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Santa Cruz County Green Reports on CA Recall

October 8, 2003
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Barri Boone

The single best breakthrough for us, is that for the first time the Green Party was included in the debates, and the largest one, that Swarzenegger attended, was on C-SPAN as well as on local state channels. This gave us a viewing audience much larger than any before. Our candidate, Peter Camejo, also fit the spot, since much of the debate was centered around the issue of the state budget, and Peter is the founder of a socially responsible investment company and is very sharp and specific on economic issues. Also, he was a leader since the sixties and has the political savy to withstand the grueling spotlight and intensity required in this election. He ran as our candidate for governor last year and got 5% of the vote, which made it easier to get in the debate door. But the last two debates were going to exclude him, until Greens sent some two thousand letters, calls and emails -- and he was then invited!

As far as how the election affected Santa Cruz, I'm not the best to say. My health has prevented me from being active on the streets this round. I know that Peter spoke on the UC campus here, but for more concrete information on the organizing here, someone more involved could give a better picture.

There has been much confusion everywhere, even among Greens, on how to answer the two-pronged ballot questions. Are you for or against the recall, and which candidate do you want if Davis is replaced. Peter was publically saying to vote yes on the recall, and others like the Santa Cruz GP spokesperson said to vote no. And some Greens are voting for Peter and others have voted for Bustamente out of fear of Swarzenegger winning. It's certainly confusing, and there's the eternal battle between voting your conscience vs staving off a WORSE EVIL! Among other cutbacks affecting labor and the poor, Swarzenegger wants to renegotiate state workers' contracts, cut Medi-cal and just in the last couple of days has been accused by Greg Palast of meeting with Ken Lay to mitigate Enron's liability to CA. (See post). But this info has come even later than all the accusations of sexual battering, and has hardly hit the mainstream press, just coming out on "Democracy Now" and on local PBS.

Tomorrow is D day, but the count may not be final for weeks. I'll send you some posts, and any summation info I receive.

One final thing. Check out the animated cartoons that Arianna Huffington had made. It's not too expensive to make, and everyone that saw them sent them to all their contacts, and they were run on tv programs also. Lotta mileage, and very funny!

Pray for California! ;-D

Barri

Barri is a former Hoosier who now resides in Santa Cruz, CA.

St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN