BUT FIRST THIS: REPUBLICAN COMPUTERIZED PHONE SCAM! Sinister allegations Republicans are tampering with votes in Democratic dsitricts.
Virginia election officials called in the FBI to investigate misleading phone calls in to Democratic voters (Republican callers deliberately sending Democrats to the wrong precint to vote) and a prosecutor in Ohio urged voters to beware of similar scams.
The Republicans have begun a nationwide program of making computerized phone calls (robocalls) pretending to be from local Democratic candidates in order to harass voters in their homes. The result? After repeated robocalls (supposedly from the Democratic candidate) the voter no longer wants to vote for the Democratic candidate who is harassing them. Of course, the voter doesn't know that it's really the Republican party pretending to be a Democrat.
These calls are Republican dirty tricks to steal another election with more of their corruption. Every single Republican candidate should be called on to condemn these tactics and demand they cease immediately. And when the Democrats take over Congress on Tuesday, we need to pass legislation stopping everyone from doing these kind of sleazy efforts to nullify the legitimate votes of Americans. Regardless of the party, there needs to be a sufficient penalty that this never happens again.
THIS is the GOP's "October Surprise": To crush Democratic momentum, to keep an iron-fisted grip on one-party power in government. These are people who will resort to anything in their desperation. Call your local news outlets and demand they report the story of these contemptable tactics to cheat democracy.
Please tell everyone you know about these issues!
MARCY WINOGRAD'S RECOMMENDATIONS are below. Marcy ran in the primary and is the mother/teacher/leader I most agree with on the issues. Below are her very specific voting recommendations for Los Angeles and the Westside. Marcy has really done her research.
Find your polling place: http://wwww.lavote.net
Volunteer for election protection: http://www.workthevotela.org
BALLOT ENDORSEMENTS FOR TUES., NOV. 7TH DEMOCRATIC PARTY CANDIDATES
Debra Bowen, Secretary of State
http://www.debrabowen.com/
Phil Angelides, Governor
http://www.angelides.com/
John Garamendi, Lt. Gov.
http://www.garamendi.org
Jerry Brown, Attorney General
http://www.jerrybrown.org/
Cruz Bustamante, Insurance Commissioner
Dear Friends,
Please be sure to vote (7 AM - 8 PM) tomorrow at your polling place (www.lavote.net) and to urge friends and family to vote, as well. If you encounter any election protection problems, you can call: 1-866-OUR-VOTE and/or contact: http://www.alternetvoterprotection.org/ -- also LA County ROV 1-800-851-2666 and Video the Vote at 213-48-2004.
Below are my personal ballot recommendations, though you'll note I have not taken a position on every ballot issue or candidate. Thanks again for your support during the primary, when together we drove home the importance of challenging the Bush war agenda.
Warm regards,
Marcy
P.S. Scroll to the very end for Election Night party details.
STATE MEASURES
* 1A: Transportation Funding Protection - Yes
* 1B: Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, Port Security Bond Act of 2006 - Yes
* 1C: Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006 - Yes
* 1D: Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006 - Yes
* 1E: Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Act of 2006 - Yes
* 83: Sex Offenders. Sexually Violent Predators. Punishment, Residence Restrictions and
Monitoring - No
* 84: Water Quality, Safety and Supply. Flood Control. Natural Resource Protection. Park
Improvements. Bonds - Yes
* 85: Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy -
No
* 86: Tax on Cigarettes. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute - Yes
* 87: Alternative Energy. Research, Production, Incentives. Tax on California Oil - Yes
* 88: Education Funding. Real Property Parcel Tax - Yes
* 89: Political Campaigns. Public Financing. Corporate Tax Increase. Campaign
Contribution and Expenditure Limits - Yes
* 90: Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property - No
(scroll to end for more on propositions)
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CITY OF LOS ANGELES MEASURES :
H - YES Affordable Housing Bond. (Bond Measure, One Billion Dollars )
This $1 Billion General Obligation Bond Issue will pay for housing and emergency
shelters for the homeless and others in need, and will fund the City's share of the costs of local projects constructed by the State under Proposition 1C (if it passes) : YES
J - YES Regional Fire Station Sites. (Charter Amendment and Ordinance)
This City Charter Amendment would permit the construction of Fire Stations on sites smaller than two acres, where the Fire Department determines it is warranted : YES
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CONGRESS
26th: Cynthia Matthews (D) Matthews supports single-payer health care and an end to the US occupation of Iraq. Her opponent, David Dreier, is Cheney's bat boy in Congress.
