My 2018 Endorsements!
I am excited to announce my support of many strong candidates who are dedicated in their fight for the 99%!
First and foremost, I endorse Bernie Sanders for President of the United States 2020. I’ll do my share to help Bernie win.
I am also endorsing several corporate-free progressive candidates running in California based on their pledge to not take corporate money for their 2018 campaigns. They are:
David Hildebrand for U.S. Senate
Steven Jaffe for Congress, – CA12 San Francisco
Angelica Dueñas for Congress, –CA29 Los Angeles
Jovanka Beckles for Assembly, D-15 East Bay
Caney Arnold for Assembly, D-66 Los Angeles South Bay
Michelle Cassel Gomez, D-76 San Diego
Logan Smith, Santa Clarita City Council
Cesar Armendariz, Long Beach School Board
This list of corporate-free candidates includes Democratic Socialists, Democrats, Greens, and NPP candidates united in their progressive values and in the goals of elections and democracy needing to become free of corporate money. They all agree that it is essential to elect representatives that serve the people of California and not the corporations.
I have decided not to endorse for the race for California governor 2018, at this time.
I hope that my support for these corporate-free candidacies helps their campaigns and inspires many corporate-free candidates to enter each and every local race in California cities, as well as the State Assembly and Senate races, and every Congressional District.
The future of California is progressive and only corporate-free elected officials will be able to lead us there.
Housing is a Human Right - Rent Control Now!
Access to safe and affordable housing without the fear of forced eviction is a fundamental human right. Yet, for too long our government has failed in ensuring this right to all of our fellow citizens. This failure has become a crisis worse here in California, where a third of all renters statewide spend more than half their income on rent.
The insufficient development of affordable housing and the concentration of development in luxurious and very profitable housing have caused affordable housing shortages. There is currently an estimated 1.5 million shortfall of low-income rental units across the state.
This affordable housing crisis we suffer requires a serious government intervention to prevent it from growing into a humanitarian disaster. It requires a massive financial investment by the State, the promotion of real low-income housing with tax incentives, higher taxes on luxury construction and the participation of State-owned land in ‘land trust’ developments.Low-income housing is a proven method of cooling off the market and keeping all housing costs in neighborhoods affordable.
But first, we must stop the bleeding. Cities must mobilize and pass local rent control ordinance like we did in Richmond last year. Council and voters passed the first rent control and just cause for eviction law in California in 30 years.
At the state level I will work with all true progressives to repeal the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act and the Ellis Act. Costa Hawkins has limited local government’s ability to enact rent control on over half of all units in California (newer buildings). The Ellis Act is used by landlords to change the use of a building and to get out of the rental business.
Immediately after these repeals, we must implement fair statewide rent control to combat greedy landlords from evicting low income tenants just to replace them with wealthier tenants for higher profits. We also need a ‘speculator’s tax’ that discourages landlords from keeping houses unoccupied.
We must get active in our communities, getting incorruptible corporate-free candidates elected to local rent boards and all levels of government.
Together, we can make a California where affordable housing is accessible and the fear of being homeless is non-existent. We simply need the political backbone for it. Thank you for standing strong with me today. We will get there!
In Solidarity,
Gayle
Single-Payer for CA - Pass SB 562!
Walk into a doctor's office, clinic or hospital, anywhere in the U.S., get treated, walk out. Pay your taxes, all good.
Imagine that.
Instead we have a patchwork of care that makes health care uncertain while traveling or in an emergency ("Go to the nearest plan hospital"). And it's bloated by reams of insurance paperwork and uncertainty for providers as well.
There are really only two sides to the healthcare debate. Either you believe a government must provide healthcare as a right for all its citizens, or you believe private industry is allowed to profit from human suffering. We are on the side that believes it is a right, and we are entrenched in one of the most important fights in our history to guarantee it.
That is why it is critical for real progressive candidates to be powered by the people, not corporate America. Like every fight, it is only possible to win when we build locally and support corporate-free candidates to champion policies like SB 562. Today I ask you to make two important steps towards progress. Get active, mobilizing and organizing your community to demand Universal Single-Payer Healthcare. Second, support my campaign for Single-Payer with your time, filling out our Volunteer Form and building support across our state.
Together we can make Healthcare a right for ALL Californians through fighting and passing SB 562. Our victory will fuel Bernie Sander’s fight for Medicare-for-All nationally. Your action today gets us one step closer to American healthcare being as easy as: pay your taxes, walk into a doctor's office, clinic or hospital, get treated and walk out.
In Solidarity,
- Gayle
Cutting our Shared Prosperity
Recently we have learned more of the details of the Trump/GOP tax plan.
