Fresno area voters: Mail-in ballots are out for both the SD16 Special Election and (in the city of Fresno) the decision about the Mayor’s efforts to privatize the city’s award-winning trash collection service.
Deadlines for the SD16 Special Election:
May 14, 2013 – last day to file an application for a vote-by-mail ballot
May 21, 2013 – Election Day. Vote-by-mail ballots need to be received in the Elections Office by May 21. Ballots for the SD16 Special Election can also be delivered to any polling location that day.
Deadlines for the City of Fresno Measure G Municipal Election:
May 20, 2013 – last day to register to vote in this election.
May 28, 2013 – last day to file an application for a vote-by-mail ballot
June 4, 2013 – Election Day. Vote-by-mail ballots need to be received in the Elections Office by June 4. Ballots for the City of Fresno Municipal Election can also be delivered to any polling location that day.
Yes, the Fresno County Democrats are putting our full support behind “No on Measure G,” looking to Trash this Risky Deal!
And what’s the other side up to? Here’s the story, as broadcast on Fresno’s ABC-30 TV:
Going into classrooms without presenting both sides? Allegedly offering letters of recommendation from the Mayor in direct exchange for ‘Yes on G’ campaign work? Hmmm… if Measure G is so great for the city of Fresno, why are Mayor Swearengin and the ‘Yes on G’ campaign employing such questionable tactics that smack of desperation?
Wow.
For a great recap, check out this Letter to the Editor from Fresno County Democratic Central Committee member Yezdyar Kaoosji, published April 30, 2013, in the Fresno Bee:
First, we learn that Fresno’s city manager morphs into a “private citizen” and files a lawsuit to challenge language opposing ballot Measure G, the ordinance to privatize residential waste disposal. However, the cost of the lawsuit is not paid by this “private citizen,” but by the group supporting the proposition. The judge made a few edits and left the “No on Measure G” ballot arguments virtually unchanged.
Second, we learn from the local ABC-TV news broadcast that the privatization canvassers are offering bribes to Fresno High School students: letters of recommendation signed by the mayor in return for walking the precincts and distributing literature.
Third, the “Yes on G” website is announcing a weekly iPad raffle for those who volunteer to work in their election office. The smiling juvenile face of the first weekly winner adorns the website under the caption: “We have a Winner!”
Fresno voters should beware of these tactics. I hope everyone reads the ballot arguments to understand why Measure G is not good for Fresno’s economic well-being. Among its bipartisan supporters is the business-friendly Central Valley Taxpayers Association. Need more be said?
Yezdyar Kaoosji
Fresno
Or this letter from Fresno County Democratic Central Committee member Chip Ashley, published in the May 2Fresno Bee:
From the ABC30 story by Gene Haagenson: “We asked the mayor, ‘Do you think it’s OK going into a classroom and saying (to high school students) you will get a letter (of recommendation) from the mayor if you work for us?
“She replied, ‘Well, it’s all subject to the schools’ approval, so if the schools are OK with having folks come in and do outreach for campaign workers then obviously we follow their rules.’ ”
Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin doesn’t give us voters much credit for common sense.
Basically the mayor is implying, “It’s not my responsibility. It’s the schools’ responsibility to make sure I’m above board.”
Of course, there was no (no, no, no, a thousand times no) backroom arm-twisting to make this happen on behalf of Measure G.
Seriously, does anyone not see this treachery?
Charles M. Ashley
Tollhouse
Want to do something about this? Spread the word. Share this post, and defeat questionable tactics like iPad giveaways and the Mayor’s privatization efforts by joining us in working to Trash This Risky Deal!
More information about Measure G is available at the campaign’s website, FresnoMeasureG.com. Volunteer for precinct walks or phone banking, happening daily, or call Dillon Savory at (559) 425-6779. Stay tuned for more, and help us to Trash This Risky Deal!
Want to help defeat Measure G at the polls? Spread the word, and watch our latest commercial:
For more information on why community leaders like Susan Anderson, Doug Vagim and the Fresno Police Officers Association are urging you to Vote No on Measure G, visit our website at www.FresnoMeasureG.com.
We are going to win this fight by going door-to-door and urging our neighbors to Vote No on Measure G. Can you volunteer for a couple hours this Saturday? Can you make phone calls in the evening? Click here to sign up to volunteer!
At its general meeting May 1, 2013, the Fresno County Democratic Central Committee adopted the following resolution in support of the California Homes and Jobs Act of 2013. The full text of the adopted resolution follows.
Resolution in Support of the California Homes and Jobs Act of 2013
WHEREAS, Fresno County families continue to face a housing crisis as mortgages remain out of reach, credit standards have tightened, and the foreclosure crisis has pushed more people into a rental market already suffering from decades of short supply, leading to record-setting increases;
and
WHEREAS, the most vulnerable in our County, who struggled to make rent before the foreclosure crisis, face even more uncertainty in today’s rental market, and they risk joining the more than 130,000 Californians who are homeless on any given night; and
WHEREAS, SB 391, the California Homes and Jobs Act of 2013, will get California building again by imposing a $75 recordation fee on some real estate documents; generate an estimated $500 million in state investment annually and leverage an additional $2.78 billion in federal and local funding and bank loans and deploy these funds through a successful public/private
partnership model; create 29,000 jobs in California annually; and help businesses stay competitive when they can attract and retain the talent that fuels California’s economy;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Fresno County Democratic Central Committee hereby supports SB 391 to build homes within reach of Fresno County residents and create jobs by creating a stable source of revenue for investment in affordable homes.
Hosts
Southern California District Council of Laborers
Sponsors
Jim Costa for Congress Campaign
Laborers International Union of North America Local 294
Laborers International Union Local 220
Northern California Carpenters Regional Council
SEIU 1000
Patrons
Baradat & Paboojian, Inc.
Fresno Coalition of Organized Labor (COOL)
Howard K. Watkins
Iron Workers Local Union 155
Julia Ann Brungess
Otto Lee
Teamsters Joint Council 7
The Rios Group/IBEW Local 100
Deadlines for the SD16 Special Election:
Deadlines for the City of Fresno Measure G Municipal Election: