March 2020 Primary Election

Proposition 13 – NO
Bonds for Education Facilities

The opposition to this measure is not simply our general reservations about such pro-banking, regressive means of raising funds; we have given critical support to such measures if the funds were spent for important social needs, with no identified hidden agenda involved. However, in this case such a not-so-subtle poison pill is present. This initiative is the offspring of Prop. 51, passed in 2016. We opposed that proposition which was also for building/repairing of education facilities, even though it focused on K-12 districts of highest need as well as community colleges and career technical schools.

The key problem with 51 and now with 13 is the restriction on any fees being placed on developers for all the infrastructure which accompany these facility projects, benefiting real estate interests (and their profits), at no costs to them. It is not an accident that the measure was largely initiated and funded by real estate and construction firms.

Massive funds are involved — $9 billion for K-12, $4 billion for universities, and $2 billion for community colleges. Another negative is that this proposition, like Prop. 51, provides substantial funds for charter schools ($500 million).

Politically the measure is backed by Governor Newsom and much of the Democratic Party centrist establishment. The two main teacher unions, CTA and CFT, are largely sitting this out, their main efforts being focused on the Schools and Communities initiative (to reform 1978’s Prop 13), scheduled for this November’s ballot.

(Thanks to the Green Party of Alameda County for providing this analysis.)

Endorsements for the November 2018 Election

Please see our endorsements here – https://greenpartysolanocounty.wordpress.com/endorsements/

Now is the Time to Get Greens into Congress

Now is the time…

We have an historic opportunity to break through the duopoly and bring national attention to our Green priorities and policies.

Please join the California Green Wave to support our three congressional candidates Kenneth Mejia (CD 34), Rodolfo Cortes Barragan (CD 40), and Laura Wells (CD 13).

Greens are the People’s candidates not Wall Street’s, and our corporate-free Green Party doesn’t need billionaires and their corporations because we have PEOPLE POWER!

Get to know our candidates below and learn about their backgrounds, watch their videos and visit their website!

They need YOUR help to get the word out about their campaign and our shared Green values. Please sign up to phone bank, fundraise, recruit more volunteers, walk precincts, AND let’s all advocate for them on social media! Check out their videos below!

Help us defeat corporate politics, and finally get our Clean Green Candidates into Congress!

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Meet Kenneth Mejia

Congress District 34

It’s not enough to be progressive, it’s time to be REVOLUTIONARY

Kenneth is a 27-year-old first generation Filipino-American Community Organizer, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Board Member of the Wilshire Center Korea town Neighborhood Council. Kenneth believes that Healthcare, Housing, Education, and a Clean Green Environment are Human Rights and will fight in Congress to make that happen.

Kenneth’s ambition is to serve, empower, and improve the lives of the constituents of District 34: the working class, millennials, people of color, immigrants, senior citizens, LGBTQ and all of the 99%. He ran for this same seat during the 2016 Democratic Primary as a write-in candidate and as a Green Party member in the 2017 Special Election.

VOLUNTEER   >   DONATE

www.mejia4congress.com

Facebook: @KennethMejiaForCongress

Twitter: @25forCongress

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Meet Rodolfo Cortes Barragan

Congress District 40

Let’s spend OUR money on the GREEN NEW DEAL, not the war machine

Growing up in South East Los Angeles, Rodolfo has lived through many of the struggles and dreams of the 86% Latino community of California’s 40th Congressional District. Overcoming his family’s economic limitations, he attended college at UC Berkeley and received  his Ph.D. from Stanford University.  Now 30, Rodolfo aims to become a U.S. Representative so he could use the privilege of that position to empower working families, students, seniors, and veterans.

As a scientist, Rodolfo knows that humanity could perish within a century. To increase our chances of survival, we must shift from an economy focused on profiteering to an economy based on meeting human needs. We either change, or become extinct.

VOLUNTEER   >   DONATE

www.rodolfoforcongress.com

Facebook: @RodolfoForCongress

Phone: (323) 315-0316, Text Rodolfo to 41411

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Meet Laura Wells

Congress District 13

There Are Solutions… Let’s have a REAL debate!

