Cortese, Dave rep

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HE IS MY REP? 5 26 CA CLEAN $ PETITION

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CORTESE STAFF MTG, PASS; 1 26 JOHN F

ALEX LEE PROGRESSIVE BUT NO CLOUT INTRO LAST TIME [KALRA?]

WANT STATE SENATOR

12 25

State Assembly District 25

Assemblymember Ash Kalra-DEM

State Senate District 15

Senator Dave Cortese-DEM

backed MTA

john ask RR artl 4 24

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Sen Padilla (as Sec of State) endorsed Dave Cortese when he ran for the CA State Senate (and won). Cortese was the champion of the SCC BOS resolution.

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Senator Dave Cortese was elected in November of 2020 to represent State Senate District 15 which encompasses much of Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. Along with his accomplished career as an attorney and business owner, the Senator previously served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for over a decade, with four years as Board President, on the San Jose City Council for eight years,including two years as Vice Mayor, and as a trustee for the East Side Union High School District for eight years.

He grew up in San Jose as part of a family that has been active in civic, cultural, and business activities for generations. Dave graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory then University of California, Davis where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science. He earned hisJuris Doctorate at Lincoln University Law School in San Jose. He has four children and is married to his wife Pattie Cortese who is currently a Trustee on the Eastside Union High School Board.

During his nearly three decades in public service, Dave has brought the community together to address and reduce homelessness, combat climate change, expand public transit options, reform the Santa Clara County’s jail custody operations, and fight for the rights of immigrants.

To increase affordable housing and find solutions tohomelessness,Dave initiated the creation of a countywide housing task force with representatives from business, labor, city and county offices, the local homeless population, and many experts on housing and homelessness. That group’s recommendations led to such initiatives as the groundbreaking $950 million “Measure A” affordable housing bond that Dave co-chaired as well as the All the Way Home campaign that has housed 1,940 of the County’s veterans.

As a member and former Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Dave fought hard to bring federal stimulus funds to the South Bay to rehabilitate our aging roads and ease congestion. On the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA),he pushed to secure funding for the BART expansion into San Jose and for VTA’s eventual light rail service to Eastridge. Dave secured improvements to expressways, Highway 101, Highway 85, and the Tully Road/Capitol Expressway/Yerba Buena interchanges. He spearheaded officially merging the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and MTC’s efforts to advance smarter land-use policies for the entire Bay Area and to tackle the important connection between housing, jobs, transportation and climate protection in a coordinated, regional fashion.

Dave has long been achampion of protecting our environment, leading Santa Clara County to transition to 100% renewable electric power, creating the County Climate Coalition in partnership with Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, and helping to form Silicon Valley Clean Energy, the community-owned provider of carbon-free electricity for Silicon Valley

Dave has prioritized women's policy issues. He initiated the County’s Gender and Ethnicity Pay Equity Ordinance, their landmark Anti-Human Trafficking Team, and their first-of-its kind review of Title IX policies for K-12 and higher education institutions.

Dave pushed Santa Clara County to become the first in the nation to file a lawsuit in federal court against the Trump Administration to overturn its unlawful rescission of the DACA Program. This attempt was successful, with the Supreme Court eventually overturning the Trump Administration’s repeal of DACA. Dave again pushed the County to sue the Trump Administration for denying federal funding to “sanctuary” cities and counties that didn’t participate in the President's aggressive immigration enforcement agenda. He helped lead the establishment of the Santa Clara County Office of Immigrant Relations, the New American Fellowship program that employs DACA youth, and the allocation of millions in funding for legal services for DACA/DAPA recipients.

Dave provided oversight and direction for the County in areas of Finance, Budget, Technology and Capital Projects. He created the County’s Open Government Ordinance and Office of Labor Standard’s Enforcement to monitor the County's Wage Theft and Living Wage Ordinances, that he championed, as well as workplace sexual harassment.

Dave has initiated several local community-based gun buy-back and firearm relinquishment programs including “Unity Day” that became the County’s largest gun buy-back event. After hosting the Community Summit on Firearms Safety with over 300 diverse participants, Dave spearheaded the County’s safe-storage ordinance to prevent accidental shootings and suicides in homes.

