State Green Party Press Release

California Green Party Turns Down Nader; Refuses to Convene Special General Assembly to Consider New Ticket.

THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
www.cagreens.org

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Contact: Beth Moore Haines, spokesperson 530.277.0610 beth@ncws.com
Sara Amir, spokesperson 310.270.7106 saraamir@earthlink.net
Cres Vellucci, State Press Office, 916.996.9170 civillib@cwnet.com

SACRAMENTO - The Green Party of California late Tuesday night announced its state coordinating committee had voted to not convene a special general assembly to consider replacing national Green presidential nominee David Cobb with Ralph Nader.

The proposal to hold the special assembly lost by a 11-7 vote, with 2 abstentions. The CC consists of 20 regional and at-large members representing the Green Party in the state. The GPCA faced an Aug. 26 deadline to inform the Secretary of State of its choice for President.

California Greens have been reportedly split on whether the David Cobb/Pat LaMarche ticket or the independent ticket of Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo - the Green recall candidate who won nearly 76 percent of the Green vote in the California presidential primary - should be on the state ballot.

At the request of at least one CC member, a vote was held Tuesday to determine if a special general assembly - in effect, a state presidential nominating convention - should decide which ticket the state should place on the ballot, Cobb or Nader.

States are expected to be bound to Green presidential nominee Cobb, who was chosen in June at the Green National Convention in Milwaukee where the Nader/Camejo ticket failed to win an endorsement.

The following statement was released by the GPCA:

"We listened and we voted. As an organization dedicated to grassroots democracy, the Green Party of California honors the participation of California Greens. We have had tremendous input into this discussion through emails and phone calls to the regional representatives. It is very evident Greens across the state recognize this is an important election year. Hopefully, this passion and energy will now be dedicated to working on electoral campaigns and to defeating Proposition 62 - the "limited choice" primary proposition."