"McCloskey and Benigno, Pombo's Republican Opponents, Join Forces to Support Democrat McNerney"

Via YubaNet.com

"California 11th Congressional District candidate Jerry McNerney received the endorsements of former Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey and Republican Tom Benigno in McNerney's bid to unseat Richard Pombo today. "McNerney is an honorable man that has not and will not seek to enrich himself and his family through his office," McCloskey said. McCloskey blasted Richard Pombo as being corrupt, tied to big oil and harmful to the environment.

"I have been a Republican all of my life," Benigno said. "But Richard Pombo and his leadership have lost touch with us and it's time for the corruption to end."

Jerry McNerney welcomed their support. "I want to thank both Pete and Tom," McNerney said. "I look forward to working with them to defeat Richard Pombo in the fall."

These endorsements from both of Pombo's primary opponents spell even more trouble for Pombo's slick negative campaign. "When you combine their support, McCloskey and Benigno received almost 40 percent of the Republican vote," said McNerney spokesperson Tor Michaels. "Pombo is in big trouble within his own party and we welcome those Republicans who believe it is time for people to take our government back."" (More-At-Source)

*Update: More from Jerry McNerney's blog (including pictures) - Republicans for McNerney - Click Here.

Progressive 11th Pombo / McNerney Update

"Trouble" for Richard Pombo

"Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition, has become the first political casualty of the Jack Abramoff lobbying and money scandals with his loss yesterday in Georgia's lieutenant governor's race to a previously unknown state senator.

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Reed took money from Abramoff's American Indian casino clients through a variety of conduits and manipulated Christian groups to act as fronts to oppose gambling competition for the tribes. He helped Abramoff oppose legislation to extend protections to women and children employed by sweatshops in the Northern Mariana Islands, despite the fact that our government had reported that the employers forced employees to enter the sex-tourism trade. When these immigrant workers inevitably became pregnant, they were forced to have abortions.

Reed never once said that it was wrong to take the casino money and use Christian groups as fronts. And he refused to acknowledge that it was widely known what was happening in the Marianas—ABC's “20/20” did an expose in the 1998—years before he took on the lobbying work.

Clearly, Georgia voters understood this better than Reed. But the message they sent was not just to Reed. They sent a powerful message to Democrats and Republicans alike around the country: Politicians who side with donors and big moneyed interests and not with voters can't depend on their base for turning out for them or staying faithful on Election Day.

This spells trouble for scandal-ridden members of Congress like Richard Pombo, R-Calif..." (More_At-Source)

McNerney requests Pombo move stalled wilderness bills and stop "playing election year politics" (source)

McNerney: Pombo, Bush wrong on stem cell research veto (source)

The Record: Pombo's foe faces steep cash climb - McNerney fund-raising efforts gain ground, but huge gap persists (source)

Jerry McNerney

DCDL: McNerney Fundraiser Followup (source)

Say No To Pombo: Mr. McNerney Went to Washington (source)

Listen To Jerry McNerney On Al Franken/Air America Radio Here!

Richard Pombo

"Pombo’s Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act isn’t the answer. It contains too many loopholes and potential giveaways. It won’t truly help wildlife, although it could give a big boost to large landholders, mining companies, logging firms and suburban developers." (source)

"The leadership PAC of Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Stockton, lists $22,896 in hotel expenditures for donors and $320 worth of baseball tickets." (source)

The Record: Pombo decides to scuttle 'casino night' fund-raiser (source)

Tracy Press: Pombo's plan won't solve problems (source)

Modesto Bee: Q&A: Pombo pushes habitat bill (source)

The Drilling Continues...

"The desire to allow for more offshore drilling is so strong that proponents have sweetened the pot with money. Some of the decisions on how close to the shore the drilling would be allowed would be left in the hands of states. If states go along, they can reap huge revenues reaching billions of dollars. States along the Gulf of Mexico especially stand to gain under the plan.

So this is what it has come to: If you can't sway states on offshore drilling on principle, try to buy 'em out. States that need the money might be tempted to take the bait" (source)

Huffington Post/Carl Pope: Sacrificing New Mexico to Sacrifice Florida to Sacrifice California to... (source)

AP: Offshore drilling compromise proposed, Cal officials opposed (source)

Tennessean: Environment for sale (source)

Contra Costa Times: Increase in western states fires linked to warming climate (source)

Around The Blogosphere

Say No To Pombo: Pombo Shoots The Bull (source)

The Record: California politics enters MySpace age (source)

Badlands Journal: The Empty Cowboy Hat rides again (source)

DailyKos/Calitics: CA-11: Pombo's got a surprise for you, Mr. Red-legged Frog. (source)

Governor's Race News Update

California Democratic Party: "Arnold Refuses to Follow the Laws He’s Supposed to Enforce

President Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have many things in common: both are beholden to Big Money interests, both aggressively pursue an extreme right-wing agenda, and now, according to published reports last week, both are showing a willingness to ignore major laws. In President Bush’s case, he has ignored more than 750 federal laws. In Schwarzenegger’s case, the governor is ignoring both campaign finance and civil rights laws. The stories are as disgusting as they are shocking in that California’s chief executive is displaying a frightening lack of respect for the very laws he’s supposed to be enforcing.

