Audie Bock
Encyclopedia
Audie Elizabeth Bock is an American
film scholar and politician who served in the California State Assembly
from 1999 to 2000.
She was elected in 1999 as a Green Party
member during a special election for Oakland
's 16th Assembly District, but switched to the Democratic Party
after the 2000 election.
Bock was elected to the Assembly in a 1999 special election after the mid-term resignation of U.S. Congressman
Ron Dellums
. Dellums' resignation caused a number of special elections that resulted in the ascension of State Senator
Barbara Lee
to Dellums' Congressional seat (she had been Dellums' former chief of staff), and the rise of State Assemblyman Don Perata
to Lee's Senate seat. The special election was the last in a series of five special elections in twelve months known as the special election musical chairs
.
Bock won the 1999 election by a combination of circumstances. Although she received less than 9 percent of the vote in the February 2 special election for Perata's assembly seat, no candidate received 50 percent of the vote; this caused a runoff among the top-vote getter from each political party. Bock was helped by a lackluster campaign and a scandal involving her Democratic opponent, former Assemblyman and former Oakland mayor Elihu Harris
, who had received nearly 49% of the vote in the first election. Harris sent targeted mailers to households in selected precincts, mostly African American
, urging voters to vote for him and receive a fried chicken
meal if they presented a voting stub at selected supermarkets. There was voter backlash because of the perception of vote buying (Section 18521 of the California Elections Code prohibits offering money or "other valuable consideration" in return for voting; the Harris campaign argued the fried chicken coupons were not covered) and that the tactic had a subtext of racism http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=13661. Bock was outspent by Harris by a margin of better than 16 to 1 ($550,000 to $33,000).http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01EEDF1039F937A35757C0A96F958260
In August 1999, Bock left the Green Party and re-registered Decline-to-State so that she would not have to run in the March 2000 blanket primary
and thus not have to compete directly against her Democratic opponent Alameda County
Supervisor Wilma Chan
until the November 2000 General Election, by when she presumably would have had more time to fundraise. During this same period however, her acceptance of $500 campaign contributions from Chevron
and Tosco
drew criticism from within the Green Party. Running as an independent, Bock lost the November 2000 election and afterwards re-registered as a Democrat.
After September 11, 2001, Bock announced her run against Barbara Lee
in the 2002 primary as a Democrat, arguing that Lee's vote against the war in Afghanistan was unpatriotic. She later withdrew from the race before the filing deadline.
In 2003, Bock ran for Governor of California
in the 2003 California recall. On a right-wing website, she urged Democrats to vote to recall Gray Davis. Bock received 3,358 votes.
In 2008, Audie Bock ran for a two-year term on the board of the Hayward Area Recreation & Park District http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2008/08/08/the-return-of-audie-bock/. Bock received 22,845 votes (46%) finishing second behind interim incumbent Paul Hodges http://audiebock.org/.
In 1978, she published what was considered for several years to be one of the best resources on Japanese cinema, Japanese film directors (ISBN 0-87011-304-6). She also translated Akira Kurosawa
's partial autobiography, Something Like An Autobiography (ISBN 0-394-71439-3), which was published in 1983 by Vintage International and the first book length study in English of Mikio Naruse
, Naruse: A Master of the Japanese Cinema (1985).
She's a former college teacher, taught throughout Hayward as a K-12 and adult school substitute teacher.
She helped secure funding for numerous park projects, including restoration of the shores of Oakland’s Lake Merritt.
Holds the Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of San Francisco.
Has directed and served on boards of theater, arts and cultural organizations.
Bock also directs a scholarship for low-income youth to receive free horseback riding lessons. An avid horsewoman, she rides in Castro Valley and Hayward and show Western Pleasure. She is a single mother of one daughter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film scholar and politician who served in the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
from 1999 to 2000.
She was elected in 1999 as a Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
member during a special election for Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
's 16th Assembly District, but switched to the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
after the 2000 election.
Bock was elected to the Assembly in a 1999 special election after the mid-term resignation of U.S. Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Ron Dellums
Ron Dellums
Ronald Vernie "Ron" Dellums served as Oakland's forty-fifth mayor. From 1971 to 1998, he was elected to thirteen terms as a Member of the U.S...
