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A 'Green' look at 2007

The Green Party of California "noting its 2007 record cements its position as the state's solid anti-war, pro-healthcare and environmental political party" said today it is poised for big gains in 2008 local, state and national races as voters become even more dissatisfied with the Republican and Democratic parties.

As of November of this year, more Greens were in office than in 2006, with 55 elected offices in the state, numbering 16 mayors and city council members, including the mayor of Richmond (Gayle McLaughlin) and a San Francisco supervisor (Ross Mirkarimi). Greens hold majorities or near-majorities on city councils in several cities. At least 13 Greens are boards of education.

Mirkarimi distinguished himself by leading the fight to San Francisco to ban all but compostable plastic or recycled paper shopping bag, and approving legislation that would allow San Francisco to garner 50 percent of its energy from wind or solar.

McLaughlin, who took office in 2006 in a surprise victory over the incumbent, promoted a tax on Chevron oil; joined with other cities to create "peacekeeping teams" with mediation skills to send into crime-ridden neighborhoods; created a Richmond Youth Corps to employ 1,000 at-risk kids to restore roads, creeks and work in libraries; and promoted a resolution that makes Richmond a "sanctuary" city that prevents Richmond's police from cooperating with immigration agents in raids on undocumented immigrants.

Among positions taken by the GPCA, and not by the Democratic and Republican parties:

Supported for amnesty for U.S. troops refusing to fight in the unpopular war in Iraq; Supported the impeachment of President Bush, and vice-president Cheney; Supported legislation to bring state National Guard troops home from Iraq; Supported universal, single-payer health care for all Californians, proposed by a Democratic Senator but ignored by the party leadership; Opposed governor's plan to "save" the Delta, calling it "antiquated"; Opposed "fast-tracked" trade deals supported by Democrats and GOP that hurt workers and environment and encouraged Californians to prepare for a "post carbon" future without cheap oil.