With a strong track record rooted in restorative justice and fighting systematic inequities, Cortese has taken major steps to re-envision our justice system, including establishing the Santa Clara County Blue Ribbon Commission, which led to hundreds of recommendations to improve the treatment of inmates in custody, and creating the first policy in the United States to halt the incarceration of offenders under 13 years of age at Juvenile Hall.

As a School Board Trustee, Dave jump-started dormant plans to build a new high school in Evergreen and co-chaired the $80 million bond campaign that led to Silicon Valley’s first new high school in 25 years. He was a major architect of School Linked Services, a program that connects students and families to County social services and counseling. School Linked Services has grown to serve about 200 schools in the County.

Dave has had the opportunity to work with his father, former Assemblyman Dominic L. Cortese over a political career that commenced in 1968. His deep, local roots and love for his community continue to fuel his passion for public service.

As a California State Senator, Dave intends to continue and expand on the successful work he has done in Santa Clara County and apply as many solutions as possible statewide. That includes addressing climate change through building decarbonization, increasing California’s housing stock, shifting the focus of our justice system from incarceration to rehabilitation, and fighting sexual assault and gender-based violence.

https://sd15.senate.ca.gov/2021-2022-legislation

2021-2022 LEGISLATION

Environmental Leadership

Combating Our Climate Crisis

SB 30 - The State Buildings and Assets Decarbonization Act of 2021: SB 30 mandates that State buildings and assets achieve carbon-neutrality by 2035 and that the State divest from projects that are not zero emission by 2023. Beginning in 2022, all newly designed and constructed state buildings must be zero emission.
SB 31 - The Decarbonization Programs Act of 2021: SB 31 will develop new building decarbonization programs through the California Energy Commission and the Public Utilities Commission, with a particular emphasis on providing opportunities for low-income customers.

SB 32 - The Decarbonization Act of 2021: SB 32 will require all cities and counties in California to update their General Plans with objectives, targets, and policies to decarbonize their building stock in line with State targets.
SB 37 – The Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup and Safety Act: Honoring the legacy of his father Dominic Cortese, who served in the State Legislature in the 1980’s and 90’s, Cortese has introduced SB 37 which updates and revitalizes the Hazardous Waste and Substances Sites List, or the “Cortese List (AB 3750)”, that his father authored in 1986.
SB 790 - Advance Mitigation Program: Wildlife Connectivity Barriers: Cortese is a joint author of SB 790 with Senator Henry Stern to expand the applicability of wildlife mitigation credits, ensuring that state agencies are able to access mitigation funds for projects that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, protect wildlife and promote highway safety. Supporters of this bill include The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, National Wildlife Federation, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and the Endangered Habitats League. (Signed Into Law in 2021)

SB 475 - Transportation Planning: Sustainable Communities Strategies: While SB 375 (Steinberg, 2008) required that metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) across California adopt land use strategies and prioritize transportation investments that reduce GHGs in long-range plans known as Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS), Cortese’s SB 475 will update SB 375 to incorporate social equity and climate resilience goals and provide direction to regions as to how they can best reach these goals.

SB 1219 - State Water Resiliency and Modernization Act: Senator Cortese is a joint author of SB 1219 with Senator Melissa Hurtado to reimagine water management in the 21st century and create a sustainable water system prioritizing preservation and sustainability for all of California.

SB 1385 – Multi-Family Solar Energy Access: SB 1385 requires that the California Public Utilities Commission establish a multi-family housing local solar program that would require each electrical corporation with more than 100,000 service connections to construct a solar and storage system on or near multifamily housing in underserved communities.

SB 1297 – Low Carbon Construction for Climate Restoration: Senator Cortese is working with stakeholders from environmental justice groups, labor, and industry to craft a plan for California to not only adapt to, but to reverse climate change. SB 1297 calls on the state to develop a strategic plan to advance carbon reduction across allbuilding and construction materials and maximize carbon sequestration

Criminal Justice Reform

Re-Envisioning Our Justice System

SB 300 - The Sentencing Reform Act of 2021: SB 300 will reform California’s unjust “felony murder special circumstance” law and ensure that the death penalty and life without the possibility of parole cannot be imposed on those who did not kill, nor intend that a person die, during a crime, providing recourse to hundreds – potentially more – of people convicted under this law currently awaiting execution or condemned to die in prison. Sponsors of SB 300 include Silicon Valley De-Bug, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB), The Drop LWOP Coalition, Families United to End LWOP (FUEL), and the Felony Murder Elimination Project.
SB 383 - The Juvenile Justice Diversion Act: Sponsored by the California Judges Association, SB 383 will remove barriers and increase access to diversion programs for youth that commit non-violent felonies. Numerous peer-reviewed studies point to diversion as a more effective tool in reducing recidivism than conventional judicial interventions. (Signed Into Law in 2021)

Sexual Assault Prevention

Fighting Sexual Assault, Exploitation And Trafficking

:{:{SB 435 - The Ending Online Sexual Trafficking and Exploitation Act:}: Sponsored by the California Women’s Law Center, SB 435 will allow a victim of online sexual trafficking or exploitation to bring a civil action for damages against any person or entity that makes, obtains, uploads, reuploads or distributes in any form, sexual content without their freely given permission. Once a victim has given notice that their rights are being violated, a distributor has two-hours to take down this content. After that, an offender must pay damages of $100,000 for every two hours of online exposure, or $200,000 for every two hours if the victim is under 18 years of age.

SB 530 - The Repeal of the Spousal Rape Exception Act: SB 530 will eliminate the “spousal rape exception” in the California Penal Code (Section 262) to ensure that “spousal rape” is treated and punished as seriously as rape of a non-spouse. (Corresponding Bill in the State Assembly Signed Into Law in 2021)

:Housing Affordability}:}:

Addressing The Root Causes Of Our Housing Crisis}:

:{:{SB 649 - The Tenant Preferences to Prevent Displacement Act:}: SB 649 will support the use of Tenant Preferences, such as Neighborhood and Anti-Displacement preferences, in affordable housing using tax credits and bonds in order to mitigate the displacement of low-income renters who are disproportionately people of color in many communities.

:{:{SB 780 - Improvements to EIFD and CRIA Tax Increment Laws:}: SB 780 will provide helpful clarifications to improve the functioning and usefulness of Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs) and Community Revitalization and Investment Authorities (CRIAs), Special Tax Districts that are used by local governments, especially after the elimination of Redevelopment Agencies (RDAs), to fund community infrastructure projects through tax increment public financing. :{(Signed Into Law in 2021)}:

SB 791 - The State Housing Finance Agency Act: SB 791 will enable the State to provide credit enhancements as well as tax credits and to facilitate joint ventures between local and state agencies and builders, including incentives for housing production on state and local agency surplus land. The equity and revenues from said investments will in-turn fund further affordable housing production and fuel our growing housing workforce. (Signed Into Law in 2021)

Government Accountability & Transparency}:}:

Looking Out For People And Protecting Consumers

:{:{SB 461 - Unfair Competition Law Enforcement:}: SB 461 will allow County Counsels, of a county within which a city has a population in excess of 750,000 people, to enforce the Unfair Competition Law (UCL) that prohibits false advertising and unfair business practices. :{(Signed Into Law in 2021)}:

SB 1100 – Open and Safe Public Meetings: SB 1100 will ensure safe, open, and accessible public meetings by creating a process to restore order when disruptions occur that prevent a meeting from continuing in accordance with law.

:{:{Educational Opportunity}:

Investing In The Needs Of All Children}:

:{:{SB 692 - The Special Education Inclusion Act:}: With numerous studies indicating that inclusion significantly increases graduation rates and academic performance for students with disabilities, Cortese has introduced SB 692, sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE). By adding an existing federal inclusion indicator to the state accountability dashboard, this bill would expand awareness of inclusive options for students with disabilities and promote the use of existing resources for general education teachers to receive training and professional development on teaching strategies and frameworks that optimize education for students with individual learning differences.

:{SB 1170:{ – Recall Reform for Small School Districts}:: Sponsored by the Small School Districts Association, SB 1170 will ensure small school and community college districts, and their financial stability, are less disproportionately impacted by recall petitions that require a comparatively low signature threshold.

:{:{Public Health}:

Strengthening Our Public Health Infrastructure & Protecting Our Frontline Heroes During COVID-19}:

:{:{SB 213 - Presumptive Eligibility for Workers’ Compensation for Nurses:}: Sponsored by the California Nurses Association, SB 213 will modernize outdated California laws and make it easier for registered nurses to access the workers’ compensation system, just like the law currently protects other frontline healthcare workers. These frontline heroes deserve adequate and equal protections to ensure their own safety and the safety of all of us.

