Greg Pettis, in his 14th year as Cathedral City Councilman, former-Mayor Pro-Tem of Cathedral City, and Candidate for the CA 80th Assembly District, has now received the endorsements from every member of the California Legislative Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Caucus in Sacramento.  Pettis has widespread support in the LGBT community Nationally, State-wide, and locally because of his progressive stands on issues important to the LGBT communities: Pettis fully supports the HIV/AIDS communities, universal healthcare, a strong local economy, good local schools and responsible academic oversight, a healthy environment, equality and justice for all Californians, and mentoring other members of the LGBT community.

More below the flip…

Pettis’ support in the National, State, and local LGBT communities includes but is not limited to:

National:

U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-MA)

U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

State:

Every LGBT Caucus Member in Sacramento:

CA State Senator Christine Kehoe

CA State Senator Sheila Kuehl

CA State Senator Carol Migden

CA State Assemblyman John Laird

CA State Assemblyman Mark Leno

Local:

Palm Springs City Councilmember Ginny Foat

Palm Springs City Councilmember Rick Hutcheson

Cathedral City City Councilmember Paul Marchand

Desert Hot Springs City Councilmember Karl Baker

LGBT Organizations and LGBT Community Leaders:

Desert Stonewall Democratic Club

Vice-President Desert Stonewall Democrats Roger Tansey

Treasurer Desert Stonewall Democrats Bob Silverman

Secretary Desert Stonewall Democrats James Reynolds

Membership Chair Desert Stonewall Democrats Lynn Worley

Public Relations Chair Desert Stonewall Democrats Donald W. Grimm, Ph.D.

Steering Committee Member Desert Stonewall Democrats Bob Mahlowitz

Steering Committee Member Desert Stonewall Democrats Richard Oberhaus

Steering Committee Member Desert Stonewall Democrats Greg Rodriguez

Steering Committee Member Desert Stonewall Democrats Robert Lee Thomas

Steering Committee Member Desert Stonewall Democrats Lynn Worley

Political Action Committee Member Desert Stonewall Democrats Bond Shands

Desert Stonewall Democrats Member Bill Cain-Gonzales

Equality California

HRC Board Member Andy Linsky

Inland Stonewall Democratic Club

Co-Chair Palm Springs Democratic Club Sandy Eldridge

Co-Chair Palm Springs Democratic Club David Pye

Secretary Palm Springs Democratic Club Peter East

San Diego Democratic Club

Victory Fund

Pettis is the only Democratic candidate who has indicated publically and consistently that he fully supports issues important to the LGBT community, including Marriage Equality.  In fact, two of his opponents, Rick Gonzales and Richard Gutierrez, have indicated publically that they will vote ‘nay’ on any Marriage Equality bill if elected as Assemblymember to represent the 80th AD.  Victor Manuel Perez has stated publically that he supports equality for all, but consistently avoids stating whether he will or will not vote for Marriage Equality.

Thus, Pettis is not only most qualified to represent the Coachella and Imperial Valleys as per The Desert Sun, but is also the most committed and will most represent all of their interests in Sacramento as Assemblyman (forty percent of the population in Palm Springs are members of the LGBT community, sixty percent of the population is LGBT-identified during the ‘season’).  Recently, most of the major electeds in the West Valley have been openly-gay or openly-lesbian, including former Mayor of Palm Springs Ron Oden, Mayor of Palm Springs and former-Palm Springs City Councilmember Steve Pougnet, Palm Springs City Councilmember Ginny Foat, Palm Springs City Councilmember Rick Hutcheson, Palm Springs Unified School District Trustee Justin Blake, Desert Hot Springs City Councilmember Karl Baker, Cathedral City Councilmember Greg Pettis, and Cathedral City Councilmember Paul Marchand.  Other electeds in the West Valley have endorsed Pettis for the 80th AD, including Palm Springs Unified School District Trustee Meredy Schoenberger and Cathedral City Clerk Pat Hammers.  The only ones of these mentioned not endorsing Pettis for 80th AD are Oden and Blake, the latter not endorsing anyone thus far.

