Pulse of Concord: Gaining perspective on local viewpoints

CONCORD, CA (Feb. 26, 2025) — Updating a set of questions with about 200 respondents brings out some thoughts that stir up the view of ourselves.

Q. Will things be better next year?

The response is more positive for Concord than for the Bay Area as a whole.

City better: 70%, with 21% worse and 8% having problems with their crystal ball.

Whereas for the larger area: 56% say better, with 36% worse and the same folks having crystal ball problems.

Q. How much should city government spend on homeless per person?

While some 15% said none and 53% said it was too complicated, the single biggest area was 11% responding less than $5,000. All other options received single-digit support. A future question might be: What do people think it costs society to have homeless people in terms of money and social value (if that is the PC term for what used to be called our souls)?

Q. Is a candidate’s position on Roe V. Wade a high priority for local, non-partisan elections?

While 46% said pro-choice was important and 7% said pro-life, an interesting 20% said maybe. This has not been an issue in any local race in Central County (Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek), but there have been skirmishes over protests at sites in Walnut Creek. There might be a shadow fight if a Planned Parenthood site ever wanted to expand. Not looking forward to that fight.

Q. Would you accept a candidate who disagreed with your issues more than another because you considered their race/ethnicity/gender more desirable for the office?

With 62% saying never and 19% rarely, 11% said sometimes, 6% usually and 2% always have diversity as their issue.

Considering the last election, this leads to an interesting point: What do you think is the most diverse City Council in the area? Remember the common Progressive measure of diversity is the race/ethnicity/gender/age/orientation of the individual and not what they do. In short, diversity in common politics is all those things that you have no control over.

The answer is Clayton, which may be a shock. They have a Black, a Hispanic and an Asian. But asking if this diversity is representative of the demographics would not be polite.

Do you know what BIPOC is?

Exactly 50% said no. In political lexicon it stands for Black, Indigenous and People Of Color. What it comes down to is all those who are non-white. So, Egyptians, Indonesians, Chinese and Japanese are all people of color.

It is a very sensitive subject. There was an argument at a political club when someone said, “If you do not know anything about a candidate, vote for BIPOC” – which means do not vote for white candidates. Described as prejudice or bigotry, it did not go over well for the one bringing it up. Pointing out prejudice against white people is not a popular thing these days.

There is also the subtle political tone to put all non-white folks in a single category. From a political power perspective, this can make sense within the context of California demographics – where we have no majority race or ethnicity. While what are called white folks are the largest minority, they are just that if all the non-whites were to be united.

The political wisdom of this approach and its impact on a community’s views of its neighbors is something that may be explored.

As always, to the extent that you want to read into these views and opinions, they are strictly mine, Edi Birsan, and not related in any way to the National Football Referee Association and their performance at the Super Bowl.

Contact me with your screed or additional topics for surveys at EdiBirsan@gmail.com.