:{:{SB 707 - Corrective Action Orders:}: Sponsored by the Continuing Care Residents' Association, SB 707 requires continuing care facilities to provide notice to current and prospective residents of any pending or recent corrective action orders issued by the State Department of Social Services, as well as any complaints or concerns filed with the facility’s management or board. The bill protects current and future residents by providing them with transparency on the financial status and safety of the facilities they are making a lifelong commitment to.

:{:{SB 564 - The Hospital Seismic Compliance Deadline Extension:}: SB 564 extends the hospital seismic compliance deadline from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024 for two Santa Clara County projects - the O’Connor Hospital (OCH) Seismic Compliance Project and the Valley Medical Center (VMC) Bascom Seismic Compliance Project. Given the impact of COVID-19 on the County’s hospital system, paired with the County’s only recent acquisition of the O’Connor Hospital, an extension for both the OCH and VMC projects is much needed to maintain access to health services for County residents. :{(Signed Into Law in 2021)}:

:{:{SB 335 - Presumptive Eligibility for Workers’ Compensation for Firefighters:}: Sponsored by the California Professional Firefighters, SB 335 will require better enforcement around workers compensation presumptions for Firefighters.

:{SB 999 - :{California Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment Patient Safety and Fairness Act}:: SB 999 will ensure that Californians suffering from substance use disorders and addiction are able to receive residential treatment for the length of time that is medically necessary and consistent with specific treatment criteria developed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).

:{:{Workplace Fairness}:

Ensuring Equity, Parity, And Opportunity For All Workers}:

:{:{SB 411 - The Working After Retirement Act:}: Under current law, some retirees in the CalPERS system are currently facing significant fines and penalties for inadvertently going over the statutory limitation of 960 hours per year if they want to work for a CalPERS agency after retirement. Many retirees were not aware of the limitation, while others may have been misinformed by their employers. SB 411 will simply provide the authority to the CalPERS Board the flexibility to waive or reduce fines based on the conditions and circumstances of the violation, without having to force a retiree to reinstate into the system. :{(Signed Into Law in 2021)}:

:{SB 33-:{ Inclusive Apprenticeship Opportunities: }:Unfortunately, despite growing efforts of outreach, recruitment, and reporting, representation disparities amongst women and other underrepresented minority populations in the building and construction trades sector persist. SB 33 creates the Construction Apprenticeship Advancement Task Force to study the recruitment, retention, and barriers to entry of women, underrepresented, and disadvantaged populations in the State of California for purposes of ensuring high-wage apprenticeship opportunities are more inclusive of those populations to promote significant growth in the economic security of all communities.

:{:{SB 868 - Equitable Distribution of Excess Funds:}: Sponsored by the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA), SB 868 will ensure equity and financial stability for California’s oldest retired educators through the equitable distribution of excess funds within CalSTRS’ Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account to retired teachers that are most in need.

:{:{SB 874 - Promotional Probation Procedure Parity:}: While the statutes of the California Education Code governing non-merit K-12 and Community College districts make it clear that if an employee does not pass probation for a promotional position they return to their previous classification, the corresponding law for merit districts are silent on these promotional probation procedures, even though the permanent status of classified employees are consistent among the two sections. SB 874 would rectify this by providing clarity and equity between merit system and non-merit system procedures.

:{:{SB 831 - Protecting Entertainment Workers:}: SB 831 sets up a first-in-the-nation regulatory process to protect all entertainment workers; specifically, the bill restricts the use of live ammunition and firearms on sets of all entertainment and theatrical productions, establishes safety protocols, including safety trainings, codifies proven safety measures, creates a penalty structure for violations, and enables the state to enforce and ensure compliance while creating an avenue of recourse for employees.

:{SB 1004 - :{California State Public Works Apprenticeship Bid Preference}:: To show a strong commitment to apprenticeship programs and further the Governors ambitious, yet achievable, goal of establishing 500,000 apprentices in the State by 2029, SB 1004 would establish a five percent bid preference for contractors who are active participants in State approved apprenticeship programs.

:{SB 1126:{ – CalSavers Retirement Savings Expansion}:: SB 1126 would reduce complexity for employers and expand access to CalSavers to all small businesses; in doing so, this bill would improve employee recruitment and retention across California.