Also, unlike other campaigns for the 80th AD, Pettis is reaching out to all communities in the Coachella and Imperial Valleys, not deigning to divide the communities along race, class, sexual orientation or other lines of distinction.  In fact, Pettis has widespread support in the wealthier cities in the District including Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and Rancho Mirage as well as in the less advantaged communities like Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Coachella, Brawley, and El Centro.

Members of the LGBT Caucus endorsing Pettis include Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), chair of the caucus,

According to a press release from LGBT Caucus chair Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz):

Formed in June 2002, the role of the LGBT Caucus is to present a forum for the California Legislature to discuss issues that affect LGBT Californians and to further the goal of equality and justice for all Californians.  Formation of the LGBT Caucus made California the first state in the country to recognize an official caucus of openly-LGBT state legislators.

Members of the LGBT Caucus endorsing Pettis include Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), chair, Senator Christine Kehoe (San Diego), Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles), Senator Carole Migden, and Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco).

Accomplishments and activities of the LGBT Caucus that Pettis is committed to help to further and to accomplish as a State Assemblymember representing the Coachella and Imperial Valleys:

Champion and prioritize laws/legislation that promote equality for LGBT Californians:

Equal rights and responsibilities for same-sex couples and their families

Prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender in employment, housing, and business establishments / public accommodations

Prohibit discrimination in state government

Prohibit discrimination and harassment in public school

Promote fair policies and adequate funding for HIV/AIDS and LGBT-related health and human services

Promote prevention programs and policies against hate-crimes and bias-motivated violence

Sponsor annually the LGBT Pride Exhibit every June, celebrating Pride Month.

Present before the California State Legislature the LGBT Pride Recognition Awards, which are given to outstanding individuals in recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments and leadership in their respective fields of endeavors.

Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2002, and re-elected in 2004, and in 2006,  Laird represents the 27th Assembly District, which includes portions of Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara Counties.  Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, Laird served two terms on the Santa Cruz City Council, two terms as Mayor of Santa Cruz, and eight years as a Cabrillo College Trustee.

In his role as Budget Committee Chair, Mr. Laird helped deliver the first on-time budget since 2000-a budget that reduced community college fees, restored funding for transportation and K-12 education, dramatically increased funding for deferred park maintenance and foster care, and increased the budget reserve while reducing the so-called “out year” deficit. Along with the Budget Committee, Mr. Laird also serves as a member the Labor and Employment, Judiciary, and Natural Resources Committees.

Raised in Vallejo and educated in Vallejo public schools, Mr. Laird’s parents were both educators. He graduated from UCSC’s Adlai Stevenson College. In 1981, Assemblymember Laird was elected to the Santa Cruz City Council. He was elected by the City Council to one-year mayor’s terms in 1983 and 1987, becoming one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States.

Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) was first elected to the Assembly in 2002,  Assemblyman Leno represents the 13th District, which encompasses the eastern portion of San Francisco.  He is one of the first two openly-gay men ever elected to the State Assembly.  He currently chairs the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which oversees all bills with a fiscal impact on the state of California.  Leno also serves on the Election & Redistricting and Labor Committees.  Leno was also chair of the Public Safety Committee from 2003 to 2006.  Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Leno served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from April 1998 to November 2002.  Leno has also been in the forefront of Marriage Equality battle with the recacitrant Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in sending the Governor Marriage Equality bills each year which Schwarzenegger then terminates with a veto:

While in the Assembly, Leno has fought for better schools and access to higher education, a cleaner and sustainable environment, universal affordable and quality health care, improved transportation, renewable energy, safer streets and equal rights for all Californians.  In 2007, Leno is continuing his pioneering battle for LGBT couples and their families by authoring AB 43, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. This historic civil rights legislation would allow same sex couples to marry in California . In 2005, Leno’s nearly identical AB 849 was the first marriage equality bill in United States history to be approved by both houses of a state legislature.

