With only a few days left before the election, I would like to make a plug for my election to the California State Assembly. Remember, my opponent received only a 35% rating from the California League of Conservation Voters for his votes in the assembly on environmental issues, a 23% rating from the Consumer Federation of California on votes concerning consumer issues, a 40% rating from the California Teachers Association on votes on issues affecting education and an 0% rating from the California Federation of Labor on votes affecting working people.
These are ratings from the 2011 assembly session. But his voting pattern in 2012 was just the same. I would like to give just a few examples. On the environment, he voted against the statewide plastic bag ban, which did not pass. The assembly did pass a law requiring surface miners to have a reclamation plan, authorized the state coastal conservancy to address the effects of climate change, required the recycled contents of plastic food containers to be substantiated, required General Services to develop a plan to reduce use of petroleum products and to develop an alternative fuel state fleet, passed the State Water Policy, which declared that every human being has the right to clean, affordable water, and put a cap on excessive local government permit fees for rooftop solar systems.
For consumers, the assembly passed the Homeowners’ Protection Act. They also required the Franchise Tax Board to compile transparent reporting of tax breaks for publicly traded companies, required used car dealers to issue 30-day or 1,000-mile warranties, and required day care facilities to offer meals and snacks meeting certain nutritional standards.
The assembly passed a law increasing safety for scaffolding workers, passed a law to let farm workers enforce the state mandatory shade and drinking water requirements by taking delinquent employers to court, and authorized UC research assistants to bargain collectively.
The assembly voted to establish a 21-member task force to find an alternative way to finance our schools, passed a law prohibiting a college from offering degrees without first disclosing if they are accredited, and passed a law prohibiting public schools from charging a fee for educational activity.
The assembly also passed the Disclosure Act for political ads and a bill that prohibits a mental health provider from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts.
My opponent, Katcho Achadjian, voted against all of the above. I would have voted for all of them. Enough said.
Since the election is in a few days, I guess that this is my last article. I would like to thank SLO Coast Journal for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you during this election season.