:{SB 1168:{ - Postretirement Death Benefit Equity Adjustment}:: SB 1168 :{increases equity in the CalPERS postretirement death benefit and addresses the substantial erosion in the benefit’s value for those receiving the basic benefit.}:

:{:{Youth Services}:

Providing Support To Our Youth And Young Adult Population}:

:{:{SB 739 - The Universal Basic Income for Transition Age Foster Youth Act:}: SB 739 will provide direct, monthly cash assistance through a statewide universal basic income (UBI) Pilot Program for the approximately 3,000 youth who age out of Extended Foster Care in California each year. :{(Incorporated Into the 2021-22 State Budget)}:

:{:{SB 384 - The Family Finding Act:}: Sponsored by the California Judges Association, SB 384 requires that counties implement best-practice family finding protocols, increasing the likelihood that a child removed from parental care, for instance as a result of parental neglect or abuse, be placed with relatives.

SB 1184 – Student Mental Health Through School-Linked Services: SB 1184 would define in California law a “School-Lined Services” coordinator as those individuals or entities, who serve as licensed educational psychologist, located on a school campus or under contract by a county behavioral health provider, and ensure that these “School-Lined Services” can better refer both students and families to mental health treatment and care.

:{:{Cortese's Requests Secured In The 2021-2022 State Budget:}:

Student Mental Health:{:{ - an augmentation of $205,000,000 to create school and county mental health partnerships across California}:

VTA Recovery:{:{ - $20,000,000 to VTA to provide post-tragedy relief to traumatized employees and help get essential transit services running again as soon as possible}:

Universal Basic Income:{:{ - an historic $35,000,000 “California Guaranteed Income Pilot Program” to serve California youth exiting the state’s extended foster care program as well as pregnant women}:

Highway 17 Wildlife and Trail Crossings Project :{- $2,000,000:{ }:to create connectivity and a safe crossing for trail users to enjoy the natural beauty of our Santa Cruz Mountains

Litter Abatement :{-:{ }:$2,000,000 to assist local jurisdictions with the removal of trash and debris from local streets and along state highways in Santa Clara County

San José - Evergreen Community College District:{:{ - a planning and community engagement grant of $1,000,000 to plan the development of vacant college property to serve students}:

Wildfire Preparedness Technologies - over $2,000,000 to provide state-of-the-art technology to communicate securely and effectively during a wildfire or natural disaster including emergency mobile cell phone coverage

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220 state senate

https://sanjosespotlight.com/south-bay-senate-candidates-differ-on-controversial-housing-bill/

Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, former FEC Chair Ann Ravel and former Assemblywoman Nora Campos, who are running for state Senate,

220 state senate

https://sanjosespotlight.com/south-bay-senate-candidates-differ-on-controversial-housing-bill/

Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, former FEC Chair Ann Ravel and former Assemblywoman Nora Campos, who are running for state Senate,

svdc

In the first round of voting, Cortese led with 65 percent of the vote, just 1 percent shy of the threshold needed to secure the endorsement, before officially securing the club’s support in the second round.

Ravel, a prominent attorney whose campaign has focused on ethics, campaign finance reform and fighting for equality and a fair economy, came close to earning a duel endorsement.

Prameela Bartholomeusz, the club’s finance director, asked the candidates questions about running a clean and fossil fuel-free backed campaign, how to address sexual harassment and violence against women and supporting policies that target Silicon Valley’s housing and transportation woes.

“I can’t remember a time in my two decades of public service where things have been as lined up in Sacramento for us to do great work,” said Cortese, who touted his experience as a San Jose councilmember and Santa Clara County supervisor as preparation to begin tackling issues at the state level.

While the candidates agreed mostly on issues pertaining to education, climate change and women’s rights, they differed on housing and transportation — especially onSenate Bill 50, Scott Weiner’s ambitious housing billthat was recently shelved in the California Senate until next year.

Cortese strongly supported the bill, saying that something has to be done to address the housing crisis. Campos also supported the bill, calling it a “bold” effort.

But Ravel disagreed and did not support the bill.

“We clearly have a really serious housing problem in the state, but the problem with SB 50 that I see is that it shouldn’t really be totally avoiding the rights of individuals who live in various towns to have a voice,” Ravel said. “To eliminate local zoning ability, to have people come before their local cities to talk about their own communities is undemocratic. There are lots of other alternatives for figuring out where housing can go in each community.”