Arnold Fined For Hiding Enormous Sums Of Special-Interest Cash. The Los Angeles Times reported last week that “Schwarzenegger's campaign has agreed to pay a $202,200 penalty for failing to properly report more than $25 million in campaign donations during the special election last year.” Under California law, “campaigns must publicly disclose donations they receive and money they spend — in some cases within 24 hours of the transaction.” These disclosure provisions are “the bedrock of California's finance law, allowing the public to see the money behind political campaigns.” Yet, in documents released last week, the California Fair Political Practices Commission found “that Schwarzenegger's California Recovery Team, created to advance the governor's causes, failed to report in a timely way millions of dollars in donations that were used to buy TV advertising pushing four initiatives on the November ballot.” In all, the commission “found 143 delinquent reports on $25.6 million in expenditures” – a brazen disregard of California law.

Arnold Ignored The Law Despite Court Claim. The Times notes that Schwarzenegger “was sued during the special election to force him to disclose the donations within 24 hours, but election day came and went before the courts decided the matter.” Schwarzenegger nonetheless refused to follow the letter of the law. Ned Wigglesworth, a campaign finance expert with TheRestOfUs.org, a Sacramento nonprofit, said that meant for a time voters “were deprived of some of the information they should have had" about the governor's donors.

Arnold Has A History Of Ignoring California Law For His Own Benefit. The latest sanction against Schwarzenegger for breaking California law is only one of many such sanctions exposing a governor wholly uninterested in following the statutes he himself is supposed to be enforcing. The Times points out that “in 2004, a Superior Court judge ordered Schwarzenegger to repay a $4.5 million loan he illegally used to finance his recall campaign.” Similarly, last year, “a committee supporting Proposition 77, the governor's redistricting overhaul, was forced to return $1.75 million to Schwarzenegger because it exceeded state limits.”

Size Of Fine Shows Just How Serious The Charges Were. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the nonpartisan Alliance for a Better California filed the suit, and originally “sought $25 million in penalties -- the amount of the improperly reported expenditures.” But the commission instead has agreed to impose a $1,400 administrative fine for each violation – a smaller amount, but still a major fine. “We're happy the FPPC is holding the governor and the CRT accountable for violating campaign laws,” said Robin Swanson, spokeswoman for the Alliance for a Better California. “Voters deserve to know where the money is coming from to finance campaigns. It's a stiff penalty that says it's not OK to play shell games with campaign money.”

Report Raises New Legal Questions For Arnold. Stories exposing Schwarzenegger’s disregard of campaign finance laws was only the latest example of the governor’s reckless behavior. The Los Angeles Times reports that “Schwarzenegger's office in charge of protecting California against terrorism has tracked demonstrations staged by political and antiwar groups, a practice that senior law enforcement officials say is an abuse of civil liberties.” The Times “obtained reports prepared for the state Office of Homeland Security in recent months that contain details on the whereabouts and purpose of a number of political demonstrations throughout California.” A spokesman for California Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D)said: "When people exercise their 1st Amendment rights to rally, march and protest, they should not have to worry that intelligence officials are watching them or their activities are in any way being painted with the terrorism brush. That kind of conduct by anti-terrorism intelligence agencies threatens civil liberties, runs counter to our values and violates this office's policy regarding criminal intelligence gathering.”" (source)

Arnold Schwarzenegger

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top campaign adviser is being paid to provide marketing strategy to AT&T Inc. at a time when the governor's office is involved with legislation that could be worth billions of dollars to the telecommunications giant, according to a published report." (source)

AP: Report: Schwarzenegger adviser also working for AT&T (source)

Scripps: Are Schwarzenegger, casino tribes getting cozy? (source)

Calitics: Schwarzenegger reaffirms support for Minutemen vigilantes (source)

AP: Little risk to Schwarzenegger of blackouts, thanks to Gray Davis (source)

Huffington Post: Schwarzenegger Won't Take the Soap -- Clean Money Elections Prop 89 (source)

Mercury News: Protesters line path to governor's fundraiser (source)

Phil Angelides

"In the public and private sector, Angelides has always been at the forefront of environmental leadership. As a successful businessman prior to being elected State Treasurer, Angelides was a smart growth pioneer, planning and building the community of Laguna West, near Sacramento, which was featured in the national media as a model of a livable, walkable, environmentally sustainable community. As Treasurer, Angelides launched the Green Wave initiative which has led California's pension funds to invest $1.5 billion in renewable energy and environmental technologies and to push corporations to combat global warming. He has also created innovative programs and policies to curb sprawl, clean-up toxic contamination, promote sustainable development practices, and encourage the development of fuel efficient vehicles. During the course of this campaign, Angelides has released detailed environmental proposals – Clean California and Coast Guard – to reduce oil consumption and protect the coast." (source)