A native of Wisconsin, Leno attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, then went on to become valedictorian of his graduating class at the American College of Jerusalem, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree. Leno also spent two years in Rabbinical Studies at The Hebrew Union College in New York . He is the owner of Budget Signs, Inc., a small business he founded in 1978 and operated with his life partner, Douglas Jackson. Together the two entrepreneurs steadily grew their sign business until Jackson passed away from complications relating to HIV/AIDS in 1990. This deep loss would not deter Leno. Instead, he redoubled his efforts in community service.

Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) was first elected to the State Senate in 2004, to represent the 39th Senate District,  Senator Kehoe chairs the State Senate’s Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.  In 2006, Kehoe chaired the Senate’s Local Government Committee where she sponsored the most important redevelopment reform bill in more than a decade:

Senator Kehoe is a member of the Senate Committee on Budget & Fiscal Review; Natural Resources & Water; Transportation & Housing; Local Government, the Governor’s Broadband Task Force, the California Cultural and Historical Endowment; and the Sea Grant Advisory Panel.  

She also serves on the Select Committees on Defense and Aerospace Industry; the Natural Resources and Water’s Subcommittee on Delta Resources; the Joint Committee on the Arts; and the Select Committee on Coastal Protection and Watershed Conservation.

Prior to being elected to the Senate, Kehoe served two terms as a California State Assemblymember representing the 76th District (2000-04).  

During her first term in the State Assembly, Kehoe distinguished herself by becoming the second woman ever – and the first woman from San Diego, to be elected Assembly Speaker pro Tempore, the Assembly’s second highest-ranking position.  In her first year in the State Assembly, she carried the largest energy conservation bill package in the state’s history.  

Prior to being elected to serve California’s 76th Assembly District, Kehoe served seven years as City Council Member representing San Diego’s Third District. As a Council Member, Christine was at the forefront on environmental issues, serving as chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. She led efforts to improve and beautify San Diego, reduce street crime, and improve recreational opportunities for families.

State Senator Sheila James Kuehl (D-Los Angeles) was first elected to the State Senate in 2000, and again in 2004, after serving for six years in the State Assembly. During the 1997-98 legislative session, Senator Kuehl was the first woman in California history to be named Speaker pro Tempore of the Assembly. Kuehl is also the first openly-gay or lesbian person to be elected to the California Legislature.  A former civil rights attorney and law professor, Kuehl represents the 23rd Senate District in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.  She is the chair of the Senate Health Committee and serves as a member of the Agriculture, Appropriations, Environmental Quality, Joint Rules, Judiciary, Labor and Employment, and Natural Resources and Water Committees.  Kuehl is also chair of the Select Committee on School Safety and Chair of the Select Committee on the Health Effects of Radioactive and Chemical Contamination.  Kuehl previously served as chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee from 2000-2006:

In her thirteen years in the State Legislature, Sen. Kuehl has authored 171 bills that have been signed into law, including legislation to establish paid family leave, establish the rights contained in Roe vs. Wade in California statute, overhaul California’s child support services system; establish nurse to patient ratios in every hospital; require that housing developments of more than 500 units have identified sources of water; further protect domestic violence victims and their children; prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender and disability in the workplace and sexual orientation in education; increase the rights of crime victims; safeguard the environment and drinking water; many, many others.  Since 2003, she has led the fight in the legislature to achieve true universal health care in California, and, in 2006, brought SB 840, the California Universal Healthcare Act,  to the Governor’s desk, the first time in U.S. history a single-payer healthcare bill had gone so far. Undaunted by its veto, Senator Kuehl continues to work to bring universal, affordable, quality health care to all Californians.

She was selected to address the 1996 Democratic National Convention on the issue of family violence and the 2000 Democratic National Convention on the issue of diversity.  In 1996, George magazine selected her as one of the 20 most fascinating women in politics and the California Journal named her “Rookie of the Year.”  In 1998 and, again, in 2000, the California Journal chose her as the Assembly member with the greatest intelligence and the most integrity.  In 2006, the Capitol Weekly picked her as the most intelligent member of the California Legislature.

