Xposted 5/20/2008 8:58 PM PDT on MyDesert.com by BluePalmSpringsBoyz
The Greg Pettis for 80th Assembly District campaign announced earlier that Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, the highest-ranking Democratic elected official in California endorsed Pettis for the 80th AD to replace the termed-out, thank God, Bonnie Garcia (R). The campaign Press Release is as follows:
Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, the highest-ranking Democratic official in state government, has endorsed Greg Pettis in the open 80th Assembly District race.
“While Democrats in the 80th AD are fortunate to have a wealth of choices this year, I’m getting behind Greg Pettis because he has a long record of results that matter to families throughout the Coachella and Imperial Valleys, and the experience to deliver on the promise of creating a healthier California,” Garamendi said.
More below the flip…
Continuing the Press Release:
“We need to put this seat in the hands of someone who will be ready from the first day in office to make our health care system more affordable and accessible, to improve our economy by reducing the achievement gap in our schools and keeping college affordable for more students and to take the lead in combating global climate change,” Garamendi added.
Garamendi specifically lauded Pettis for his work expanding CSUSB campus in Palm Desert to accommodate more students, negotiating the Multi-Species Habitat Act to manage growth and conserve water and for creating over 1,000 new jobs in Cathedral City through the downtown revitalization project.
Pettis welcomed Garamendi’s endorsement and said he looked forward to working with him on a host of issues including creating a universal health care system, growing CSU’s branch campus in the Imperial Valley and increasing the use of renewable fuels to reduce carbon emissions.
Garamendi joins a long list of elected officials supporting Pettis including State Controller John Chiang; former State Controller Steve Westly; State Board of Equalization Member Judy Chu; incoming State Senate pro-tem Darrell Steinberg; State Senators Carol Migden, Christine Kehoe and Sheila Kuehl; and State Assemblymembers Mike Eng, John Laird, Lloyd Levine, Mark Leno and Ted Lieu.
Garamendi thus follows suit with every local Democratic Club which has chosen to endorse, including the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club, the Desert Hot Springs Democratic Club, the Palm Springs Democratic Club, the Pass Democratic Club, the San Diego Democratic Club, and the San Diego Democratic Women’s Club, as well as most progressive Democratic-leaning organizations.
Pettis was also endorsed by the California National Organization for Women, Equality California, Victory Fund, Progressive Majority, and HONOR PAC. California NOW endorsed Pettis, not providing dual endorsement, as his prime competitor, Victor Manuel Perez, was unable to articulate a coherent position on Women’s Rights and freedom of choice. That Perez as a candidate is unable to state unequivocally that he supports a woman’s right to choose is patently unprogressive. Equality California (EQCA) endorsed Pettis for his consistent and openly-stated support for Marriage Equality, unlike his Democratic challengers such as Rick Gonzales and Richard Gutierrez in public Democratic forums opposed Marriage Equality. Perez equivocated, stating general support for Civil Rights for LGBT community members, but refused to state unequivocally that he would vote for Marriage Equality in the State Assembly. In addition, at the Sun City Democratic Club Candidate’s forum, Perez stated in his opening statement that he was not a member of ‘an alternative lifestyle.’ Anyone in the LGBT community knows that this is code. Not speaking of the DaVinci variety.
The Desert Sun in its editorial endorsement of Pettis for the 80th AD specifically spoke of Pettis’ ability to ‘hit the ground running’ if elected as well as his extensive local administrative and legislative experience. The endorsement inferred that his Democratic opponents lacked similar administrative skills and experience, troubling to the voters of the West Valley, East Valley, and Imperial Valley.