Mail-in ballots in Solano County went out a week early, but for many of us (including all of Napa County) today is the day that mail-in ballots go out. I'm asking for your vote, because inequality is growing worse, too many people are unhoused, we're still fighting wars that we started almost two decades ago, education desperately needs funding, infrastructure is crumbling, police shootings are now a leading cause of death in America, and YOU CAN'T GET CHANGE BY VOTING IN THE SAME PEOPLE.
So what will I do differently than our current representative? I will work to transform our system into a system based on justice, and that means transforming systems inside systems. We will transform our economic system, so that people are not put on the street for medical debt while billionaires are making more in one day than most of us make in a year. We will transform the healthcare system so that everyone has coverage, and as a nation, we save trillions of dollars off of what we are currently spending. We will transform our education system so that special ed, PE and art are fully funded, teachers get pay increases to at least $60,000 per year and parents don't have to purchase their children's art, or show up on the first day of school with a big box full of supplies. We will transform our criminal justice system into a system that is not racist and does not favor people based on social class. We will transform our foreign policy into a system that does not send our children into harm's way, to risk their lives or take others, for the profits of the rich. And we will transform our political system into a system that does not suppress the votes of minorities, where every person gets one vote, no matter what, where we use paper ballots to ensure transparency, register everyone automatically and make Election Day a national holiday. Can I accomplish all of this by myself? Absolutely not. But with a movement behind me, and progressive allies in Congress (remember that we have been endorsed by 58 progressive candidates- there are at least 150), WE can accomplish all of these things. Together we can change the country. We're GOING to change the world! If you've made it this far, thank you for reading, and I hope you'll join the movement.
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I am excited to receive the endorsement of Our Revolution North Bay. Our Revolution is one of the most aptly named organizations, because this revolution truly is #NotMeUs .
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I am very proud to have received the endorsement of civil rights attorney Melissa Nold. Melissa knows that police violence is also gun violence. Police shootings have become one of the leading causes of death in America this year. When laws are not working for the people, it behooves lawmakers to change them. So where have our lawmakers been? War is also gun violence, and armed support of military dictatorships all over the world. It's time this country took a long, hard look at how we treat people that don't have a lot of money.
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Did you know that almost 80% of children in Calistoga qualify for free school lunches? This in one of the wealthiest counties in the wealthiest country in world history is completely unacceptable! I have previously said that I will encourage those with extra wealth in the central part of the district to invest in worker co-ops to provide jobs and stimulate local economies. When 4 out of 5 children are living below the poverty line, you know that Calistoga is the kind of place that really needs the economic stimulus.
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Pharmaceutical companies, alcohol companies, tobacco companies, even private prisons have lobbied against cannabis access from the beginning, because cannabis decreases their business. In California, we may have passed Prop 64, but many cities and counties still haven't lifted local bans (as Prop 64 allowed them to do). There is no recreational dispensary in all of Napa County, for instance.
Additionally, if you want a job at a company that has any government contracts, they require testing for cannabis- a positive test is disqualifying. And there are 39 other states that do not allow recreational access. And stunningly, despite cannabis being legally available in more places than ever before, cannabis arrests have gone up. Law enforcement should be focusing on violent crimes, not people who "smell like weed". We must legalize cannabis once and for all.
One of the excuses people sometimes give is that "more studies need to be done". Scientists have been studying cannabis for a very long time. Here are 700 medical cannabis studies, sorted by disease.
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Indivisible Napa was kind enough to allow me a few minutes to speak about our campaign. Our message was very warmly received. I have great respect for the efforts of Indivisible, not just the Napa group, for their efforts sending postcards and texts asking people to check to make sure they're still registered, or getting them registered. This is just what our democracy needs. If you'd like to participate, Indivisible Napa has a website
( https://www.indivisiblenapa.com/ ) or can be found on Facebook.
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Mike Thompson's campaign says that he refuses corporate money. The facts disagree.
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I hope my Napa County friends will consider voting yes on Measure K, which will create a 1/4 of a cent tax for the purpose of the Regional Park & Open Space District being able to purchase some important new lands and bringing them into the district, such as part of Skyline Park, which the state may sell off if the district can't purchase it.
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Why is it that all of the Senators in an impeachment hearing can agree that bribery is a high crime and an impeachable offense but they can't agree on a constitutional amendment that ends Citizen's United?
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Infrastructure bills not only create jobs, but are almost pure investment spending, which means that the money spent on these projects goes to everyday people, like you and me, and gets spent back into the economy, eventually returning to the government in the form of taxes. That's how bridge repair and replacement should work, not by raising tolls so high that people dread crossing them. There's a right way to upgrade highway 37 and a wrong way. Making this highway a toll road is the wrong way. If the federal government pays for it, it helps people and helps the economy. Instead, my opponent wants you to pay for it, by making this road a toll road. That doesn't help anybody.
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My favorite house is at it again! Thanks, Franz! Keep up the good fight! And "yes" on all of these endorsements.
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We'll be hosting some potluck picnic's in the coming weeks and you're invited. Please do let us know what you'll be bringing though.
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