Voting Matters - Make Your Voice Heard!
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"We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate."
Thomas Jefferson
“Be part of the answer. VOTE!”
Clean Water Action
2024 is a presidential election year, with a great deal at stake on the national stage. Sometimes, however, the most important elections are closer to home, such as our state Legislature which makes decisions every day that effect your life and your community.
The first step in this year’s election cycle is the California Primary on March 5, 2024. California allows same day voter registration, but we recommend that you register by February 20 so you receive a ballot on time.
This year, in addition to the “big races” for president and for California senator, all state Assembly seats are being voted on, and a number of key state Senate seats are also open. The top two vote getters on March 5th will move onto the general election in November, so now is the time to truly influence who actually gets to run and make their case to represent you in Sacramento. This year is particularly important as several key leaders are terming out, leaving both a power vacuum and an opportunity for new leadership to come forward.
Clean Water Action’s Vote Environment Committee (CWAVE) will be evaluating several key races throughout the year that impact large numbers of our members. We are asking candidates for their environmental and environmental justice priorities so that we can provide that information and our recommendations for public review. While this is a deliberative process, we have, in a few cases, already endorsed specific candidates. Below is a short, but important list of candidates that Clean Water Action has endorsed. We’ll continue to fill in with more endorsements as these races move forward.
Key races: Clean Water Action Endorsements for the California Primary Election, March 5th 2024
U.S. Congress
Congressional District 16: Joe Simitian
Of the many people running for Congress in District 16 (San Mateo/Santa Clara Counties), only one candidate has the leadership qualities it will take to navigate our nation’s capital and fight for our region’s future. Joe Simitian has a long history of public service, including serving locally as Palo Alto Mayor and on the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. He also represented the region with distinction in both the state Assembly and Senate, where he headed the important Senate Environmental Quality Committee. At every level of government, Simitian has pursued environmental justice, worked to ensure protections of our water resources, and hold polluters accountable for the harm they create. With these established environmental credentials, Simitian is the only candidate who can make real on his promises to lead on climate, land conservation, coastal protection, antipollution policies, and renewable energy.
California Senate
Senate District 7: Jovanka Beckles & Kathryn Lybarger
Two candidates stand out as clear leaders that will address the environmental and environmental justice issues California is facing, which is why Clean Water Action is doing a dual endorsement in this race.
Jovanka Beckles is an environmental justice leader who entered local politics because of the terrible pollution the Chevron Refinery creates in her community of Richmond. Recognizing the disproportionate impact of polluting industries and environmental destruction on communities of color, Beckles stood up to “Big Oil” during her tenure on the Richmond City Council. She supports the phase out of fossil fuels, keeping coal transport out of Oakland and Richmond, increased funding to water assistance programs, and believes that we should not use toxic chemicals when safer alternatives exist. Beckles is taking NO corporate funding to run her campaign. As she puts it, “I refuse to be bought in order to turn my back to the environmental degradations being brought into my community”.
Spokespeople for polluting industries try to paint environmental protections as bad for the economy and “job killers”. Kathryn Lybarger clearly understands the blatant falsehood behind these claims. As President of the CA Labor Federation and co-founder of the California Labor for Climate Jobs, she is committed to ensuring we move away from "death-of-the-planet" jobs while protecting workers’ future. She also recognizes that marginalized communities and people of color bear the brunt of pollution and environmental disasters without the economic benefit despite industry profits. According to Lybarger it “is only right to prioritize people over profits when we look into a more sustainable future and climate change”. Lybarger’s immediate priorities in the Senate are sea level rise, wildfires, community resilience and contaminant remediation, all of which are particular concerns for this diverse district.
