First Gay Candidate for California Secretary of State (Green Party)

The California Aggie
November 22, 2005
Former UC Davis scientist to run for secretary of state
Green Party candidate Forest Hill to be listed on November 2006 ballot
By COURTNEY BURKS / Aggie News Writer
Posted 11/22/2005
http://www.californiaaggie.com/article/?id=11854

UC Davis could soon have influential representation in state
government as Dr. Forrest Hill, former research scientist for the
Institute of Theoretical Dynamics, announced his candidacy for
California secretary of state. This will be voted upon in the
November 2006 elections.

At a press conference on Nov. 15 in Sacramento, Hill
announced that he will be running for the state office under the
Green Party ticket. Hill is a former campaign strategist for the 2004
presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

For almost three years, Hill lived in Davis and worked as
an ecological research scientist. During his time at the university,
he started the campus Green Party and also got involved in the Yolo
County branch, which he said has helped to influence his political
views today.

"I did a lot of research and was concerned about the
environment, so I want to be able to represent these issues and
provide [voters] with third-party alternatives," Hill said.

Cres Vellucci, media spokesperson for the Green Party of
California, said the Hill campaign is working to create the necessary
funds to enable them to publicize throughout California.

"One of Forrest's main goals is to reach out to student
groups around the state," Vellucci said. "He also wants to go after
other voters, not just those who are registered with the Green Party."

Since the operation will not be accepting corporate
donations, Hill's campaign plans to fundraise at a grassroots level
in order to gain financial support to facilitate the costs of
statewide campaigning.

Larry Cafiero, liaison to the Secretary of State's Office
and member of the Green Party of California, said these funding
objectives provide Hill with a personal advantage as well as a
benefit to his constituents.

"Because the Green Party does not accept corporate
contributions, Forrest has the advantage of being free of any
such `debt' and can [function] as a true public servant in the most
exact definition of the term," Cafiero said.

In addition to issues of anti-corporate authority and
subsidy, Hill said his platform will be in line with issues commonly
identified with the Green Party. These include proportional
representation, social justice, nonviolence, community-based
economics and respect for diversity.

In order to attain these ideals, Hill said he is a
significant advocate of new voting systems that will improve his
views on California's failures with "unjust" voting technologies.

Cafiero noted that he believes Hill's application for
secretary of state will largely influence voting citizens to respond
to these issues.

"Forrest's candidacy is a welcome addition to a race
currently dominated by corporate money and influence," Cafiero
said. "[The public] can count on Forrest to raise issues in the race
that would be swept under the rug by the two major parties."

Over the next year, Hill and his campaign associates will
be working on the campaign they say they hope to frame around citizen-
representative democracy.

"The message that Forrest and the Greens bring to this
race surely will resonate with California's voters," Cafiero
said. "Whether this will translate into a victory for the first Green-
elected secretary of state in California remains to be seen."

Hill's party opponents could not be reached for comment
on his newly announced candidacy.

COURTNEY BURKS can be reached at city [at] californiaaggie.com.

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California Secretary of State candidate to hold press conference at Seattle Leadership Conference in support of Gay Rights.
Posted on November 12, 2005
http://www.seattlegreens.org/archives/news/2005/11/california_secr.html

SEATTLE - Forrest Hill, Green Party activist and first gay candidate for California Secretary of State, will hold a press conference to denounce an initiative slated for the 2006 ballot that would ban gay marriage and would strip domestic partners of most benefits. Note new location.

The conference will take place on THURSDAY, November 17, 2005 at 1:00 PM in the conference room at Uptown Espresso Inc, 500 Westlake Avenue North, Seattle, WA.

Hill, who will be in town to attend the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference, is committed to protecting the rights of same sex couples and plans a campaign against the anti-gay initiative sponsored by "The Campaign for Children and Families."

"The CCF rationalizes their motives based on religious beliefs," said Hill. "Those who use the bible to justify discrimination against gays are cut from the same mold as those who used the bible to justify slavery in this country for hundreds of years."

Hill will also discuss the dire need for election reform and the need to end corporate funding of elections.

"Most democracies in the world provide public financing of elections, free access to the media, and enforce spending limits on campaign,” said Hill. “They realize that political equality requires building barriers between money and the ballot box."

"We must also move towards more proportional systems of voting to ensure full representation of all citizens, like the vast majority of developed nations in the world," Hill added.


For more information:
Green Party of Seattle
info [at] seattlegreens.org
206-245-0871

For a biography of Forrest Hill and a list of his campaign issues, click here
http://www.seattlegreens.org/events/forrest-hill-bio-and-campaign-issues.html