Image by Xavier de Jauréguiberry via Flickr
“I like to be in the shadow of the cathedral”
A rogues gallery of some of California’s most pro-abortion, pro-embryonic stem-cell research and pro-same-sex marriage politicians gathered to kick off their fall campaigns on Labor Day at, of all places, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles in Los Angles. 
Among those in attendance at the 7 a.m. breakfast meeting were Attorney General Jerry Brown, who is seeking a return to the governor’s mansion, liberal U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, locked in a close race for re-election, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who wants to become lieutenant governor, candidate for attorney general Kamala Harris, currently San Francisco District Attorney, and Debra Bowen, seeking re-election as secretary of state. All are Democrats, and all have well-established records in favor of abortion on demand, same-sex marriage and embryonic stem-cell research. More recently, Brown has refused to defend Proposition 8 in federal court. Newsom, as Mayor of San Francisco, ignited the constitutional controversy that led to Prop. 8 by ordering the county clerk in 2004 to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO advertised the event as “Labor Day Breakfast with Jerry Brown” at the cathedral’s conference center. According to the labor group’s website, the political event was followed by a 10 a.m. Labor Day Mass inside the cathedral. According to press accounts, more than 500 people showed up for the political event at the cathedral, said to “kick off” the Democrats’ final campaign push leading up to the Nov. 2 elections. The entire Democratic slate of candidates statewide was presented to participants at the event. 
Brown, Boxer, Newsom and others donned aprons to serve breakfast to rank-and-file union members. After the breakfast, it was not clear how many of the politicians attended the 10 a.m. Mass since a series of other tightly scheduled political events were scheduled throughout the day, beginning at 10 a.m. with a “Labor Solidarity March” in Wilmington and a noon “Labor Day Rally and Picnic,” also in Wilmington. Additional campaign events were scheduled later in the day in Oakland and Sacramento. “It’s pretty energetic for being in a church,” Brown told the crowd, according to various press reports. “It’s great to be here. I like to be in the shadow of the cathedral. It gives me a little extra edge as we go forward.” Brown and Boxer met “with union members and leaders who will be the party's phone callers and foot soldiers heading into election day,” said a Los Angeles Times account of the campaign rally at the cathedral. “Coadjutor Archbishop José H. Gomez will celebrate the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ annual Labor Day Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles) on Monday, Sept. 6, at 10 AM,” said a notice about the Labor Day Mass posted on the archdiocesan website. “The Mass marks the Archdiocese’s annual observance of the national holiday honoring all workers. The Mass will begin with a procession of workers wearing uniforms and carrying tools of their trade. During the Mass, Archbishop Gomez will bless the workers in attendance. Mary Kay Henry, President, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will deliver closing remarks.” One irate reader wrote to California Catholic Daily in an email: “Why is the president of the SEIU speaking at our Cathedral at all? Membership in the SEIU is mandatory, the fees are outrageous! They supported Obama with hundreds of thousands of dollars in his campaign.” Another reader expressed “alarm” that the cathedral was being used for such a blatant political event – especially since the politicians involved have regularly supported positions contrary to Church teachings.