Laura is running for Congress because she believes we need to raise our expectations and use our power to challenge a system that refuses to provide the very basics for us, in this, the richest country on earth. She is a Green because the Party put its principles into practice by never accepting corporate money, or developer money either, since developers bought government at the level of cities.

After earning her Masters degree in Education, Laura worked in finance, computer programming, and systems analysis in Boston for 10 years, then shifted to working with nonprofits and doing her political work, running for office as a Green candidate a number of times.

ADVOCATE   >   DONATE

www.laurawells.org

YouTube: Laura Wells for Congress

Facebook & Twitter @LauraWellsCA

PO Box 16277, Oakland, CA 94610

Two Greens Advance to Top Two

Green Party Candidates Advance Against Incumbent Democrats to Challenge U.S. Congressional Seats in California

June 13, 2018, cagreens.org

Los Angeles, CA – The Green Party of California announced today that at least two of its candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives have advanced to the November election and will launch a strong challenge to win seats currently held by the Democratic Party.

The two Green challengers are Kenneth Mejia in Congressional District 34, and Rodolfo Cortes Barragan in District 40. Both districts are in Los Angeles County. Several other Green candidates for Congress are awaiting final vote tallies to see if they will advance to the general election.

Mejia edged out Libertarian Angela McArdle in the District 34 primary and will now challenge Democrat Jimmy Gomez in November. Barragan was guaranteed a spot in the general election as one of only two candidates in the District 40 primary, and will face off against Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard.

The candidates said that they are poised for a powerful challenge to traditional party control of the two House seats, and that the Green Party’s refusal to take corporate donations gives them the moral and grassroots high ground to win the two elections.

Mejia said, “California’s electoral laws were changed in 2014 to make it much harder for Greens to reach the general election. But there is a key opportunity in that setback. The Green Party of California can now focus all of its efforts for national office on just a couple of seats. We are gearing up to win those seats, and send the first Greens in history to Washington, DC.”

Barragan added, “The Green Party takes no corporate donations. We will win these elections with people power, not corporate cash. After the energizing Bernie Sanders primary run in 2016, voters are now eager to throw out candidates and parties that strong-arm elections by shamelessly allying themselves to billionaires and superPACs. The Green Party is in these races to win, and to start taking back the Congress for the people.”

Candidate Information:

Kenneth Mejia
https://www.mejia4congress.com

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan
https://www.rodolfoforcongress.com

County:

Statewide

Jason Kishineff: Vote corporate-free

POSTED: 06/01/18, 3:00 AM PDT | Vallejo Times Herald

 

Josh Jones and Gayle McLaughlin at a vigil for Claudia Patricia Gómez González.

I want to remind your readers that politicians who take donations from corporate lobbyists and super PACs are working for corporations and not you, the voter. Please research candidates before you vote and try to vote for corporate-free candidates. These are the people trying to work for you.

A perfect example is Lieutenant Governor candidate Gayle McLaughlin (and no, I do not work for her). I met Gayle at a glyphosate forum in Napa and I marched with her in Santa Rosa, on May Day. If you aren’t familiar with her story, it’s definitely worth reading about. She is a true people’s hero. One of her plans is to use her office as Lieutenant Governor to unite all kinds of civil rights groups and environmental groups and health awareness groups so that we can organize and mobilize and keep each other aware of the issues that we are facing.

A really great example is the fight in Vallejo to prevent the Orcem cement factory from going in to an area within range of many schools and residences. Folks in Eureka or San Diego will have no idea what’s been going on or how the people have been fighting it — what’s worked and what hasn’t. And when we are finally successful in stopping this horror story, Orcem may try to inflict its asthma-inducing particle clouds somewhere else. Maybe it will be near you, and it will be useful to have that communication available through that kind of progressive alliance.

Please vote on June 5 and vote for corporate-free candidates. Thank you.

\— Jason Kishineff/Congressional candidate, 5th District

California’s Green Candidates for 2018 Elections

This is a partial list of Greens running for office in 2018 (thanks to the Green Party of Santa Clara). Not every Green who is running is listed here and for some positions we have already made endorsements.

