THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
www.cagreens.org
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Contact: Susan King 415.823-5524 funking@mindspring.com
Pat Driscoll 916.320-6430 pat@sonicfrog.com
Beth Moore Haines 530.277-0610 beth@ncws.com
SACRAMENTO (January 5, 2006, 6:02 p.m.) - The Green Party of California
Thursday - responding to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's third State of the
State speech - charged that not only the governor, but also Democratic
Party leaders, are not offering the "real reform" that is needed to help
all Californians.
"Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats are offering real solutions.
California does need real reform, but not the same old patchwork of non-solutions," said San Francisco Green Party spokesperson Erika McDonald.
"The Governor and the legislature need to get tough with the corporate
interests that fund their campaigns. This means fighting for fairer taxation, getting tough with big pharmaceutical companies, and supporting a
real hike in the minimum wage," she added.
For an example of "real reform," Greens said they are spearheading a "fair
wage" initiative for the November 2006 ballot that could raise the minimum
wage to $8.75 an hour, a dollar more than what the governor - and Democrats
who authored a $7.75 bill last year - are asking.
"The bottom line tonight is that Democrats and Republicans, from the
governor on down, are talking about programs that will get them elected,
not truly help Californians. In the end, most voters know that the plans
discussed tonight fall short of really helping Californians resolve their
daily concerns about healthcare, pensions, fair wages and jobs," said GPCA
spokesperson Pat Driscoll.