. Dellums' resignation caused a number of special elections that resulted in the ascension of State Senator
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee
Barbara Jean Lee is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She is the first woman to represent that district. Lee was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus...
to Dellums' Congressional seat (she had been Dellums' former chief of staff), and the rise of State Assemblyman Don Perata
Don Perata
Don Richard Perata is a California Democratic politician, who was President pro tempore of the California State Senate from 2004 to 2008. He came in second place in the November 2010 ballot for Mayor of Oakland...
to Lee's Senate seat. The special election was the last in a series of five special elections in twelve months known as the special election musical chairs
Special election musical chairs
"Special election musical chairs" is a term used by editorialists to describe a series of special elections triggered by the mid-term resignation or death of an officeholder, with elections being won by other officeholders, triggering further special elections until either the next election...
.
Bock won the 1999 election by a combination of circumstances. Although she received less than 9 percent of the vote in the February 2 special election for Perata's assembly seat, no candidate received 50 percent of the vote; this caused a runoff among the top-vote getter from each political party. Bock was helped by a lackluster campaign and a scandal involving her Democratic opponent, former Assemblyman and former Oakland mayor Elihu Harris
Elihu Harris
Elihu Mason Harris is a former U.S. Democratic Party politician and college administrator. He served as the 46th mayor of Oakland, California from 1991 to until 1999. He served for 12 years as a member of the California State Assembly before his election as Oakland mayor...
, who had received nearly 49% of the vote in the first election. Harris sent targeted mailers to households in selected precincts, mostly African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, urging voters to vote for him and receive a fried chicken
Fried chicken
Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...
meal if they presented a voting stub at selected supermarkets. There was voter backlash because of the perception of vote buying (Section 18521 of the California Elections Code prohibits offering money or "other valuable consideration" in return for voting; the Harris campaign argued the fried chicken coupons were not covered) and that the tactic had a subtext of racism http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=13661. Bock was outspent by Harris by a margin of better than 16 to 1 ($550,000 to $33,000).http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01EEDF1039F937A35757C0A96F958260
In August 1999, Bock left the Green Party and re-registered Decline-to-State so that she would not have to run in the March 2000 blanket primary
Blanket primary
The blanket primary is a system used for selecting political party candidates in a primary election in the USA. In a blanket primary, voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to party lines; for instance, a voter might select a Democratic candidate for governor and a Republican...
and thus not have to compete directly against her Democratic opponent Alameda County
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
Supervisor Wilma Chan
Wilma Chan
Wilma Chan is a politician in California. Chan served as the California State Assembly Majority Leader from 2002–2004; she was the first woman and the first Asian American to hold the position. She also served as Assembly Majority Whip from 2001-2002. Chan is a Democrat...
until the November 2000 General Election, by when she presumably would have had more time to fundraise. During this same period however, her acceptance of $500 campaign contributions from Chevron
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
and Tosco
Tosco Corporation
Tosco was an independent US based petroleum refining and marketing corporation. It was founded in 1955 in Santa Monica, California by A&P heir Huntington Hartford, and originally focused on extracting oil from oil shale and developing alternative energy sources.-Oil shale operations:In 1964...
drew criticism from within the Green Party. Running as an independent, Bock lost the November 2000 election and afterwards re-registered as a Democrat.
After September 11, 2001, Bock announced her run against Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee
Barbara Jean Lee is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She is the first woman to represent that district. Lee was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus...
in the 2002 primary as a Democrat, arguing that Lee's vote against the war in Afghanistan was unpatriotic. She later withdrew from the race before the filing deadline.
In 2003, Bock ran for Governor of California
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
in the 2003 California recall. On a right-wing website, she urged Democrats to vote to recall Gray Davis. Bock received 3,358 votes.
In 2008, Audie Bock ran for a two-year term on the board of the Hayward Area Recreation & Park District http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2008/08/08/the-return-of-audie-bock/. Bock received 22,845 votes (46%) finishing second behind interim incumbent Paul Hodges http://audiebock.org/.
Non-political career
Aside from her involvement in politics, Bock is a film scholar and has had small roles in various movies.In 1978, she published what was considered for several years to be one of the best resources on Japanese cinema, Japanese film directors (ISBN 0-87011-304-6). She also translated Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's partial autobiography, Something Like An Autobiography (ISBN 0-394-71439-3), which was published in 1983 by Vintage International and the first book length study in English of Mikio Naruse
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
, Naruse: A Master of the Japanese Cinema (1985).
She's a former college teacher, taught throughout Hayward as a K-12 and adult school substitute teacher.
She helped secure funding for numerous park projects, including restoration of the shores of Oakland’s Lake Merritt.
Holds the Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of San Francisco.
Has directed and served on boards of theater, arts and cultural organizations.
Bock also directs a scholarship for low-income youth to receive free horseback riding lessons. An avid horsewoman, she rides in Castro Valley and Hayward and show Western Pleasure. She is a single mother of one daughter.