It’s easy to pick away at the details of the plan -- realtors, homebuilders, and even Marco Rubio have problems with it.
This plan is completely aligned with Trump’s indignities toward working people, immigrants, women, basically anyone who doesn’t look like his cabinet of right-wing billionaires. It also thrusts into plain view the broken corporate-first ideology that’s crept into our government. Corporations will see their taxes cut from 35% to 20%. As we know here in California, corporations rarely pay all of their taxes and abuse every loophole that exists, as we have seen with Prop. 13.
Instead of cutting taxes on the rich and corporations, I believe it is about time they start paying their fair share. So unlike the priorities in D.C., my focus in California is ending corporate loopholes, fossil fuel subsidies and ushering in a Millionaires tax. These policy shifts will give us the revenue to invest in our state’s infrastructure, education and healthcare for every Californian.
I can be a part of this fight and champion progress because I am corporate-free, so my only obligation is to the people, not corporate overlords. If we get active, building local power, we can fight these disastrous tax cuts at the local, state and national level.
Every $27 donation, every volunteer and every endorsement gives my campaign the fuel to build that infrastructure and organizing power across the state. Focused on fighting for the 99% and holding the 1% and corporate America accountable.
When we fight, we win, and the gravity of this situation demands we fight!
Corporate Crime Reporter Covers our Corporate-Free Campaign for Lt. Governor
Gayle McLaughlin and the Corporate Free Campaign for California Lieutenant Governor
Filed in News
Gayle McLaughlin, the former mayor of Richmond, California, has launched what she calls a corporate free campaign for Lieutenant Governor of California.
Gayle McLaughlin
As mayor, along with the Richmond Progressive Alliance, McLaughlin challenged Big Soda with a soda tax referendum, raised the minimum wage, implemented a rent control law, confronted the city’s largest employer Chevron on its health and safety practices, and sought to use eminent domain to take over underwater mortgages.
Now she wants to take her brand of corporate free governance statewide.
She’s up against a corporate funded Democratic Party establishment in California.
“I’m running for Lieutenant Governor. It’s a corporate free campaign,” McLaughlin told Corporate Crime Reporter in an interview last week. “And I’m spreading the word about building progressive alliances to gain local political power throughout the state. My campaign is networking these progressive organizations. And with that we have the power to address the statewide issues that I’m also championing – like single payer Medicare for All, free college, taxing the one percent, progressive millionaires tax, an oil extraction tax, reforming Proposition 13, banning fracking.”
When you ran for office in Richmond, you were a member of the Green Party. Now you are an independent. Why did you change?
“I was registered in the Green Party throughout the years I was mayor and prior to that. I decided to switch to no party preference early in 2016 so I could vote for Bernie Sanders. When I saw the momentum that Bernie Sanders was creating, the movement building, all of the enthusiasm, I wanted to be able to vote for him. In California, you could vote for a presidential candidate in the Democratic Party if you are registered no party preference. You could not vote in the Democratic Party primary if you were registered Green Party.”
“Afterward, I decided to stay no party preference. We need to address the issues. People of different parties – progressive Democrats, Green Party members, the millions in California who have no party affiliation – we need to bring people together. This campaign allows me to deepen those relationships regardless of people’s party preference. That’s why I chose to stay no party preference.”
“I am finding that people want to unite around progressive values. That’s what I’m promoting, going up and down the state encouraging these progressive alliances. That’s what we did with the Richmond Progressive Alliance. We are an alliance that has people from various parties. We affiliate not based on parties, but based on values. People are receptive to it. People are fed up with the corporate controlled two party system. Many are fighting the good fight within the Democratic Party — they want to retake control of the party. Those are the Berniecrats that are fighting that battle. I support that battle. But I chose to stay outside the two party system. The outcome of reforming the Democratic Party is uncertain at best. But regardless of whether people are still in the Democratic Party, they still are very receptive to my message. They understand that my standing as an independent is important. They are embracing me. They are standing with me for all of the issues that need to be implemented in California.”
“At this point, party is not as significant. Movement building is key. At some point, every movement needs a party to represent it. At this point, we don’t know. Will it be a new party? What party would that be? At this point, it’s just coming together as progressives to keep our heads above water. And then we will swim together to shore and brainstorm what our party structure will look like. I am of the belief that now is the time not for party building, but for movement building.”
“Chevron has been in the city for over 100 years and greatly harmed the community’s health and the city’s reputation. People know that Richmond has this big refinery. And it limits our ability to attract new businesses.”
