Another Upset Victory in California
Green Party of California
www.cagreens.org
Posted December 04, 2006
Released November 29, 2006
Contact: Susan King, spokesperson, 415.823-5524
funking@mindspring.com
Sara Amir, spokesperson, 310.270-7106 saraamir@earthlink.net
Cres Vellucci, press secretary, 916.996-9170 civillib@cwnet.com
Another Green Party candidate pulls upset over
incumbent, claims thin win in college board race; Follows Green victory in
Richmond mayor election
SAN FRANCISCO (November 29, 2006) - A Green Party candidate has pulled off
yet another upset of an incumbent here with the announcement today from the
San Francisco Elections Department that John Rizzo has now built an insurmountable, 300-vote lead and has officially registered a victory over
Community College Board incumbent Johnnie Carter.
The win follows the election of Green Gayle McLaughlin as mayor of Richmond
over the incumbent in that city, a working class suburb of San Francisco
with a population of about 104,000. Richmond becomes the biggest city in
the U.S. where at Green is at the helm, and the first in California where a
Green was directly elected as mayor. McLaughlin, who first won office in
2004 on the Richmond City Council, was outspent 10-1 by the incumbent.
Rizzo is more than 2,800 votes ahead of Carter after counting of
provisional and other ballots. Counting continues, bu the elections office
says the lead is insurmountable. Rizzo has 68,197 votes (16.95 percent) good for the third and final
available spot. Carter has 67,897 votes (16.87 percent). Another Green, Bruce Wolfe, finished just
behind Carter with 51,168 votes.
"This is great news for the thousands of students in San Francisco's
Community College System. John's win will mean greater accountability,"
said Erika McDonald, spokesperson for the San Francisco Green Party.
Rizzo chairs the 40,000 member Sierra Club Bay Area Chapter and is member
of the City College Bond Oversight Committee, and a City commissioner. His
work with the Sierra Club includes fighting global warming by promoting
clean-energy alternatives to imported fossil fuels, conserving water resources, and fighting for a better public transportation system. He
has helped to pass ballot measures to fund solar energy and that require Muni
to buy less-polluting city buses.
Greens now hold 52 elected offices in California. Of 62 Greens on the state
ballot Nov. 7, including state, federal and local races, 18 Greens, or 29
percent, won. Four captured city council spots while six Greens won seats
on boards of education. Greens have the majority of seats (3/5) on the
Sebastopol City Council and four of nine on the Berkeley rent stabilization
board.
More Information:
CA Green Party Election Results: www.cagreens.org/media/Election2006
U.S. Green Election Results: www.gp.org/elections
John Rizzo campaign contact: Aimee at 916-812-4027
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