it's not hard to get a roomful of the most socially concerned people in San Francisco to agree that the world ought to be a peaceful place. But there's value in getting everyone on the same page, so nice work there.

After the jump: surprising news about the campaign, and our hero Luis.

This afternoon, Cloutier gave his first (though unofficial) victory speech as well as his first public mea culpa. He called his Palm Spring bout of being blotto a "foolish mistake." (Also, he's kind of attractive. Par course nowadays to get elected mayor, we guess.)

Public intoxication and nerve-wrecking close calls aside, it's been a most fascinating race. This election gave the city of Vallejo the chance to land its first ever openly gay or...openly black mayor. (The former nailed it.) It also almost goes without saying that Osby Davis, Cloutier's opponent, has requested a recount. Which? Makes sense. Although the whine of "recount" has some politicians coming off as infants eating a bowl of mashed sour grapes, a race like this seems to warrants another count. Maybe two. Davis tells the Vallejo Times Herald, "I still have a desire to serve as mayor."


image credit: Vallejo Times Herald