Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Vote for Laura Richardson 37th Congressional District ~ California
Laura Richardson hard work and diligence has paid off in an opportunity to serve our United States of America. Our sista friend fine butter pecan queen political voice, Honorable Laura has the complete support of the California Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association. So many residents of the 37th Congressional Disctrict of California will embrace a better standard of living by the work of Laura. Let August 21 be a wonderful celebration for the people.
Laura Richardson Will Be Elected to Congress on August 21: What This Means for California
By Frank D. Russo
The election returns are in for the special election held yesterday to fill the 37th Congressional District seat vacant because of the death of Juanita Millender-McDonald due to cancer. Receiving 37.8% of the vote, Democrat Assemblymember Laura Richardson (pictured at right) will be the winner on August 21, 2007-- barring the sun not coming up between now and then-- in a runoff election against the top Republican vote getter who received 7.6% of the vote and the Green Party and Libertarian candidates who received even a smaller proportion of the votes.
Under California law for special elections to Congress and other partisan offices, if no candidate receives an outright majority, the top vote getters from each party in the special election primary race face of in the special election general contest. Richardson beat out Democratic State Senator Jenny Oropeza who received 31.3% of the vote in this heavily Democratic district. With 18 candidates on the ballot, getting that majority now was difficult. Turnout was 11.2% despite the infusion of independent expenditures and a tug of war between tribal casino interests organized labor and between some Latinos and Blacks as to this seat.
Richardson, who is the Assistant Speaker pro Tem of the Assembly, despite being elected to that body just last November, will continue to serve in the Assembly. At age 45, even with demographic shifts in the district she will likely remain in the Congressional seat for many years. She has served as a Long Beach City Council member for 6 years before her election to the Assembly and was the Southern California Director for then Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante for 5 of those years.
Assuming she takes her seat in the Congress immediately, as would be expected, there will be a vacancy in the Assembly for the last three weeks of the state legislative session when many of the mega bills are up for consideration and the big deals are struck. Democrats would be one down from their 48 to 32 majority in the 80 member Assembly.
Among the interesting questions is how she will vote on the Tribal Gaming Compacts that may come up for a vote on the Assembly Floor as early as this week. Interesting because the tribes made over $400,000 in an independent expenditure campaign on behalf of her rival Senator Oropeza. Labor was a strong backer of Richardson and are opposed to the compacts. The compacts were approved in April by the State Senate, with Oropeza in support of them. If approved, they will usher in the largest expansion of slot machines in United States history.
Interesting questions are also being raised about the effectiveness of campaign contributions and independent expenditures by the tribes who spent more money in their effort on Oropeza's behalf than she had raised herself.
Richardson will remain in the Assembly for another two months and Oropeza will continue to serve in the State Senate. Oropeza has wished her well.
There will be a special election for the 55th Assembly District seat, a Democratic stronghold, after the end of this year's regular session of the legislature and before the legislature reconvenes and the second year of the 2007-08 term begins in January.
By Frank D. Russo
The election returns are in for the special election held yesterday to fill the 37th Congressional District seat vacant because of the death of Juanita Millender-McDonald due to cancer. Receiving 37.8% of the vote, Democrat Assemblymember Laura Richardson (pictured at right) will be the winner on August 21, 2007-- barring the sun not coming up between now and then-- in a runoff election against the top Republican vote getter who received 7.6% of the vote and the Green Party and Libertarian candidates who received even a smaller proportion of the votes.
Under California law for special elections to Congress and other partisan offices, if no candidate receives an outright majority, the top vote getters from each party in the special election primary race face of in the special election general contest. Richardson beat out Democratic State Senator Jenny Oropeza who received 31.3% of the vote in this heavily Democratic district. With 18 candidates on the ballot, getting that majority now was difficult. Turnout was 11.2% despite the infusion of independent expenditures and a tug of war between tribal casino interests organized labor and between some Latinos and Blacks as to this seat.
Richardson, who is the Assistant Speaker pro Tem of the Assembly, despite being elected to that body just last November, will continue to serve in the Assembly. At age 45, even with demographic shifts in the district she will likely remain in the Congressional seat for many years. She has served as a Long Beach City Council member for 6 years before her election to the Assembly and was the Southern California Director for then Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante for 5 of those years.
Assuming she takes her seat in the Congress immediately, as would be expected, there will be a vacancy in the Assembly for the last three weeks of the state legislative session when many of the mega bills are up for consideration and the big deals are struck. Democrats would be one down from their 48 to 32 majority in the 80 member Assembly.
Among the interesting questions is how she will vote on the Tribal Gaming Compacts that may come up for a vote on the Assembly Floor as early as this week. Interesting because the tribes made over $400,000 in an independent expenditure campaign on behalf of her rival Senator Oropeza. Labor was a strong backer of Richardson and are opposed to the compacts. The compacts were approved in April by the State Senate, with Oropeza in support of them. If approved, they will usher in the largest expansion of slot machines in United States history.