Josh Jones for California Governor

Josh’s platform aims to maximize equality of opportunity, and minimize harm. He was in Occupy/Decolonize and joined the Green Party as a consequence of the election corruption he observed at the national, state and county level. Learn more and watch an interview with Josh.

Erik Rydberg for CA Secretary of State

Erik’s campaign platform is to ensure election integrity, accuracy and transparency in CA.  He is the male spokesperson for the CA Green Party and was the CA volunteer coordinator for the 2016 Stein Campaign. Learn more and watch an interview with Erik.

Angelica Duenas for Congress CD29

Angelica Duenas is the Green Party candidate running for Congress in California District 29. Her 100% people powered campaign focuses on Healthcare-for-All, Immigration Reform, Education as a Right and on growing the Green Party! Learn more and watch an interview with Angelica.

Barry Hermanson for Congress CD12

Cal Barry Hermanson has run for Congress in CA District 12 four times because the voices of working people are rarely heard above the deafening sound of money. His campaign focuses on bringing voters the Green New Deal platform. Learn more and watch an interview with Barry.

Jason Kishineff for Congress CD5

Jason’s platform is based on fighting for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. His first priority is reforming our electoral system, including ending Citizen’s United. Learn more and watch an interview with Jason.

Kenneth Mejia for Congress CD34

Kenneth’s campaign aims to put the most vulnerable people FIRST: the working class, poor, homeless, immigrants, seniors, LGBTQ, people of color, and the disabled, because he believes, when millions of people come together, we can accomplish anything! ran for congress in his district in 2017. Learn more.

Lewis Elbinger for Congress D1
Lewis stands strong for “Government with a heart, vote your conscience, keep your voice”. He believes the Green Party’s platform can address the social and political challenges our country faces. Lewis has 28 years of experience as a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State, has earned an MBA and a Masters in Strategic Studies, and has lived abroad in many countries. Learn more and watch an interview with Lewis.

Rachel Bruhnke for Assembly D70
Rachel believes it’s time to take power back from corporations and anti-democratic forces endangering our communities, country and our planet. She is focused on: a just, sustainable and inclusive economy; land use reform and housing for all; healthcare as a human right and promoting SB-562; and building a localized, participatory Democracy. She holds degrees in Political Science and Environmental Engineering. Learn more and watch an interview with Rachel.

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan for Congress D40
“I am a first-generation Mexican-American scientist running in the most Latino district in the country. My opponent has sold out the community, but nobody else is running to unseat her. It’s time for someone to say no to the L.A. Latino Democratic establishment. Please contribute if you can.” Rodolfo conducts interviews focused on the Green Party platform, using the community-oriented Green Revolution group that has over 10 thousand followers. Learn more and watch an interview with Rodolfo.

Robert Christian Richardson for Congress D7
“I am running for Congress to rebuild fairness and confidence in our government for a more stable and sane America, because I have become disenchanted with unfair election rigging that both major parties engage in.  After retiring from the Veterans Administration, as a senior computer specialist, I co-founded a non-profit to help hospitals here & overseas utilize VA’s integrated hospital system (VistA), that has run 160 VA hospitals for 40 years.” Learn more and watch an interview.

Saied Karamooz for Oakland Mayor
Saied Karamooz is the Green Party candidate for the mayor of Oakland.  Saied’s campaign is founded on sensible solutions from a trustworthy candidate.  His platform is squarely founded on achieving true public safety through investment in education, housing, and jobs.  Learn more and watch an interview with Saied.

Town Hall Meeting on Phillips 66 Expansion, Wed (9/13/17), 6:30pm

     COME OUT, BE INFORMED AND MOBILIZE TO:
     STOP Rodeo Phillips 66 Expansion
     STOP Vallejo VMT Orcem Cement Plant and corporate polluters

Do you want to see supertankers bringing in 130,000 barrels  of Canadian tar sands every day into the Phillips 66 Refinery?  This expansion will more than triple the number of tankers allowed per year.  A Phillips 66 spill last year sent 100 area residents to the hospital.  This expansion threatens public health, as well as the water quality of the Bay.

Speakers:
Andres Soto – Communities for a Better Environment
Greg Karras – Senior Scientist, Communities for a Better Environment
LaDonna Williams, Ruscal Cayangyang – Vallejo School Board Trustee
And more!
Food will be provided!

