Who is Behind Proposition 23?

On October 8, senior citizens, parents, retired nurses and "Raging Grannies" spoke out against the passage of Proposition 23 at a press conference in front of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation adjacent to the Stanford University campus. Fictitious "Oil Billionaires for Pollution" showed up as satirical counter protesters.

In a skit titled "Raging Grannies v. Oil Billionaires for Pollution" activist grannies lashed out at oil company representatives in top hats for their heartless support of Proposition 23.

After poking fun at Prop 23 backers, some serious talk: "Big oil companies Valero and Tesoro are trying to weaken the rules California has for energy and air quality standards by donating millions of dollars to get Proposition 23 passed. Their executives don't live in California and breathe California air, and it's a sure bet they aren't raising small children here," said the parent of a child with asthma. Other speakers included a patient with lung complications that are worsened by pollution. Medical professionals also spoke to the gathered crowd. All emphasized that it is critical to the health of Californians that Proposition 23 be defeated.