Prior to her election to the Legislature, Senator Kuehl drafted and fought to get into California law more than 40 pieces of legislation relating to children, families, women, and domestic violence.  She was a law professor at Loyola, UCLA and USC Law Schools and co-founded and served as managing attorney of the California Women’s Law Center.

Senator Kuehl graduated from Harvard Law School in 1978 where she was the second woman in the school’s history to win the Moot Court competition.  She served on the Harvard University Board of Overseers from 1998 to 2005.

Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) represents the 3rd District in the California State Senate, which includes the eastern half of the City and County of San Francisco, all of Marin County, and portions of Sonoma County.  Senator Migden was first elected to the Senate in November of 2004.

Currently, Senator Migden is chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus and also serves as Chair of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.  In 2004, she began serving as Chair of the Appropriations Committee:

Prior to being elected to the Senate, Carole Migden served as Chairwoman of the California Board of Equalization (BOE); the nation’s only publicly elected tax commission; represented San Francisco’s 13th District in the California State Assembly; and for five years served as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

During her tenure at the BOE Senator Migden worked to modernize the state’s outdated tax system and manage taxpayers’ money responsibly. Her accomplishments at the BOE included strengthening domestic partners’ property rights, leveling the playing field between Main Street and on-line retailers, protecting California’s precious open space, and advocating for increased revenues to fund vital services by eliminating obsolete tax breaks.

In the State Assembly, Migden served for five years as Chairwoman of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. She was the first woman and the first freshman legislator to chair that influential committee. For four years she also served as a conferee on the state’s Joint Budget Conference Committee, which writes the final version of California’s state budget.In that time Carole Migden authored legislation to create California’s landmark domestic partner registry, promote children’s health, preserve the old growth Headwaters Forrest, increase accountability in K-12 schools, protect borrowers from predatory and deceptive lending practices, protect consumers from manipulation by energy generators, and promote the use of emergency contraception.

Senator Migden has received numerous awards for her service. California Journal named her among California’s power elite of women elected officials and awarded her with their “Rookie of the Year” award in 1998, taking top honors in the categories of most integrity, most intelligence, hardest working, most ambitious, and most influential. She received “Legislator of the Year” honors in 1999 from the California School Employees Association and in 2001 from the California National Organization for Women (NOW), as well as leadership awards from prominent environmental and civil rights organizations. She continues to receive high honors in California Journal’s annual rankings, including “Quick Study” in 2002.

Carole Migden is a longtime member of, and current super-delegate to, the Democratic National Committee. She also served as chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party for eight years.

By Juan Carlos Sanchez

Senator Barack Obama has inspired me to become his District Level Delegate for the 45th Congressional District.   If you have the opportunity to vote in the CA-45 district level Obama caucus, I respectfully ask for your vote.

As a 26-year-old Mexican-born immigrant, product of Coachella Valley Unified School District and proud UC Davis alum, I’ve worked tirelessly to advocate positive and progressive change throughout our 45th Congressional District.  

After finishing the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, I returned to my hometown of Coachella to become – much like Senator Obama – a community organizer.  

As a Political Organizer for the Roth for Congress Campaign, I worked with local activist and emerging leaders with the simple yet powerful message of  “change.”  In my efforts to galvanize a new generation of voters – much like Senator Obama’s campaign – I used new media tools like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube.  

I also helped organize what I proudly called Roth-A-Palooza, which took place at my parents’ Coachella ranch.  

The Press Enterprise devoted a front-page article on our grassroots work.  

Since, I’ve been appointed as a delegate to the California State Democratic Party, appointed as alternate to the Riverside County Central Committee, and served as the Political Chair of Democrats of the Desert.  I am currently the Inland Empire’s Regional Political Organizer for SEIU United Healthcare Workers – West.  

I am proud that my union local was instrumental in pushing SEIU State Council to endorse Senator Obama before the California Primary.  

My efforts included:

o Speaking at a Obama rally in Riverside

o Recruiting and participating in precinct walking in Riverside

o Phonebanking our union members

o Organizing and executing a GOTV campaign targeting our union members.