Calitics: CA-Gov: Rasmussen has Angelides with a small lead (source)

ABC: Westly Stands Beside Phil Angelides - Sen. Hillary Clinton Supports Angelides (source)

California Progress Report: Why Sierra Club Endorses Phil Angelides for Governor (source)

With Gas Prices Reaching Record Highs, Angelides Calls for Protection from Big Oil Price Gouging, Urges Passage of Prop 87 for Investment of Alternative Energy (source)

Angelides Vows Immediate, Tough Action As Governor To Fix Schwarzenegger's Prison Mess (source)

Attend A Fundraiser for Jerry McNerney in California or DC Next Week

"Mr. McNerney goes to Washington"

"Wednesday, July 12th, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Cosi Restaurant on Capitol Hill (301 Pennsylvania Ave. SE)

COST: Only $25

RSVP: Please ask your friends to RSVP for the event by calling Kenneth Christensen at 202-543-8191." (More-At-Source)

Take Back Red California's Midsummer Jamboree

"Saturday, July 15th from 6:00-10:00 PM at the Marinwood Recreation Center, 775 Miller Creek Road, San Rafael, CA.

The best Democratic Party PARTY of the whole summer. A benefit for three gutsy Democrats challenging three of the most right-wing, Tom DeLay-type Republicans in the House of Representatives.

CD 3-Dr. Bill Durston vs. Dan Lungren
CD4-Charlie Brown vs. John Doolittle
CD11-Jerry McNerney vs. Richard Pombo

Buffet dinner, live music and auction, candidates!!

WEAR YOUR BEST JEANS

ONLY $50 per person pre-paid" (More-At-Source)

Happy 4th Of July!

Hat Tip To Land Of Enchantment @ DailyKos For the Find.

Jerry McNerney Has A Special Independence Day Blog Up Here.

Local Residents Rally to Protest Rep. Pombo's Flip-Flopping on Offshore Drilling as the Latest Example of Doing Big Oil's Bidding...

Defenders Of Wildlife
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2006

"Local Residents Rally to Protest Rep. Pombo's Flip-Flopping on Offshore Drilling as the Latest Example of Doing Big Oil's Bidding for Campaign Contributions

Pleasanton, CA -- Today, local residents held a "Pombo in Big Oil's Pocket" rally at a local Shell gas station in Pleasanton, where they decried Representative Richard Pombo's latest favor for Big Oil in return for campaign contributions: His flip-flop to push for offshore drilling.

In the latest example of Rep. Pombo being in the pocket of Big Oil, this week he is moving to open California's coasts to offshore drilling. The House will debate Pombo's bill (H.R. 4761) on

Thursday which would lift the 25-year-old bipartisan moratorium on off-shore drilling and force states that want to protect their coasts to jump through hoops and petition every five years to reinstate the ban in their waters.

"Big Oil companies have given Rep. Pombo $230,000 in campaign contributions to encourage him to hand over billions in tax cuts, taxpayer-funded subsidies, and push for more drilling," said Rodger Schlickeisen, President of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. "These contributions were obviously more important to Rep. Pombo than the protection of California's beautiful and fragile coastline. He has even flip-flopped on his opposition to offshore drilling to push policies that benefit his Big Oil contributors."

On April 23, 2005, Rep. Pombo was quoted on the Stockton Record saying: "I have always supported the moratorium.

"The oil and gas industry already has access to a vast amount of acreage of the Outer Continental Shelf, but they have developed only a fraction of it. In fact, although more than 40 million acres of the federal Outer Continental Shelf are under lease, less than 7 million of those acres (less than 20%) are in production. The oil and gas industry is sitting on more than 33 million acres of undeveloped leases, and companies such as the Shell Oil Company, have active leases in the eastern district of the Gulf of Mexico near Florida.

Local residents at the rally decried what they saw as Pombo's corrupt revolving door relationship with Big Oil companies for campaign contributions.

"Gas prices are soaring out of control and even as Big Oil companies are posting billions of dollars in profits, I ask why my congressman, Richard Pombo is continuing to give them billions in tax breaks, taxpayer-funded subsidies, and now trying to let them drill off of our shores," said Norm Rhett of San Ramon. "I have at least one suspicion: Pombo is returning the favors to Big Oil companies after having taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from them, and that is wrong.

"Tom Houston of Pleasanton called for electoral action: "I'm disappointed in Congressman Pombo for continuing to put the interests of big oil companies ahead of me and others who live in his district," said Houston, a registered Republican. "His latest pro-oil flip-flop is really beginning to make me think twice about who I vote for this November."

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The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund www.defendersactionfund.org provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm." (source)