Friday, August 24, 2012

DeMaio's Failed Environmental Record Highlighted



Environmental Leader Condemns Candidate's Attempt to Sidestep Extreme Record of Supporting Developers and Polluters



SAN DIEGO – (Friday, August 24, 2012) – In response to Carl DeMaio’s attempt to rebrand his mayoral campaign by releasing an environmental plan yesterday, the president of the San Diego region’s leading politically active environmental organization called out Councilman DeMaio for his dismal performance at City Hall on environmental issues.

DeMaio the candidate may have a reason to appear friendly to environmental issues in order to appear moderate to voters, but his record as a city councilmember reveals he demonstrates the opposite.

Livia Borak, President of the League of Conservation Voters San Diego, made the following statement in response to DeMaio’s press release.

"While the policy goals outlined by Carl DeMaio are welcome, they unfortunately still fail to reflect any serious engagement with the environmental challenges facing San Diego. Carl DeMaio's claims of environmental leadership would be insulting if they weren't so obviously laughable against his terrible record on environmental issues.

“During his tenure on the council, DeMaio received F’s on the Environmental Quality Report Card in 2009 and 2011 and he mustered a D+ in 2010. By a significant margin, his cumulative score was the worst of any councilmember during that time, and has managed to be a reliable opponent of responsible environmental policy across the board."

“While Mr. DeMaio's pledge to meet with the environmental community is welcome, it notably did not come in time for him to participate in an environmental mayoral forum held by LCV San Diego to field questions from several leading environmental organizations.

“Similarly, it's encouraging to hear DeMaio discussing the importance of open space. However, DeMaio hasn't appeared in the minutes of a single meeting of the San Dieguito River Valley Regional Open Space Joint Powers Authority since January 2011 -- despite being one of the two San Diego City Councilmembers appointed as a representative to the board.”



The Environmental Quality Report Card is researched and published annually by the League of Conservation Voters San Diego and has received input from other leading environmental advocacy organizations. Report cards referenced in Borak’s statement can be found here:
-- 2011: 58.8% F:  http://lcvsd.org/PdfsDocs/2011_EQRC.pdf
--  2010: 68.8% D+:  http://www.lcvsd.org/pdfsdocs/2010_EQRC_FINAL.PDF
-- 2009: 58.8% F: http://www.lcvsd.net/PdfsDocs/2009_EQRC_02262010.pdf

For more information, contact San Diegans for Bob Filner for Mayor 2012 committee spokesman Evan McLaughlin at (619) 850-2790 or sandiegansforbobfilner@gmail.com.

San Diegans for Bob Filner for Mayor 2012 is a committee primarily formed to support Congressman Filner in the City of San Diego’s mayor race and does not coordinate with any candidate or candidate-controlled committee. ID # 1348840






Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer in San Diego TODAY


2nd Most Powerful Democrat in Congress Campaigning for Scott Peters


When:  
TODAY, Friday, August 24, 2012, 9:45 a.m.

Where: 
Offices of Rudman Gellar, Robbins & Dowd, LLP
655 Broadway, Suite 1900
Downtown San Diego.

IMPORTANT: 
This is a secure floor. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE ATTENDING BY REPLYING TO THIS EMAIL TO ENSURE THE SECURITY GUARD IN THE LOBBY HAS YOUR NAME FOR ADMITTANCE.

What:    
Democratic Whip Hoyer is the featured guest at a fundraiser for Scott Peters for Congress tomorrow morning. Following the event, members of the media are invited to hear from Congressman Hoyer about the race for the 52nd Congressional District and why it is one of the most closely watched House races in the nation. Both national parties have focused a high level of attention and resources to it and two recent polls published by national media outlets show Peters and Bilbray in a dead heat, not a strong showing for a 12-year incumbent.

Stu Rothenberg of the National Journal recently included Peters in an article titled “On a Run of Strong Congressional Candidates,” calling him the kind of politician who prefers results to posturing, something Washington, D.C. needs.”  Rothenberg has also ranked this race a “Pure Toss Up.”

Contact: 
MaryAnne Pintar, Communications Director, 619-252-9923, or MaryAnne@ ScottPeters.com.

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Thursday, August 23, 2012

REPORT: Under Ryan Budget, Congressman Bilbray Gets Better Health Care Than California Seniors



According to a new Bloomberg News report today, Congressman Brian Bilbray’s (CA-52) Medicare-ending Ryan budget would increase health care costs for seniors while protecting health care for Members of Congress like himself. The Ryan-Bilbray budget is a “plan to revamp the health-care program for the elderly [that] wouldn’t have the safeguards against rising costs included in the coverage that lawmakers and other federal workers receive.”