I thank you for your time and hope you consider voting for me as our pledged Obama Delegate.  If you have any questions, please shoot me an email.  See you all on Sunday!

Juan Carlos Sanchez

e:  [email protected]

Note: I work for the SEIU United Healthcare Workers – West but nothing in this comment should be construed as anything other than my personal opinion at the time of posting

I watched the debate this evening following my reading of news articles that John Edwards should drop out of this election because his continuing presence is divisive to the Democratic Party.  The debate demonstrated that Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are clearly capable of being divisive on their own, while John maintained the dignity of the forum and was by far the most Presidential of the three.  In fact, it is John Edwards who has led the way ensuring that the Democratic Party ideals of equality and fairness for all, giving the economically disadvantaged a fair chance at the American Dream, and restoring the moral integrity and leadership of the United States are the issues being discussed in the campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination.  Many “political experts” have said that John Edwards has shaped the issues of the Democratic Primary and Caucus campaign.  In accordance, we, as Americans and Californians, need John Edwards to stay in this race to the end (and I hope into the White House).

I have spoken at many Democratic Club meetings over the past few months on behalf of John Edwards, as well as tabled at shopping centers and street fairs.  I am very concerned about the focus of the media and what I have been hearing in the debates in the context of what I have heard when speaking and/or tabling in the Coachella Valley about the reasons people are voting for a particular candidate.  Everyone knows that it is politically incorrect to advocate voting for Senator Clinton merely because she is a woman or Senator Obama merely because he is an African-American, and thus such comments are not expressly made in this context.  However, the subtle message I continue to hear is real change will come from a woman in the White House or real change will come from an African-American in the White House.  These under the radar views are ignorant and damaging to We The People of the United States of America because real change will come only from Progressive Democratic ideas put forth by someone who is willing to fight to implement and follow through with the Progressive Democratic ideas.  Obviously, I am a John Edwards supporter, and thus feel that JRE is the best Democratic candidate to accomplish this real change because of (a) His life experiences growing up; (b) His professional life experiences as a trial attorney taking on the “Big People” and always battling for the “Little Person” in the courtroom, at the UNC Poverty Center, and on the streets of America; (c) His leadership of ideas coming out first with a Universal Health Care Plan, an Economic Stimulus Package, a Global Warming Plan, and the list goes on and on; and (d) His unwillingness to take money from PAC’s and lobbyists because he knows the fight that lies ahead is a fight for middle class Americans and below and not about compromising their interests.  I appreciate and respect that you may disagree with me that John Edwards is the best Democratic candidate to accomplish such real change provided that you are basing your decision on the position of your candidate of choice on the issues and ability to implement and follow through in this regard, rather than because your candidate is a female or an African-American or because the corporate mainstream media told you who to vote for, either expressly or implicitly by limiting the coverage of a candidate relative to the two (2) celebrity and glitz candidates.  

I will close my remarks with a story that I think is so essential because what I hear from people who I am out talking to about John Edwards is that they want “bullet-point” literature on the issues because the 80 page “The Plan To Build One America – Bold Solutions For Real Change” by John Edwards is too much reading.  I ask these people if you were going to have surgery, or buy a home, or make an investment, then would you want “bullet-point” information or all of the information and details available.  This next election is more important than surgery or buying a home and you are making the biggest investment of your life, and the lives of your children and grandchildren, because of the issues at stake resulting from the past decades of Presidential Policy.  My son, a junior in high school, is a typical teenager and like most teenagers is aware of but not very interested in the upcoming Presidential Election.  However, on New Year’s Day I was watching a CSPAN recording of John Edwards speaking before the Iowa Caucus and my son was in the same room, laying on a couch reading a book (“Eragon”).  I caught my son, out of the corner of my eye, put down the book and proceed to watch John Edwards.  I kept waiting for my son to stop watching JRE and return to reading his book.  Instead, my son watched the entire speech (approximately 45-60 minutes) and when John Edwards had finished his speech my son, spontaneously and without any solicitation or comment from me, says “How could you not vote for the guy?”  The following week I am tabling at the Palm Springs Street Fair where all of the Democratic Presidential Candidates who have a representative are present.  Near the end of the four (4) hour evening, a Hispanic family consisting of a mother, father, and middle-school aged boy approach the Senator Obama representative next to me.  The mother and father ask about buttons, bumper stickers, etc., which they are provided with.  The Senator Obama representative asks the middle-school aged boy if he wants a button and the boy politely responds “No”.  The Senator Obama representative asks “Why not” and the boy responds he “likes John Edwards”, which perked up my ears.  I asked the boy “Why do you like John Edwards?” and he responded “I saw him on C-Span and I liked what he had to say.”