WHEN
Wednesday, Sept 13, 6:30 PM
WHERE
Norman King Center, 545 Magazine St., Vallejo CA (map)

San Francisco Baykeeper, Friends of the Earth, Communities for a Better Environment, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Sierra Club have already submitted public comments that you can read here [PDF]

For more information contact: stopphillips66@gmail.com

Solano Greens Endorse Gayle McLaughlin for Lt. Governor of California

The Green Party of Solano County is proud to endorse our local hero, Gayle McLaughlin, in her campaign for Lt. Governor in 2018.  Gayle will be running as No Party Preference in this race, but she has been a member of the Green Party for more than a decade and continues to literally embody the Green Party’s 10 Key Values (i.e., community-based economics in her support for worker cooperatives) and has helped make them a reality for her constituents in the City of Richmond.

Gayle was a Green during her time on the Richmond City Council and later as Mayor, and in part, because she was a Green, she was unencumbered by some of the limitations of her Democratic colleagues.  For example, as Mayor, Gayle was able to start the first ever lawsuit against Chevron by the City of Richmond for damages from the 2012 refinery fire, in part because as a Green, she took no corporate donations from Chevron.  Consequently, despite decades of violations, until a Mayor who could refuse corporate donations came along, Richmond residents were effectively held hostage to the abuses of Chevron by the large campaign contributions it could levy to forestall any significant legal consequences by elected officials.

Another example was Gayle’s response to the Occupy Movement — after the Obama Administration bailed-out Wall St. banks, instead of American homeowners — in which she never brought the power of the police state down to bear on Occupy Richmond.  In fact, she marched with them.  In contrast, nearly all Democrat mayors across the nation used the police to crush the movement and destroy their property, including Oakland’s Jean Quan, who was considered a progressive.  Members of Occupy (and in NY, reporters, as well) were widely brutalized by police to silence their totally non-violent display of public outrage.

These two small examples are among the many many cases of Gayle’s critically important progressive leadership, along with the Richmond Progressive Alliance, while serving the people of Richmond over the past decade.

Gayle McLaughlin for Lt. Governor
http://gayleforcalifornia.org/

MOYERS & COMPANY
Facing Down Corporate Election Greed
November 7, 2014

Facing Down Corporate Election Greed

Democracy Now
Chevron to Pay $2 Million for 2012 Refinery Fire in Richmond, CA; 200 Arrested at Protest
August 06, 2013
https://www.democracynow.org/2013/8/6/chevron_to_pay_2_million_for

The Nation
Meet the Mayor Who’s Using Eminent Domain to Fight Foreclosure
By Laura Flanders, November 20, 2013
https://www.thenation.com/article/meet-mayor-whos-using-eminent-domain-fight-foreclosure/

The Washington Post
Richmond’s rules: Why one California town is keeping Wall Street up at night
By Lydia DePillis October 5, 2013
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/10/05/richmonds-rules-why-one-california-town-is-keeping-wall-street-up-at-night/?utm_term=.bea3599ee71e

Stop the Cement Plant – City Hall Meetings on May 30th and June 1st

The next step in stopping a cement plant in our community in Vallejo will be the City Council Hearings on Tuesday, May 30th, and Thursday, June 1st. Arrive early to get a seat. Doors open 4:00 pm.

The VMT/Orcem project is not a done deal:
City Hall officially opposes VMT/Orcem project

Planning Commission Vote 6:1 to Deny Project
http://video.sfexaminer.com/Vallejo-Says-No-To-A-New-Cement-Plant-32085473

Our letter to the editor opposing the plant was published in March.

Jill Stein Rally in Davis! (Thurs, March 9th, 2017, 7pm)

The Green Party chapters of Sacramento and Yolo County are delighted to welcome Jill Stein to town! Joined by campaign manager David Cobb, she will be addressing critical issues in a rapidly changing political climate and looking at how ordinary people can resist.

Don’t get demoralized – join the fightback alongside the Green Party!

Please see the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/249285225482575/

Thursday March 9th at 7:00 pm

Muir Commons
2222 Muir Woods Pl,
Davis, California 95616