“Congressman Brian Bilbray will do anything to protect himself and his perks like taxpayer-funded health care, even while ending Medicare for California seniors,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Congressman Bilbray would sell out seniors by ending Medicare and raising their health care costs but at the same time protect his own taxpayer-funded health care. For months voters have learned about Congressman Bilbray’s agenda to protect millionaires instead of protecting Medicare, but now it’s clear he’s really just trying to protect himself too.”

Congressman Bilbray is more committed to the Ryan budget than ever before now that the Republican plan to end Medicare is going to be his party platform. A Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday shows that informed adults oppose the Ryan-Bilbray budget by a 15-point margin (49 percent to 34 percent that expands to a 31-point margin (55 percent to 24 percent) among seniors age 65-and-older.

Background

Bloomberg: Ryan Budget Doesn’t Safeguard Seniors From Rising Health Care Costs But Would Protect Members of Congress. 
 “Republican vice presidential candidate Ryan’s plan to revamp the health-care program for the elderly wouldn’t have the safeguards against rising costs included in the coverage that lawmakers and other federal workers receive. [Bloomberg, 8/23/12]

House Republicans Voted for Ryan Budget That Ends Medicare.
House Republicans voted for two budgets authored by Congressman Paul Ryan. Together, these budgets that would end Medicare’s guaranteed benefit, protect $40 billion in tax breaks for big oil, and provide people earning more than $1 million a year with an average tax cut of $265,000. Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office estimated it will increase health care costs by an extra $6,359 by 2022 for future Medicare beneficiaries, while the Center for American progress has claimed that it is likely that that a middle-class family with two kids making about $70,000 a year would pay about $1,150 more in income tax. [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; H Con Res 112, Vote #151, 3/29/12; Center for American Progress, 3/20/12; Center for American Progress, 3/20/12; Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 3/27/12; Tax Policy Center, Table T12-0078 and T10-0132; Citizens for Tax Justice, 3/22/12; CBO, 4/5/11; CNN, 3/23/12]
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Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer in San Diego Tomorrow



2nd Most Powerful Democrat in Congress Campaigning for Scott Peters

When: 
Tomorrow, Friday, August 24, 2012, 9:45 a.m.

Where:  
Offices of Rudman Gellar, Robbins & Dowd, LLP,
 655 Broadway, Suite 1900
Downtown San Diego.

IMPORTANT: This is a secure floor. Please see the security guard in the lobby for access. The campaign will leave a list of invited media at the guard booth.

What:    
Democratic Whip Hoyer is the featured guest at a fundraiser for Scott Peters for Congress tomorrow morning. Following the event, members of the media are invited to hear from Congressman Hoyer about the race for the 52nd Congressional District and why it is one of the most closely watched House races in the nation. Both national parties have focused a high level of attention and resources to it and two recent polls published by national media outlets show Peters and Bilbray in a dead heat, not a strong showing for a 12-year incumbent.

Stu Rothenberg of the National Journal recently included Peters in an article titled “On a Run of Strong Congressional Candidates,” calling him the kind of politician who prefers results to posturing, something Washington, D.C. needs.”  Rothenberg has also ranked this race a “Pure Toss Up.”

Contact:
MaryAnne Pintar, Communications Director, 619-252-9923, or MaryAnne@ ScottPeters.com.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Rep. Susan Davis joins Organizing for America to Celebrate the Opening of the Latest Office in San Diego



Rep. Susan Davis joins Community leaders and volunteers for the Grand Opening of a new Organizing for America office in San Diego


SAN DIEGO – THURSDAY, Rep. Susan Davis will join San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council CEO Lorena Gonzalez and Co-Chair of San Diego LGBT Pride Will Rodriguez-Kennedy as Obama supporters gather to celebrate Organizing for America’s newest campaign office in San Diego and discuss the contrast between President Obama and Mitt Romney.


WHAT:         
San Diego Organizing for America Office Opening

WHO:            
Rep. Susan Davis, 53rd Congressional District
Lorena Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer and CEO for the San Diego and Imperial
Counties Labor Council
Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, Co-Chair of San Diego LGBT Pride
Organizing for America supporters and volunteers

WHEN:         
THURSDAY, August 23, 2012, 2:30pm

WHERE:      
4660 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 206
San Diego, CA 92115


Local volunteers understand that President Obama is creating an economy that preserves the middle class and ensures that we are building an economy that out-innovates, out-educates and out-builds the rest of the world. Yet as President Obama fights to protect the middle class, Mitt Romney’s tax plan would not only create 800,000 jobs overseas but would also give tax breaks to the wealthiest at the expense of middle class families.

San Diego volunteers are engaging with their local community to ensure that President Obama continues to lead our nation on the road to recovery. We need an economy that creates the jobs of the future and makes things the rest of the world buys—not one built on outsourcing, loopholes and risky financial deals that jeopardize everyone – and San Diego volunteers are standing by President Obama to secure our middle class.

Press should direct all inquiries to Linda Serrato, lserrato@barackobama.com, (310)733-6267.

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