Cross posted from Daily Kos

Sounds a lot more interesting than it is but I’m so excited to be able to share that Gary Pritchard, my husband and Democratic candidate for California State Senate is going to be appearing on Thom Hartmann’s Air America show tomorrow morning at 10:50 am (Pacific time).  

More below the cut…

Pritchard to Appear on Air America’s Thom Hartmann Show Thursday Morning

Orange County, CA- California State Senate Candidate, Gary Pritchard will be a featured guest on national Air Americas radio program the Thom Hartmann Show, 10:50 a.m. this Thursday morning, June 12. Pritchard will be interviewed during Hartmanns regular feature, Taking Our Country Back.

During the segment, the liberal talk show host helps Democratic candidates gain traction one office, one seat, one vote at a time. “Its all about getting people to get active and supporting the folks who are willing to put themselves out there to get the job done.” Listeners are asked to help through volunteerism or financial contributions or whatever else they can do. state senatorial candidate Pritchard continued, “I became interested in running because he was tired of the constant threats to the state’s education budget.”  

“A quality education insures the future quality of life for every citizen in our state. We must allow teachers to do more of what theyre trained to do, teach!” the tenured Cerritos College Fine Arts professor explained.

Developing a sustainable economy, decreasing our dependence on oil, establishing greater transparency in government, and universal health care for Californians are issues that Pritchard believes are important and vows to fight for if elected.

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Gary Pritchard is a tenured Professor at Cerritos College in the Fine Arts Division. He has a BA from Chapman University, MA from Claremont University and a Ph.D from UCI. Gary is a native Californian who currently lives in Aliso Viejo with his wife Heather and five year old daughter Charlotte. Gary is also a musician who enjoys to play music with his friends from Jazz, rock and blues.

The California 33rd

I also want to share something I learned about today during a live blog with David Sirota.  David started an organization called Progressive States Network.  It shows that supporting State candidates is a huge way to affect change and push the ideas and issues we want addressed at the State Level.  I was so happy to hear that not only Thom Hartmann gets this, but David Sirota.  There is so much focus on the National races that the little guys get lost in the shuffle.  

About Progressive States Network

Supporting Change State-By-State

Progressive States Network aims to transform the political landscape by sparking progressive actions at the state level. Founded in 2005, the group provides coordinated research and strategic advocacy tools to state legislators and their staffs, empowering these decision-makers with everything they need to engineer forward-thinking change. Progressive States also works with non-profits and a variety of constituent groups to build a swath of support for coordinated progressive policy. The overarching goals: to get good policy passed into law and change the way issues are debated in the states.

A significant part of Progressive States efforts revolve around supporting state legislative campaigns. The organization offers legislators and their staff members with the technical and messaging support necessary to embrace progressive policy. Tapping into a network of experts in each state, the group catalogues existing or developing legislation related to six key values we support. Progressive States also accumulates research to support new laws in these areas. During the current legislative session, our most important values include:

   * Rewarding work

   * Helping families

   * Strengthening communities

   * Growing the economy

   * Increasing democracy

Progressive States seeks to strengthen communication between legislators and the organizations they serve, facilitating a groundswell of interest in progressive policy that spans state, regional and ideological lines. Our board consists of labor organizations, grassroots and “netroots” groups, and key policy centers. With additional support from these organizations, Progressive States makes it even easier for lawmakers to keep open dialogues with their most savvy constituents.

Finally, Progressive States acts as a “war room” to equip legislators with the information they need to advocate good policy. Organization experts put together best-practice guidebooks and serve as surrogates for legislative staff members who need talking points and need them fast. Additionally, with an up-to-the-minute news service at www.progressivestates.org, the group acts as an information hub that keeps legislators up-to-date on progressive news from other states, helps them identify trends and emboldens them to educate each other on how to succeed.

In short, by supporting state legislators and other groups in their efforts to spark progressive actions and get good ideas passed into law, Progressive States proves that state policy matters, and that good policy leads to good politics for all.