FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 21, 2010
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Los Angeles County Young Democrats Finalize Endorsements for June 8 Primary Election
Largest Political Young Professional Organization in Southern California Endorses in Federal Races, Ballot Initiatives and a Local City Council Race
(LOS ANGELES, CA)-- On Thursday evening, the largest political young professional organization in Southern California, the Los Angeles County Young Democrats (LACYD), finalized the organization's endorsements for the upcoming June 8 California Democratic Primary Election. LACYD, which has already met to vote on endorsements in Constitutional Officer, State Assembly and State Senate races, gathered in Downtown Los Angeles on Thursday evening to vote on endorsements in Federal races, statewide ballot initiatives and a local City Council race. A complete list of LACYD endorsements can be found at www.lacyd.org.
"With the many, many important elections being decided by voters on June 8, it is important that young voters have an opportunity to hear how each candidate and issue can affect the lives of young voters in Los Angeles," said LACYD President Katherine Hennigan. "Young voters are an incredibly and increasingly important block of voters and as the largest political young professional organization in Southern California, we take the responsibility of interviewing candidates and endorsing Democrats who will represent young voters well, very seriously."
At Thursday night's meeting, the LACYD members in attendance voted to endorse incumbents Barbara Boxer for her re-election to the United States Senate and Jane Harman for Congressional District 36. LACYD members also voted to endorse Assembly Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass for Congress in District 33 and LACYD-member James Johnson in his bid to be the next Councilmember representing District 7 on the Long Beach City Council. LACYD members also considered the five ballot initiatives that will appear on the June 8 ballot, voting to support Propositions 13 (which reforms tax incentives for seismic retrofitting) and 15 (which will allow for public financing for the next Secretary of State election) and to oppose Propositions 14 (an ill-conceived top-two primary election measure), 16 (a power utility power-grab) and 17 (an especially deceitful measure being offered by auto insurance companies).
"The initiatives on the June 8 primary ballot are tough to decipher," said Hennigan. "There are process measures such at Prop. 13, important political reform measures such at Prop. 15, and a few frighteningly duplicitous power-grab measures funded by special interests such as Propositions 16 and 17."
Proposition 16, which would require a two-thirds voter approval before local governments provide electricity service to new customers or establish a community choice electricity program, would lock utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric's high rates into the California Constitution by locking out community choice and public power. Proposition 16 replaces the current process that allows communities to choose non-profit utilities with a process that would require a super-majority for any choice other than PG&E.
Proposition 17 is equally deceitful. Nearly entirely funded by large auto insurance companies such as Mercury Insurance, the campaign on behalf of the initiative is spending millions of dollars to seek approval for a measure that will allow insurance companies to penalize drivers for not maintaining continuous car insurance coverage. This means that students, active military service people or other people who do not temporarily need to own a car will face huge penalties when they need to purchase car insurance again.
"Both Propositions 16 and 17 are the worst kind of ballot initiatives," said Hennigan. "They are funded by special interests so wealthy corporations can gouge customers and try to write power-grabs into our state constitution. The Los Angeles County Young Democrats strongly urge our members to reject Propositions 16 and 17."
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About the Los Angeles County Young Democrats: Founded more than 30 years ago by Congressman Henry Waxman, Congressman Howard Berman, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, and others, Los Angeles County Young Democrats is the largest organization in Southern California focused on giving young people a voice and a vehicle for activism in local, state, and federal political issues.
With a membership of more than 500 and dozens of local, state, and federal candidates either members or helped into office by the Club, LACYD remains at the forefront of keeping Young Democrats engaged, informed, and heard on issues of importance to young people. For more information, please visitwww.lacyd.org.
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