“The Richmond Progressive Alliance fought and won against $3.5 million of Chevron money trying to defeat us in one election in 2014. All of the Richmond Progressive Alliance candidates won our elections and all of the Chevron funded candidates lost. Our example in Richmond shows that it can be done. I’m taking this struggle statewide to make sure we get those corporations out of our state politics.”
Do you want Chevron to close its refinery and leave the city?
“Chevron has been here for 100 years. It’s not going to change. It’s not going to just leave. It has a great location on the bay. It’s full infrastructure is in place. No other community wants a refinery. There hasn’t been a new refinery in the United States since the 1970s. We don’t think Chevron is going to leave voluntarily. We want them to become the cleanest and safest refinery in existence.”
“Ultimately, we need to move away from fossil fuels altogether. That means that this giant oil refinery needs to switch to renewables or it will have to leave or go under.”
“But at this point, there is no indication they are leaving, so we are pushing for them to be the safest and cleanest refinery.”
“There was a major refinery fire in Richmond in 2012. Fifteen thousand residents went to hospitals for respiratory treatment. It was a major fire. And the City of Richmond is suing Chevron now. It was the first time in the city’s history where we sued Chevron. I was still mayor. We won. We got the votes to get the lawsuit. That litigation is ongoing.”
What are you seeking?
“We are seeking that Chevron changes its corporate culture to put the safety of our community first. It’s not only this 2012 fire, but there have been over a dozen major incidents since 1990. We want to stop this pattern of the refinery exploding every five years. We are not accepting that. But we also want compensation for the harm they have done to our community. The fire caused a lot of trauma. People were trapped inside the city. We had to shelter in place. Parents pulled their kids off the playgrounds. We all went inside. We had to tape up our windows with duct tape. We had to stay inside for hours. BART would not run into Richmond. The buses would not run into Richmond. People who lived elsewhere but worked in Richmond were trapped in Richmond. And people from Richmond who worked elsewhere could not get back into Richmond. Our city staff spent countless days, months over a year, holding community meetings, meeting with regulators. Our property taxes went down. There was so much damage to the city and the community. Compensation is in order.”
“The Cotchett Pitre law firm is representing us — the same law firm that represented San Bruno in connection with the pipeline explosion that killed eight people. They did a great job for San Bruno and we think they are going to do a great job for us.”
You said that PG&E had caused extensive damage to the people of California and you then went through their corporate wrongdoing, including when eight people died in the San Bruno inferno caused by a natural gas explosion. The company was convicted in that case of felony wrongdoing.”
You sent out an email to your supporters last week about PG&E about their crimes. You called on the state of California to revoke PG&E’s public franchise. Do you want Chevron to close and leave?
There is a utility in Sacramento that is publically owned. You want to convert PG&E into a public company.
“Yes. In Sacramento, it’s called the Sacramento Municipal Utility District — or SMUD. It has been operating since 1947 as a public utility serving the people of Sacramento for decades. They have done a good job. They are not profit based.”
“PG&E puts its bottom line first above public safety. When you have a public utility like SMUD, there are no profits. Instead, it is operating a healthy and safe utility that is the goal and priority. I am calling for this. It’s about time to start holding this corporate criminal to account. For years, the evidence has pointed to the fact that this utility has not shown itself to be responsible. With all of the life being lost, it’s time to consider a truly public utility for the people of California.”
Join me in demanding Sheriff Livingston stop inhumane treatment of female detainees
Join me in demanding Sheriff Livingston stop inhumane treatment of female detainees
In response to a recent S.F. Chronicle report detailing horrendous conditions suffered by female detainees in the West County Jail in Richmond, today I sent a “cease and desist” letter to Contra Costa Sheriff David Livingston.
Despite massive opposition from Richmond residents and elected officials, the Contra Costa Sheriff’s office contracts with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the use of the West County Jail to house people suspected of immigration violations.
According to the 11/2/17 article by Otis R. Taylor, Jr., female ICE detainees are held in jail cells with no toilets, forced to relieve themselves by urinating and defecating in their clothes or use plastic bags, are locked up for 23 hours a day with frequent cancellation of the one hour outside their cells, are given intolerable food, have a lack of basic health care services, and experience a terrifying environment with distressed inmates screaming and pounding on their cell doors.
Given the details of cruelty outlined in the article, my letter to Sheriff Livingston demanded he immediately terminate all violations of human and constitutional rights of ICE detainees in his custody. It read: “As a U.S. citizen, a resident of Richmond, a taxpayer and a former Mayor of Richmond, I demand that you immediately stop these intolerable conditions of detention and cease every abuse of basic human rights of the people detained in any facility under your jurisdiction.” I also repeated my condemnation of the County’s contract with ICE, and demanded its termination.