State Senate District 29: Eloise Gómez Reyes
Eloise Gómez Reyes is a proven leader, having served as Majority Leader in the state Assembly. She has authored numerous environmental bills, especially focused on the vehicular air pollution that makes the Inland Empire’s air quality the worst in the state (due to the expansion of warehouses and trucking). As a result, Reyes sees the need to “achieve zero carbon energy by 2045” and has already worked to ensure that the state’s budget priorities and community investments will meet those goals. Having worked as a legal advocate for those living in disadvantaged communities, Reyes has a strong commitment to environmental justice and has supported Clean Water Action’s efforts to procure rate assistance for low-income communities to ensure we keep taps flowing. She understands the need to protect our water resources, especially groundwater serving this desert part of the state, and is committed to working to ensure that new oil and gas drilling and warehouses are set back from vulnerable neighborhoods to protect those who are most impacted by these polluting industries.
California Assembly
California Assembly District 6: Evan Minton
In a field of 8 candidates running for this seat (being vacated by Kevin McCarty who is running for Sacramento Mayor), Evan Minton shines. Minton is a long-time champion of many progressive issues, such as gender and racial equality, fair housing, access to health care, promoting quality education for all, and stopping gun violence. When Clean Water Action was working to pass a law to protect disadvantaged rate payers’ right to water, Minton stepped in and added his advocacy to the fight - and helped us win. His environmental priorities when elected include addressing pollution sources, especially in environmental justice communities, greater environmental enforcement and accountability that hold big oil and other polluters accountable, properly funding our environmental agencies, promoting public transit, protecting water resources, and increasing green communities.
California Assembly District 13: Rhodesia Ransom
Assembly District 13 needs a leader that understands the environmental problems that have been affecting the health of its communities. That’s why Clean Water Action is pleased to endorse Rhodesia Ransom. Ransom understands that a polluting inland port, poor air quality and related high childhood asthma rates, and toxic algae blooms in water threaten the health and well-being of the hard-working communities she seeks to serve. She will support actions to transition towards a clean energy economy to create quality green jobs, and healthier neighborhoods. At the same time, she is making water infrastructure and access to clean drinking water one of the priorities of her campaign and will work to bring the resources needed for high-quality water infrastructure to the region, foster a policy that removes harmful chemicals and contaminants from residential water supplies, and support low-income rate assistance so everyone has access to clean water.
California Assembly District 19: David Lee
San Franciscans need to be aware that long time state budget chair and Clean Water Action champion Phil Ting is leaving the Assembly due to term limits. While we are sad to lose this powerful lawmaker, we are excited to endorse David Lee to become the next assembly member to represent the city and parts of San Mateo County. David Lee is a civil rights leader who has fought for racial and social justice and access to the democratic process throughout his career. His environmental priorities include addressing the impacts of PFAS and other toxic chemicals in the products we use, demonstrating an ability to carry on the great work of his predecessor on this key issue. He will also champion strong groundwater protections to ensure our water systems thrive and are sustainable.
Assembly District 28: Gail Pellerin
Clean Water Action is pleased to endorse Gail Pellerin once again for Assembly District 28. Assemblymember Pellerin understands that strong environmental policies are necessary to ensure a safe future for our children and grandchildren. She is strongly behind Clean Water Action’s work to provide water rate assistance to low-income households so that everyone has access to clean, safe, and affordable drinking water. Assemblymember Pellerin supports the phase out of toxic chemicals like PFAS that threaten our health environment, and that can be replaced with safer alternatives. Furthermore, she has publicly committed to promote renewable energy to lower greenhouse gas emissions, protect California’s precious coast and prepare for rising sea levels, and to procure necessary funding for forest management and addressing wildfires. Finally, Assemblymember Pellerin recognizes that protecting our communities means a healthy democracy, which is why she will continue her leadership to protect voting rights in our state.
Paid for and authorized by Clean Water Action. This advertisement was not authorized or paid for by a candidate for this office or a committee controlled by a candidate for this office. For more information, call 510.823.5974.
2024 California Election Dates
March 5th: Presidential/State Primary
March 20th: Special Primary, Congressional District 20
November 5th: General Election
Voting Questions or Problems
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