taking back red california

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Matt Lockshin, a reader who has been the source of a couple of my pieces on California politics here...has another good one: Take Back Red California, an organization dedicated to fighting for every vote in our recently "Blue" State.

Oftentimes the difference between sticking in our Blue strongholds and actually working for change is as simple as crossing a hill. Richard Pombo, (link is to a must read Sierra Club article), a Congressman in an adjacent district to both Matt and me, just proposed to sell off, among other things, naming rights to our National Parks if not a few parks themselves. Pombo might just find that some Blue activists here in Barabara Lee's district (Oakland/Berkeley) have taken an interest in helping our allies and neighbors in Pombo's turf. Kicking Pombo out of D.C would be a nice start to the process of taking back red California.

Comments

RJB said…
Pombo is really a jerk and Democrats (and Republicans and independents who care about the enviroment)need to work to get rid of him. What concerns me are his Democratic helpers. I posted this story about his efforts to gut the ESA, with the active support of six Democratic members of Congress, including three from California.

http://whpsocal.blogspot.com/2005/09/who-needs-them.html
12:49 PM
Anonymous said…
Last year Jerry McNerney, a complete political novice, gave Pombo a run for his money. Jerry did the best of any challenger in any congr race in CA, despite no name recognition (there was no Dem cand. in the primary, Jerry ran as a write-in & won, quite an achievement), & $0.00 from the state & national party, but with lots of Bay-Area-wide grassroots support. Jerry's life's work is alternative energy (Altamont Pass windmills)--the perfect candidate against Pombo. Jerry has been actively campaigning since spring this year. www.jerrymcnerney.org
1:14 PM
Anonymous said…
I was a bit peeved at the Stakeholder, the DCCC blog, because they keep on bringing up Steve Filson as if he were the only one challenging Pombo. I mean, McNerney's 04 campaign is arguably why the DCCC is targeting the district. But then I saw the following on Filson's campaign website (under "Endorsements"):

From our first efforts at contacting many friends and elected officials in the district, we have enjoyed unprecedented support. This support has materialized in the full resources being made available to us from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington D.C. We are frequently in touch with their staff and have at this point their support for this very important, nationally targeted race.

I wasn't aware that the DCCC had officially endorsed Filson. I know they're treating him like their golden boy ever since Ellen Tauscher (CA-10 and DLC Vice Chair) brought him to meet the DCCC bigwigs in Washington. If they haven't endorsed him officially, then this is out of line. If they have, I wonder how they could justify endorsing someone who's only endorsement comes from a Congresswoman in another district. I certainly smell a rat.
5:05 PM
Anonymous said…
i've also heard about state senator mike machado (d-linden) making noises about running. mike's a bit conservative for his current district, which includes the more solidly democratic yolo and solano counties, but is well-known in the valley around tracy, and really, really, really knows his delta water issues.
6:27 PM
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