This battle is hardly new: During my first month as Richmond Mayor in 2007, I called for a moratorium on ICE raids and reaffirmed Richmond’s Sanctuary City status, ordering the Richmond police and all City employees not to collaborate with ICE. I traveled to Washington DC in 2007 to testify to Congress about the trauma that ICE raids were causing Richmond families.
I encourage you to speak out! Contact Contra Costa Sheriff Livingston and demand immediate correction of these abuses and the termination of the contract with ICE. Please also reach out to members of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors and the Contra Costa District Attorney to demand appropriate legal actions against the Sheriff.
The unconscionable treatment of immigrants by ICE and the need to promote justice for many other groups of vulnerable California residents are among the reasons why I am running for Lt. Governor. A Better California is Possible!
Secretary to Sheriff Livingston (Susan Lyon) [email protected]
John Gioia [email protected]
Candace Andersen [email protected]
Diane Burgis [email protected]
Karen Mitchoff [email protected]
Federal Glover [email protected]
District Attorney Diane Becton [email protected]
Sheriff Livingston; Cease and Desist Human Rights Abuses of ICE Detainees
From : Gayle McLaughlin
Former Mayor of Richmond, CA
6111 Orchard Ave, Richmond CA 94804
To : David Livingston
Contra Costa Sheriff
651 Pine St, Martinez, CA 94553
RE: Cease and Desist Human Rights Abuses of ICE Detainees
Date: November 3, 2017
Sheriff Livingston,
It has come to my attention through reporting by Otis R. Taylor, Jr. of the San Francisco Chronicle on November 2, 2017, that there has been a series of complaints by several female ICE detainees in the Contra Costa County West County Jail located in Richmond, California.
These complaints include horrendous conditions of detention that the ICE detainees are suffering in the County jail under contract with ICE. The report describes jail cells with no toilets, the humiliation of female inmates forced to relieve themselves by urinating and defecating in their clothes or plastic bags, being locked-up for 23 hours a day, frequent cancellation of the one-hour time outside the cells, intolerable food, lack of basic health care services, and a terrifying environment with distressed inmates screaming and pounding on their cell doors.
As a U.S. citizen, a resident of Richmond, a tax-payer and a former Mayor of Richmond, I demand that you immediately stop these intolerable conditions of detention and cease all and every abuse of basic human rights of the people detained in any facility under your jurisdiction.
I demand that you send me written confirmation that you will stop such activities. You risk severe legal consequences if you permit these abuses within your facility to continue.
You are hereby warned and advised that you will be held responsible legally and politically for the actions denounced by the inmates. The actions constitute not only violations of basic human and constitutional rights, but are also attacks to the integrity and reputation of the Richmond community with our city being the location of the facility in which these cruelties are conducted.
Citizens and elected officials of Richmond, myself included, have demanded repeatedly that you cease and desist participating in ICE abuses and that you terminate your contract with ICE. You have ignored these requests and by doing so, have violated the dignity and principles of our City and County.
Sincerely,
Gayle McLaughlin
Universal Tuition Free College for All
Education is a key element of a democracy and prepares our youth for success in an increasingly complex world. Yet in California, and across the country, higher education is still inaccessible to many or is completed with a mountain of debt. I am tired of seeing us deny so many the opportunity to grow themselves and change their communities. This is why my campaign and many others are fighting for Universal Tuition-Free College – and we are seeing progress!
Just this fall, San Francisco began its Free City College program after a vote last November. Their success led to Bernie Sanders hosting a rally at City College of San Francisco in September where he praised the city’s action as “a model for the United States of America.” (Click to read more about this amazing success).
My campaign was canvassing this event and the energy from this success story reassured us that when we fight, we win. The actions of San Francisco and our work in Richmond shows that when normal people get organized and build inclusive, progressive organizations we can make real change in our communities. A critical element of this is growing and supporting corporate-free candidates, who will fight for the people because that is who we are powered by. For many politicians that sounds like a revolutionary idea in a democracy, but I have seen that it is the ONLY way we can achieve the changes we desperately want.
My corporate-free campaign will take the fight for Universal Tuition-Free College to Sacramento. We know it’s popular, it works and is necessary. Stand with me today to make it possible for ALL Californians!
