Presidential candidate joins SF Green Party candidates Tuesday; Attacks on Green candidates focus of briefing

GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS ADVISORY
For immediate release: Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2004

Contacts:
Erika McDonald, SF Green Party spokeswoman, 415-337-1499
Susan King, Candidate for Supervisor, 415-823-5524
Cres Vellucci, State Press Office, 916-996-1970,

SAN FRANCISCO – Green Party candidate for President David Cobb – who recently was arrested trying to participate in the Presidential debates – will make a special appearance at a news conference in San Francisco Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the SF Green Party office (1028 A Howard St).

Cobb will be joined by Green Party candidates for local office, including congressional candidates Terry Baum, write in candidate (CD 8) and Pat Gray (CD 12), SF Board of Supervisor candidates Lisa Feldstein (District 5), Susan King (District 5), Ross Mirkarimi (District 5), Renee Saucedo (District 9), School Board candidates Mark Sanchez (incumbent), and Jane Kim.

Baum, like Cobb, was arrested earlier this year after San Francisco elections officials refused to count hundreds of write-in votes which would have given her ballot status in November. Her case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The candidates will discuss attacks on the Green Party by major parties that have made it difficult for Greens to gain ballot access – as in the case of Baum – or even make public appearances, including shutting out Cobb from the Presidential debates.

The Greens will also comment on Prop. 62, a ballot initiative Nov. 2 which could effectively eliminate the Greens, and all other smaller parties, from the ballot. The measure is supported by big business interests, and opposed by high profile Democratic and Republican leaders as well as the Green and other third party leadership.

The San Francisco Green Party is running a record number of candidates for local office this year, with a total of 2 federal candidates for Congress and 8 candidates for Supervisor and Board of Education. San Francisco is also home to the very first city wide Instant Runoff Voting (also called Ranked Choice Voting) election in the United States.

"San Francisco is leading the way with election reforms that enhance democracy and the SF Green Party has paved the way for these improvements", said Erika McDonald, SF Green Party media spokeswoman. SF voters approved Green Party backed Proposition O in 2000, which provides public financing to viable local candidates. In 2002, the SF Green Party played a lead role in the passage of Proposition A, which calls for the use of Ranked Choice Voting in electing candidates.

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The Green Party of California
http://www.cagreens.org
P.O. Box 2828, Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
gpca@greens.org