28th: Byron De Lear (G)
Howard Berman continues to fund the war and support eternal occupation of Iraq. Byron De Lear offers a clear alternative -- peace, not unilateral war.
33rd: Diane Watson (D)
35th: Maxine Waters (D) (Go, Maxine!)
CANDIDATES FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE
Governor: Angelides (D) has had a progressive record as Treasurer,shifting state pension funds from the stock market to community reinvestment, and promoting shareholder activism against irresponsible corporations. He supports the return of the CA National Guard from Iraq, public campaign financing, and strong environmental protections. Schwarzenegger vetoed universal health care before he even saw it, pushed hard to prevent the unjust "3 Strikes" law from being voted out in 2004, spent a ton of state and county money on a special election, cut funding for social programs and is now acting as the good boy of CA. Don’t forget, He is an ACTOR!!!
Lieutenant Governor: Garamendi (D) has defended consumers' interests
several times as Insurance Commissioner. McClintock is an arch-conservative, anti-tax, anti-abortion, anti-environment, anti-union,pro-business ideologue. More than a token position, the Lieutenant Governor sits on several important state boards and casts tie-breaking votes in the state Senate, in addition to filling in when the Governor is not available.
Secretary of State: Bowen (D) is the rare state legislator who has given
large amounts of time and staff resources to supporting a grassroots movement - in this case, to protect our right to vote and to have our votes counted. Republican incumbent Bill McPherson (R) has been trying to push through the same faulty Republican-owned electronic voting machines that produced surprising Republican victories in other states.
Controller: Chiang (D) says that going after the tax breaks for oil producers and refineries would be one of his top goals. He is the only elected state official to have organized free tax assistance for the indigent.
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STATE SENATE
28th: Jenny Oropeza (D)
STATE ASSEMBLY
37th: Ferial Masry (D) (Endorsed by Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles)
39th: Alarcon (D) has made addressing poverty a focus of his work.
41st: Brownley (D) has great positions on the environment and health care.
43rd: Krekorian (D) has supported green building policies at the Burbank
school district.
44th: Portantino (D) has a good record of supporting open space and has
avoided the temptation of being a "centrist" even though he represented a
heavily Republican town. Costa (G) is also a good candidate with a clearly
progressive agenda.
47th: Bass (D) is a strong voice for progressive causes.
49th: As a Monterey Park councilmember Eng (D) has supported environmental
bills at the state level.
51st: Price (D) supported the campaign to stop Wal-Mart in Inglewood.
53rd: Ted Lieu supports single-payer universal health care and has appealed to Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles to work together on progressive legislation. Peter Thottam, backed by the Greens and ICUJP, says he would challenge Lieu's support of the military industrial complex in Torrance and El Segundo.
56th: Mendoza (D) was endorsed by labor and environmental groups in the
primary.
57th: Hernandez (D) was endorsed by labor and environmental groups in the
primary.
61st: Soto (D) has a good record as a state senator.
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Paul Koretz for West Basin Water Board
(From Gary Shay of the Democratic Party ...)
For those of you in the West Side of LA County, wondering about the West Basin Water Board, I am supporting Assembly Member Paul Koretz as is the California and Los Angeles County Democratic Party.
The West Basin District has been plagued with a culture of corruption and mismanagement including paying for fancy trips and teeth whitening for a Board Member.