Building local Progressive Alliances
To achieve serious progressive change we must get active, organizing and mobilizing locally! We can create progressive, corporate-free, inclusive, diverse, and year-round organizations that fight for the local hot issues and elect corporate-free candidates to local office. This is the mindset we had when we built the Richmond Progressive Alliance, and we created a helpful video to outline the elements that made us successful:
Some of the most important elements were;
Build inclusively:
- It is necessary that you build your progressive alliance to be inclusive of every background; gender, race, class, disability, sexual orientation and creed. This also includes members of different progressive organizations, anyone who is serious and willing to work together deserves a seat at the table. This is why our model is an “alliance”!
Be corporate-free:
- We know the devastating impact corporate cash has had on our democracy. The only way we can successfully fight for the people is if we are powered by them, not corporations! Corporations are not people and they use their money in this broken campaign finance system to win favors and support. Do not allow them to co-opt our movement!
Organize around candidates and local hot issues:
- You want to identify the issues that affect your community most and mobilize people around progressive solutions to them; we refer to these local issues as “hot issues”. From that support you can then begin to build serious campaigns for corporate-free candidates, so you can have grassroots AND governing power!
Last but not least, have a long-term strategy:
- Everyone in the organization needs to understand the long-term strategy because we are engaged in long-term battles. When we fight, we win but we must be committed to the fight!
Using this model and these tenets is how the Richmond Progressive Alliance was able to get 5 out of 7 city councilmembers to be corporate-free progressives. With mobilization and organization, we forced the oil giant Chevron to pay $114 million in additional local taxes.
Electoral times with progressive candidates are the ideal time to start building your local corporate-free political organization. Following the steps presented in the included video, you may start organizing around one or more local corporate-free candidates. At the same time I ask you to create a parallel and overlapping Gayle for California club in your city or county. In this way you will have in your hands the organizing tools of an election, with support for one or more candidates.
As a part of my campaign for Lt. Governor, I feel it is important to build local Gayle for California clubs all over California. This organizing infrastructure will assist in getting corporate-free candidates like myself elected to statewide office AND to create a real movement of people across the state who can continue the fight for progress. Too often campaigns activate people to get them elected and then leave this vital infrastructure behind once the votes are cast. I believe this is short-sighted and that the only way we can truly win is if we are focused on supporting and growing the infrastructure that we build.
If you share this vision and want to build local progressive power to fight for the 99% and elect corporate-free candidates like myself, join us as a Club Coordinator and reply to this email with “Club Coordinator” in the subject line! If there is already a club in your area or another progressive organization then join as a Local Leader, replying with “Local Leader” in the subject line. No matter which role you choose please fill out our volunteer form so that we can easily communicate and build with you.
We can have the change we desperately want to see in our communities, we just have to get active, organize and mobilize. Remember, when we fight, we win! Thank you for your support.
Honoring Those Who Have Died with Activism and Resistance
Tonight is Halloween, and as I open my door to neighborhood children full of joy and excitement, I reflect on the origins of this autumn holiday and what it means to honor those who have died.
For more than 4,000 years the pre-Celts and Celts of Europe celebrated of the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the winter with Samhain (sow-in), which later became All-hallows-eve or Halloween.
On this night our Celtic ancestors invited home their family and clan ancestors roaming nearby fields and roads. They also feared the harmful souls with scores to settle. People wore masks and ghostly gear to fool the spirits and to pass as one of them.
Like in other celebrations around the world, food and treats were prepared for the living and the dead. In Mexico the 3,000-year-old pre-conquest festivities honoring Mictecacihatl, the Lady of the Dead, continues in the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Tonight my thoughts are a mix of children’s joy and adults’ sadness. My mind and heart go out to the 50,000 Native American Californians killed under Spanish rule before 1834; the 140,000 Native American Californians killed after the U.S. conquest of California, the 110,000 Californians killed by others, mostly by gun violence, during my lifetime; the 6,300 young Californians killed in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan; and the 22,000 Californians who died of opioid overdoses since 1999. I also grieve for all the Californians who died because of homelessness, or because they lacked medical insurance, or were killed by police, or were burned alive by fires sparked by the negligence of a powerful utility company, and so on … and these are just the Californians!
Tonight I acknowledge the pain of all these past Californians and their families, and re-commit myself to give everything I have to work for a society where things are more just, healthier, and much happier. It won’t be easy, but a Better California is Possible!
I ask you to work with me: Get involved in your city, in your union, in your neighborhood. Celebrate life, honor your ancestors, remember those who we failed as a society, and connect with your friends and neighbors so we build a community where we do not fail anyone.
Be a volunteer in my campaign and/or help my campaign to reach out to many in California with the successes of the Richmond Progressive Alliance. This video gives you a flavor of the message I’m taking all over California: Organize locally for corporate-free political power!
Let’s celebrate this Halloween and many more to come by honoring those who have died with activism and resistance.