Interesting questions are also being raised about the effectiveness of campaign contributions and independent expenditures by the tribes who spent more money in their effort on Oropeza's behalf than she had raised herself.
Richardson will remain in the Assembly for another two months and Oropeza will continue to serve in the State Senate. Oropeza has wished her well.
There will be a special election for the 55th Assembly District seat, a Democratic stronghold, after the end of this year's regular session of the legislature and before the legislature reconvenes and the second year of the 2007-08 term begins in January.
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
What are the issues?
The War in Iraq; universal healthcare; the failed "War on Drugs"; the environment.
Laura Richardson is an ambitious Democratic Party hack who doesn't give a hoot about any of these.
Michael Harris Khubaka refers to her as:
"Our sista friend fine butter pecan queen"
What the hell does that mean?
I, too, am an African-American. I say we are not electing a "sista." We are electing a member of the United States House of Representatives from one of the most diverse congressional districts in the entire U.S.
Casinos?
The Democratic Machine bosses betrayed the unions two days after the election.
I say Vote Green, not the Machine! Daniel for Congress!
The War in Iraq; universal healthcare; the failed "War on Drugs"; the environment.
Laura Richardson is an ambitious Democratic Party hack who doesn't give a hoot about any of these.
Michael Harris Khubaka refers to her as:
"Our sista friend fine butter pecan queen"
What the hell does that mean?
I, too, am an African-American. I say we are not electing a "sista." We are electing a member of the United States House of Representatives from one of the most diverse congressional districts in the entire U.S.
Casinos?
The Democratic Machine bosses betrayed the unions two days after the election.
I say Vote Green, not the Machine! Daniel for Congress!
Frank Russo is nuts to believe Laura Richardson has any business being elected to Congress. She served a few years on the notoriously inept Long Beach City Council, where she did nothing. She was elected to the state assembly last fall and served less than six months. She is uniquely unqualified to be in Congress. Why the labor movement and self-titled, so-called progressives support her is a mystery. She may vote for a few lukewarm reforms but she does not represent change.
Unfortunately, the district is gerrymandered to guarantee a democratic majority and the election of a black misleader. The 37th District saw the election of Compton Mayor Walter Tucker in 1992 over Peace and Freedom Party candidate Kwaku Duren, a legitimate activist who fought against police abuse. Duren received 15 percent. Tucker won and then was convicted of bribery and corruption. Duren should have been appointed to the position. The Peace and Freedom Party is barely active in Long Beach anymore and the Greens are only slightly more active. We have lost ground since 1992 and the rise of the conservative wing of the Democrat Party.
With an abysmally low turnout and tiny vote, Richardson is expected to win. There is less chance that the republican in the race will win than the Green so a vote for him won't spoil anything in this sham election. The media coverage in Long Beach, which has the worst newspaper in the state, pretty much ignores alternatives like PFP and GP, and denies our candidates fair coverage. The election of Ms. Richardson means more business as usual and false hopes for those narrow minded interest groups who think she will make a difference.
hold your nose and vote Green if you must; somebody find a new job for PR man Frank Russo.
Unfortunately, the district is gerrymandered to guarantee a democratic majority and the election of a black misleader. The 37th District saw the election of Compton Mayor Walter Tucker in 1992 over Peace and Freedom Party candidate Kwaku Duren, a legitimate activist who fought against police abuse. Duren received 15 percent. Tucker won and then was convicted of bribery and corruption. Duren should have been appointed to the position. The Peace and Freedom Party is barely active in Long Beach anymore and the Greens are only slightly more active. We have lost ground since 1992 and the rise of the conservative wing of the Democrat Party.
With an abysmally low turnout and tiny vote, Richardson is expected to win. There is less chance that the republican in the race will win than the Green so a vote for him won't spoil anything in this sham election. The media coverage in Long Beach, which has the worst newspaper in the state, pretty much ignores alternatives like PFP and GP, and denies our candidates fair coverage. The election of Ms. Richardson means more business as usual and false hopes for those narrow minded interest groups who think she will make a difference.
hold your nose and vote Green if you must; somebody find a new job for PR man Frank Russo.
re-reading Russo's piece, I noticed he doesn't even mention that there are four candidates in this race. If Richardson is already the winner, as the conventional wisdom holds, then why even have an election? I'm sure Russo and other phony progressives see the democratic primary as the real election and are annoyed by the inconvenience of actually have a four-way election that includes a libertarian, green and republican. Russo is a democrat party hack who, like his friends in the mainstream media, wants to deny more choices and more voices.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$160.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network