Life long active Democrat, Assembly member Paul Koretz, is running for the West Basin Board in Division 4, which includes all of El Segundo, Culver City, Malibu and West Hollywood, as well as several other areas. I am proud to support Assembly member Koretz because I know that his many years of environmental activism as well as his 18 years of service as a Council member and Assembly member will bring a new dimension to the Water Board.
Two of Assembly member Koretz's top priorities will be to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on lawyers for ventures into redistricting and making sure the District’s large reserves (over 80 million dollars) are in strong, safe investments.
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From a friend in the progressive community ...
JUDICIAL - SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
YES Joyce L. Kennard
NO Carol A. Corrigan (arch conservative appointed by Schwarzenegger)
JUDICIAL - COURT OF APPEAL JUSTICE
(Counties: Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura)
YES Robert M. Mallano
? Frances Rothschild
NO Roger W. Boren
NO Victoria M. Chavez
NO Patti S. Kitching
NO Richard D. Aldrich
NO Norman L. Epstein
NO Thomas L. Willhite
? Nora M. Manella
NO Steven Suzukawa
NO Richard M. Mosk
NO Sandy R. Kriegler
YES Arthur Gilbert
YES Dennis M. Perluss
NO Fred Woods
YES Laurie D. Zelon
YES Candace D. Cooper
YES Madeleine Flier
JUDICIAL
JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT
(County: Los Angeles)
Office No. 8: Deborah L. Sanchez
Office No. 18: John C. Gutierrez
Office No. 102: George C. Montgomery [with reservations]
Office No. 104: [do not have a recommendation]
Office No. 144: Janis Levart Barquist
Also recommended are: Zacky and Bobbi Tillmon
STATE SENATOR
24th: Romero (D) has been a leading advocate for stopping the emphasis on
imprisoning youth.
28th: After surviving cancer, Oropeza (D) has become one of the strongest
advocates for environmental justice.
JUDICIAL - COURT OF APPEAL JUSTICE
YES Mallano - Progressive rulings.
? Rothschild - Could not determine.
NO Boren - Conservative, endorsed by Republicans.
NO Chavez - Endorsed by Republicans.
NO Kitching - Conservative, endorsed by Republicans.
NO Aldrich - Conservative, endorsed by Republicans.
NO Epstein - Conservative, endorsed by Republicans.
NO Willhite - Conservative, endorsed by Republicans.
? Manella - On balance liberal, but some cases give pause.
NO Suzukawa - Conservative, endorsed by Republicans.
NO Mosk - Consistently anti-Iranian rulings on Iran-U.S. Tribunal.
NO Kriegler - Conservative, endorsed by Republicans.
YES Gilbert - Gave clear thought to clemency for death penalty cases.
YES Perluss - Progressive rulings.
NO Woods - Wrote ruling restricting sex discrimination cases.
YES Zelon - Champion of improving legal rights of the indigent.
YES Cooper - Strong advocate of affirmative action.
YES Flier - Progressive rulings.
JUDICIAL: JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT
8: Sanchez's opponent is a death penalty prosecutor.
18: Gutierrez's opponent is an anti-gang prosecutor.
102: Montgomery is less objectionable since he gives support to due process.
104: [no position]
144: Barquist leans liberal; her opponent is an anti-gang prosecutor.
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Endorsements from the Santa Monica Democratic Club
Santa Monica City Council
Kevin McKeown Gleam Davis
Santa Monica Rent Control Board
Jennifer Kennedy Zelia Mollica Marilyn Korade/Wilson
Santa Monica College Board of Trustees
Nancy Greenstein David Finkel
Andrew Walzer Louise Jaffe
Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District
Oscar de la Torre Emily Bloomfield
Kelly McMahon Pye Barry Snell
Local Measures:
Measure BB (School Bond) YES
Measure U (Charter Amend - Remove City Dept Heads from Civil Service . . .) NO
Measure V (Clean Beaches/Ocean Parcel Tax) YES
Measure W (Charter Amend - Change Campaign Contribution Restrictions) NO
Measure Y (Muni Code - Make Marijuana Use Low Enforcement Priority) YES
PROPOSITIONS: (A friend sent this to me and I'm passing it on ...)