Many questions Monday focused on the prevailing topic of climate change. Candidates were asked whether they would take a pledge to reject campaign contributions from powerful fossil fuel companies.

Cortese was openly against taking money from corporations that harm the environment, saying that it’s “not just to uphold Paris,” referring to the Paris Accord Climate Agreement, but that it’s also about creating “100 percent renewable” energy sources. Ravel agreed, calling big oil and pharmaceutical companies “corporations that have decimated the country.”

Campos also vowed to run a “clean campaign,” vowing to reject money from special interests in California that are “harming the community.”

Addressing sexual harassment and assault was another hot topic at the forefront of Monday night’s debate. Cortese proudly called himself a feminist, saying that gender violence is one of the most serious issues that the country faces due to a lack of government funding.

https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-senate-candidates-launch-attacks-over-campaign-funding/

With March primary ballots hitting mailboxes in two weeks, the race for an open state Senate seat in District 15 is heating up, with candidates lambasting their opponents over campaign finances.

Former Federal Elections Committee Chair Ann Ravel this week called for fellow candidate Nora Campos to return campaign funds she received from Big Oil. In a series of emails, her campaign highlighted a $4,700 contribution – the maximum allowed for individual entities in this election – from Chevron, an oil company headquartered in San Ramon.

Ravel’s pointed out that Campos, a former state Assemblymember, said she wouldn’t take money from “special interests” harming California and would run a grassroots campaign during a Silicon Valley Democratic Club forum in May.

Ravel added that the “Coalition to Restore California’s Middle Class, including energy companies who produce gas, oil, jobs and pay taxes” has spent more than $461,000 in independent expenditures for media production and consulting supporting Campos.

Courtesy of Ann Ravel.

In total, the coalition has given nearly $12 million statewide in 487 different independent expenditures, according to the California Secretary of State’s campaign finance database.

While it is not illegal, Ravel said the outside money pouring into Campos’ campaign could influence her behavior.

“I don’t think money is always per se corrupting the way some people sway, but when you know that you are receiving such great amounts of support and that’s how you’re going to win your race, that’s certainly going to influence greatly how you vote,” Ravel told San José Spotlight. “To think that (the expenditures) are truly ‘independent’ as the Supreme Court intended in Citizens United, it’s definitely hard to believe.”

Campos shot back by saying she had no control over independent expenditures made to support her campaign.

“As a former FPPC Chairwoman, Ann Ravel knows better than to accuse me of coordinating my campaign with any independent expenditure, and on a personal note, I’m shocked at these accusations,” Campos told San José Spotlight. “It leads me to question either her competency or her character. My votes are not for sale, and they will never be for sale.”

Other than the Chevron donation, other contributors to Campos’ campaign include BNSF Railway Company, California Latino Caucus Leadership PAC, South Bay Construction and individuals. According to state records, Campos’ contributions totaled $278,090 from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.

Campos also referenced her 100 percent voting record from the California Clean Money Action during her time in the Assembly. However, the 2015-16 scorecard discloses it “does not say anything about how ‘clean’ a legislator’s fundraising is or their voting record on non-Clean Money bills.” She did not answer the survey the year before.

When asked if she would return the Chevron donation, Campos said she’d consider that when Ravel returns some of her questionable campaign cash, referring to recent contributions from insurance companies.

On Jan. 3, the Personal Insurance Federation of California Agents & Employees PAC donated $4,750 to Ravel’s campaign, while the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Federal PAC donated $1,500 three days later. She also received $1,000 from Fund Her PAC and $1,500 from PrivacyPAC: NARAL Pro-Choice California, both women-centered organizations. There have been no independent expenditures supporting her campaign, state records show.

Ravel also received maximum contributions from fellow attorneys such as Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP and Lauder Partners. Ravel’s total donations from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 total $396,779.11, according to state records.

But Ravellast year insisted she wouldn’t accept contributions from PACs and would run a grassroots campaign.

Campos said she hasn’t run a “smear campaign” against Ravel because she wants to support another woman representing Silicon Valley in Sacramento, which hasn’t happened since she termed out of the Assembly in 2016.

“If she’s going to attack me and call me out, then she needs to hold herself to the same standard,” she said. “I’m more than happy to address that and go down that hole (sic), when she’s holding herself to the same standard that she is projecting on others.”

