Mark Leno on Budget Reform and the Internet

If he sounds a little tired, it is because this was recorded Friday night and he hadn’t slept in 40 hours due to the all night budget session (but he’s tireless).

Blogosphere Day: Candidate’s Perspective

On Blogosphere Day, I would like to discuss blogs from the view of an elected official and candidate for higher office. When I first announced I was challenging State Senator Carole Migden in the 2008 Democratic Primary, I knew that there would be serious resistance. That is why it was so gratifying for me to be added to the Calitics ActBlue page within hours of my announcement.

But when I think of the blogs, I don’t think of an ATM. And my race has already proven why.

Within 48 hours of my announcement, there was an outrageous blog post using Fox News talking points against me.

Yet the self correcting blogosphere pushed back hard. The post was condemned online to the point it made the papers and ten days later my opponent called upon her close confidant to take down the post.

A short time later, billboards using my opponents campaign website art began appearing on Clear Channel billboards across the district – without a disclaimer. Again, the blogs called upon her to do the right thing and it made the papers and just yesterday the San Francisco Bay Guardian editorialized against the “Billboard Sleaze”.

And now, yet another emerging scandal about my opponent having three times as much unitemized expenditures as Joe Lieberman began moving on Calitics and was picked up by liberal radio yesterday morning.

So yes, win or lose I’ll always be proud that my campaign raised more on ActBlue than any non-federal campaign last quarter. But I’m prouder still that the blogs are fighting to ensure we have a clean race, because that is what every Democrat deserves in a primary campaign.

Please celebrate Blogosphere Day and Act Blue.

 

Take the Live Earth Pledge

To follow up on yesterday’s post with Live Earth stats and video of Assemblyman Mark Leno discussing Carbon Footprints, here is how you can join the billions worldwide working together to combat Global Warming.

Live Earth is asking people make a commitment today and sign the pledge:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"
3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

Looking Back at Live Earth

There is a remarkable convergence of forces all coming together and working together to stop global warming. There are now solid numbers out on the Live Earth 7.7.07 worldwide events that were so far beyond huge that your humble editor lacks the words to describe the magnitude of the event. So let me just give you some numbers:

• 2,000,000,000 – Number of participants worldwide
• 30,000,000 – Number of Live Earth videos streamed online
• 10,000,000 – Number of people who watched Live Earth on MSN
• 1,000,000 – Number of participants in 10,000 Friends of Live Earth Events in 131 Countries
• 100,000 – Number of participants at over 1,300 MoveOn house parties across America

So go calculate your Carbon Footprint today and then take steps to lower it.

Marriage Equality Measure Clears Key Senate Hurdle

From a press release:

SACRAMENTO, CA— The Senate Judiciary Committee moved California one step closer today toward recognizing and respecting the love and commitment that hundreds of thousands of same sex couples share by approving Assemblyman Mark Leno’s AB 43, which would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in the state.

“I am buoyed by the support of my legislative colleagues who share the belief that denying anyone the basic human right to marry the person she or he loves is completely contrary to our cherished constitutional foundation that all people are equal in the eyes of the law,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “I look forward to the day that all couples regardless of their sexual orientation, are able to pursue their dreams and care for their children with full and legal protection.”

Assembly Bill 43 is nearly identical to AB 849 of 2005, which was the first proactive marriage equality legislation in the history of the United States to pass both houses of a state legislature. AB 43 would amend Section 300 of the Family Code to define marriage as a civil contract between two persons instead of a civil contract between a man and a woman. The measure respects one’s religious choice by reaffirming that no religious institution would ever be required to solemnize marriages contrary to its fundamental beliefs.

The measure is sponsored by Equality California (EQCA), the statewide LGBT civil rights advocacy organization. “Marriage is universally recognized and respected around the world and for many people is one of life’s most significant milestones,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “Same-sex couples in California have lived with domestic partnerships for many years, but they continue to be treated differently than married spouses. LGBT Californians want the choice to marry so that we can live our lives with the same dignity and freedom that everyone deserves.”

Currently, same-sex couples can register with the State of California as domestic partners, affording them hundreds of protections. However, same-sex couples in California and their families still are not eligible for more than a thousand federal protections offered to married couples, including family and medical leave, social security benefits, long-term care insurance and the ability to sponsor a partner for immigration benefits. Additionally, a 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling put it succinctly by declaring that the denial of marriage equality on the basis of sexual orientation is "arbitrary," and reinforces the stereotype that all people are not created equal.

AB 43 is co-authored by 27 Assemblymembers and 14 Senators, including Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senator President Pro Tempore Don Perata. A broad coalition of over 250 civil rights organizations and leaders are in support of the measure, including the NAACP California State Conference, United Farm Workers, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Chinese for Affirmative Action, CA Teachers Association, CA Nurses Association, CA National Organization for Women, ACLU and CA Church Impact, among many others.

AB 43 will be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Hopefully, this critical civil rights legislation will pass the senate. You can help by contacting your state senator today.

Leno Senate race on a roll!

Thank you, thank you for all the support and encouragement I have received in my race for the State Senate. The response has been great.

With the first reporting deadline only hours away, I need to show that my candidacy is not only viable but formidable.

If you haven’t had a chance to contribute yet, please make as generous contribution as you can. If you know someone who can contribute, please share this email.

Your contribution can help make it happen!

And thank you again. It means so much to me to know that my work in Sacramento fighting for our community, our children, for justice and equality has our support.

-Mark

Campaign Finance Reporting Deadline

We are fast approaching the June 30th campaign finance-reporting deadline. It’s very important that our campaign report reflect an impressive fundraising base of support.

With a few clicks, it is possible for all of my friends to invest in our movement with an online contribution.

My campaign is a grassroots effort that relies upon many people coming together to provide the resources necessary to succeed. This campaign isn’t about me, it is about offering voters a chance to vote for the best choice for change.

We need to harness this grassroots energy and you can do so right now by making a contribution and asking your friends and family to join us.

Thank you for your consideration. Your donation will enable me to take a major step forward toward the Senate seat. Every and any amount is appreciated. The maximum allowable is $3600.

Please contribute right now.

-Mark

SF Young Dems at Pride

Great Pic!

Enjoy Pride Weekend!

Equality! Fun! Communtiy!

Quote of the Day

“The framers of the Constitution understood very well that a truly free society demands a press without government obstruction,” said Leno. “In an age when our cherished freedoms are vanishing at the hand of our own Federal Government, we must do everything in our power to uphold the democratic principles upon which our country was founded. Without a federal shield law, we live with a dramatic and chilling effect on our freedom of the press and journalistic integrity in America.”

-Assemblymember Mark Leno on today’s 74-0 passage of AJR 24, which calls upon the United States Congress to enact a shield law for America’s journalists. The resolution was co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Noreen Evans and Leno.