YES Prop 84 Authorizes $5.4 billion to fund projects relating to safe drinking water, water quality and supply, flood control, waterway and natural resource protection, water pollution and contamination control, state and local park improvements, public access to natural resources, and conservation efforts. (nearly 1 billion available for parks & water projects in LA County)
http://www.easyvoter.org/site/evguide/content.php?type=1&id=70
YES Prop 87: Alternative Energy
This is NOT a gas tax, and won't raise your gas prices. What it will do is make companies extracting oil out of California pay a similar amount of money as they do in states like Texas and Alaska -incredibly, California basically gives away our resources virtually free,unlike everywhere else - and invest that money in alternative energy. You know it has to be something real good if the oil companies are spending $100 MILLION (!) to defeat it. It would establish a $4 billion program to reduce oil and gasoline usage by 25%, with research and production incentives for alternative energy, alternative energy vehicles, energy efficient technologies, and for education and training. The proposition prohibits producers from passing the tax on to consumers. Program administered by California Energy Alternatives Program Authority.
YES Prop 89: Campaign Finance Reform
Prop 89 will help take back our elections from special interests and create a level playing field for candidates to compete.
Maine passed a universal health care plan thanks to grassroots candidates being able to challenge the insurance-funded incumbents. The money for the campaigns will come from a 0.2 percent corporate tax increase. This system has proven to loosen the death grip corporate lobbyists hold over government, though it won't make every politician honest! The public campaign funding will be received through the Fair Political Practices Commission, in amounts varying by elective office and type of election. The proposition also imposes new limits on campaign contributions to state-office candidates and campaign committees, and new restrictions on contributions and expenditures by lobbyists and corporations.
Proposition 90:
“Prop 90 is the single most dangerous threat that has ever been leveled at our
state's environment” Robert Redford.
If Prop 90 is enacted, environmental protection will grind to a halt, because we the taxpayers will be unable to afford the billions and billions in payouts.
And guess what? Paralyzing government is exactly what Prop 90 aims to do.
This cynical ploy is so insidious -- and yet potentially popular -- because it's masquerading as a law that will protect our homes and businesses from
government seizure under the power of eminent domain.
This measure being pushed by conservatives and developers would force taxpayers to pay some land owners to follow laws already on the books--or give those land owners a waiver to pollute or break other laws. For example, if a company decides they want to build a polluting factory on their property that’s not allowed by current zoning, the government would have to pay them for the forgone opportunity. It could cost state and local governments billions of dollars to maintain current protections. It is supported by the California Republican Party and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Proposition 90 is opposed by a broad and diverse coalition including: the League of Women Voters, the Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, Defenders of Wildlife, dozens of other environmental groups but also Working Assets, California Labor Federation, California Professional Firefighters, the NAACP and the California Chamber of Commerce
YES Prop 1C- Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act: Allow state government to sell $2.85 billion in bonds for: housing projects and related development in urban areas and near public transportation, assistance for renters, first-time and low-income homebuyers farm worker housing, homeless shelters and other programs. Bond financing is regressive and from working in this industry I know how much money goes to waste and never reaches its targeted destination. Never the less, I think I will vote for it and pray…
http://www.easyvoter.org/site/evguide/content.php?type=1&id=66
YES Prop 1D (with reservation)
Allows state government to sell $10.4 billion in bonds to build and upgrade education facilities:
• $7.3 billion for K-12 schools, most of which would require local matching funds
• $3.1 billion for community colleges and public universities
Funding formula is not favorable to districts that have the greatest need. Bond financing is regressive.
http://www.easyvoter.org/site/evguide/content.php?type=1&id=67
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