If a middle-schooler and a high school junior have the attention span to watch C-Span, then the least that we adults can all do is take the time to visit the web sites of each of the candidates and see what they have to say, as well as hear each of the candidates out when they speak, rather than follow the mainstream media like a bunch of sheep or vote for someone because they are the first woman or first African-American with a legitimate chance to be the President of the United States of America.  Do not cheat yourself by doing anything less and you owe it to your children and grandchildren to give them a better country then was given to you.

(More AD success. danwood also blogs at A Progressive Alamedan. Edited to move some text below the jump – promoted by jsw)

Yesterday we had our elections for delegates to represent the 16th Assembly District (Alameda, Piedmont, and most of Oakland) for the Democratic Party.  We had  265 votes cast, which was phenomenal turnout.

The winners:

Women: Michelle Gabriel, Suzy Goldmacher, Linda Joseph, Tara Marchant, Rachel Richman, Veronica J. Williams

Men: Mark Briggs, Arnold G. Fong, Jason Gohlke, Wayne Nishioka, Anand Singh, Dan Wood.

Mark Briggs was elected as the Executive Board representative.

It was a clean sweep for the candidates who had organized together as a progressive slate.  I think this was due to some intense outreach on our part to our friends and neighbors, and the fact that we had the backing of East Bay For Democracy and the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, who apparently contacted all of their members with our information.  It also didn’t hurt that 2/3rds of our slate was endorsed by assemblymember Sandré Swanson and 100% of it was endorsed by former assemblymember Wilma Chan.  We worked really hard to put together a group of people that is active, passionate, and diverse in many ways, and I think our district will be well-represented.

I was very pleased to win and see the fine folks I was running with all win.  Actually it was kind of surreal that we all won, because there were many other great, progressive candidates running as well, and I wished that somehow there was some way for them to win as well!  We are all on the same side here, regardless of slight differences in approaches to things.  Choosing among candidates who are so like-minded is difficult.  Fortunately – I hope – those who didn’t make it as delegates will continue their great work.  Actually, there are possibilities for some of them to become delegates in spite of the election results; elected officials like Sandré Swanson can appoint up to five delegates themselves.  He has a great selection to choose from.

The election process was a bit strange, though I guess it went smoothly as could be expected.  I had heard about a few logistical problems that had happened around the state in Saturday’s elections, and I made a point to warn our convener and the many volunteers about them, just to be on the safe side.  Most ballots were cast by people showing up, filling out their ballot, and then leaving, so when it came time for the candidates to give their one-minute speeches, it wasn’t in front of a particularly big audience.  I think that next time, it would be better to have a particular scheduled time for the event to start, then a time for the speeches to start, and then after the speeches are over, a period of time for the ballots to be cast.  That way, people could do a quick drop-off of their ballots if needed during  certain time period, but at least the candidates would be likely to have a more substantial audience.  Keeping the ballot boxes open for a bit of time after the speeches would allow for latecomers, allow candidates and citizens to talk and discuss after the speeches but before the votes, and possibly give people a chance to pick and choose candidates better, based on what they heard.

In any case, I’m jazzed for this April’s convention in San Diego.  I really appreciate everybody who took time out of their busy day to come out in the cold for this.

(Cross-posted and slightly updated from A Progressive Alamedan)