Friday, October 16, 2009

Endorsements

Das' Assembly Campaign email newsletter went out today, with endorsements in the forthcoming elections. If you don't currently receive the newswletter and would like to, please send email to: das.williams2010@gmail.com

Das wrote:



ENDORSEMENTS

Santa Barbara Mayor and City Council

In Santa Barbara, I'm supporting Helene Schneider for Mayor and Grant House, Dianne Channing and Bendy White for City Council. These individuals are also the choice of the Democratic Party and the City Firefighters.


Santa Barbara - No on Measure B

The Democratic Party and I are also recommending a "No" vote on Measure B, the Building Heights Initiative. I respect those who brought it forward, but Measure B is too extreme and could hurt our ability to provide middle-income housing downtown. If Measure B passes, a restrictive code will be written into our city charter which will hamper the development of affordable housing and undermine efforts at planning for long term sustainability.


Santa Barbara Elections Cannot Be Bought

Santa Barbara is conducting it's first all vote by mail election and ballots are being mailed on Monday. The Santa Barbara campaign season has been distorted by the participation of Texas Republican billionaire developer Randall van Wolfswinkel. Wolfswinkel has personally spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of reactionary right-wing candidates and Measure B. It is going to take a huge effort to prevent our city from being bought, and losing a Democratic majority on the city council-which has a long history on the progressive cutting edge of environmental and social policy. Santa Barbara, it's time to fight back!

Democrats are conducting massive outreach activities and phonebanks all week and next weekend. Contact the Democratic Party office to knock on doors, phone bank, phone from home or find out what else you can do to help: 805-965-8030, sbdems@gmail.com


Ventura - Yes on Measures A & C

In Ventura, it's just as important to participate. I want to particularly highlight Measures C and A.

Measure C will prevent gigantic big box stores-- like Wal-Mart-- from expanding, and will effectively prevent a giant Wal-Mart from turning into a behemoth Wal-Mart on Victoria Avenue. The measure protects good paying local jobs, Ventura's small businesses, and the character of the area. Wal-Mart's lousy corporate ethics and exploitive labor policies, not to mention increased traffic on Victoria, lead us to strongly advocate for C. Call me at 637-7711 to get involved.

Measure A protects city services like the Wright Library, roads and parks and emergency services from cutbacks threatened by state raids on the Ventura city budget. The Measure establishes a half percent increase in the local sales tax, and at an average of $1.44 a week for Ventura residents is a small price to pay for core institutions like Wright, and a safe, clean city. Call the Measure A campaign at 805-832-6824 to get involved.


Ventura City Council

You can also vote for up to three candidates for City Council in Ventura. I strongly urge you to vote for Brian Brennan and Ed Summers. I have the highest degree of confidence in Brian and Ed. They both are working hard to revitalize our economy while protecting the environment.


Posted by at 10/16/2009
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4 comments:

  1. Once again your true colors are showing with your comments about Measure B. Measure B reflects the desire of the people you are supposed to represent.

    Not everyone who likes small town charm is a right-wing zealot, and using that term is a polarizing slap in the face to true enviros. Stop kidding yourself Das. Your words are more like those of a special interest puppet, not the words of a representative. Let us pray.
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  2. I asked Das about this comment and he replied:

    "I very plainly said that I respect the people who put B forward. They have indicated a problem, some buildings are too big, but they were not approved by the Council and the solution they have proposed is too extreme."
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  3. Once again, your response sounds like a true politician. You're defending yourself with an exact quote and ingnoring the fact that you do not support Measure B and that in the above text you associated it with right-wing candidates. What are the right-wing politics in Santa Barbara? We are not full of neo-cons waging war against oil-rich countries. The big issue in Santa Barbara is land use. The guy who everyone calls a Texas developer is not trying to develop here. In fact he is in favor of keeping Santa Barbara sustainable and livable. So throwing out the fact that it is developer money is deceptive.

    My comments to you are geared toward the stance you have taken on Measure B and how you have joined the machine that works to distort the facts about what Measure B is intended to do. Yet, Measure B is a fine example of the people working to get their concerns on the ballot, since their representatives have been ignoring them.

    I get the impression that you like to hold yourself to high standards, but since you have chosen politics for your career, you will be under scrutiny for the way you handle these things. Don't lose sight of the true nature of your choices. I wish you well.
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  4. About Measure B, Das has always favored the protection of open space over urban or suburban sprawl. So, building in the urban core makes sense given that position. Also, Das has consistently fought for workforce housing in Santa Barbara, less of which could be built should Measure B pass. Lastly, there are better and existing processes in place to deal with building heights, most notably Plan Santa Barbara.

    About the hundreds of thousands of dollars being pumped into this local election by an outside Texas developer and a Russian billionaire, Das' position is likewise very clear: no election should be bought, no matter what the intentions. Further, those benefiting from these advertising funds (Dale Francisco, Frank Hotchkiss, Michael Self and Cathie McCammon and groups supporting Measure B) should renounce the lies and falsehoods represented in them.

    I think Das would be the first to agree that you and he can disagree on the merits of Measure B. To muddle your stance by coming to the defense of the unprecedented massive amounts of funds deployed to pass the measure and candidates supporting it does both you and the measure a disservice.
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