Ravel doesn’t deny the funding, but said the insurance companies’ campaign contributions are substantially less than what Campos has received – in both dollar amount and policy impact.

Ravel added that if she ever hears of any “evil” the insurance companies are doing, she’d return the money immediately. But until then, she thinks the two situations are like apples and oranges.

“We are all covered by insurance, we are all concerned about having insurance carriers there to assist us when we need to be reimbursed for a loss,” Ravel said. “I appreciate that she’s got to argue that the insurance companies are somehow the same as Big Oil PACs, but I think that’s absolutely not the case.”

Ravel and Campos are two of seven candidates vying to replace Sen. Jim Beall in Sacramento next year. Other contenders include Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, San Jose Councilmember Johnny Khamis, paratransit operator Tim Gildersleeve, U.S. Army staff Sgt. Ken Del Valle and mechanical equipment manufacturer Robert Howell.

In the dash for cash, campaign finance records from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 show Ravel ended the year with $396,779.11 in contributions, while Campos tallied $278,090.Cortese and Khamis had only filed records from Jan. 1 to June 30, raising $486,952.30 and $280,204.95, respectively.

State finance databases do not have any records for Gildersleeve, Del Valle or Howell.

Contact Katie Lauer at klauer77@gmail.com or follow @_katielauer on Twitter.

Contact me:

Supervisor Dave Cortese

70 W. Hedding St., 10th floor

San Jose, CA 95110

(408) 299-5030

dave.cortese@bos.sccgov.org

www.supervisorcortese.org

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ya'll might want to casually mention Santa Cruz, SF and oaktown are suing on climate, Alviso is 12 feet below flood plain, is sinking b/c of well pumping, and we're looking at 5 feet of sea level rise

https://webbrain.com/brainpage/brain/E212D5AA-EEF5-535C-9D0D-27920B094E45#-11698

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/17/how-drawbridge-is-drowning-and-what-it-means-for-our-future/

no lnx

How Drawbridge is drowning — and what it means for our future

Rising seas and sinking muds doom once-vibrant ghost town

The ghost town of Drawbridge is seen from this drone view near San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 14, 2018. The town was formerly known as Saline City, and was abandoned decades ago and is now slowly sinking into the marsh. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

By LISA M. KRIEGER | lkrieger@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

PUBLISHED: July 17, 2018 at 7:00 am | UPDATED: December 30, 2018 at 12:44 pm

A century ago, the island town of Drawbridge held 90 homes, hotels and cabins, with hunting so bountiful that dead ducks served as currency at its gambling tables.

Now — in a rare act of reverse colonization — civilization is ceding to the elements in this windswept marsh, located near Alviso at the southern end of San Francisco Bay. Rising tides flood a dozen or so surviving skeletal structures. Owls nest inside battered roofs. Mud entombs a once-tidy network of boardwalks. Every step is as soft as a sponge, with pickle weed looping around ankles like booby traps.

Unlike ghost towns of Bodie, Calico or Virginia City, there’s no rescue for Drawbridge.

“It’s drowning… a memorial to past human aspirations and a memorial to failure,” said Glen MacDonald, a UCLA professor of geography who studies the impact of rising waters caused by climate change, on West Coast estuaries.

And as waters continue to rise, the entire island could vanish, according toMacDonald, one of the authors of a recent study led by the U.S. Geological Survey that found that rising sea levels will threaten every salt marsh in California. Their research, published in the journal Science Advances, predicts that as sea level rises from 1.5 to 5.5 feet over the next century, marshes will be squeezed out — and water will lap up against our cities....

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duck 12 25

## California's 15th senatorial district

American legislative district

California's 15th senatorial district is one of 40 California State Senate districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Dave Cortese of San Jose. Continued in Wikipedia

Source: Wikipedia

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Senator Dave Cortese

https://sd15.senate.ca.gov

Senator Dave Cortese | Proudly Representing California Senate District 15

Senator Dave Cortese represents California Senate District 15, which includes the cities of Cupertino, Los Gatos, Campbell, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, and the San Jose communities of Willow Glen, Almaden, Evergreen, East San Jose, and Downtown San Jose.

### Senate District 15 Senate District 15 is comprised of over 1,000,000 residents and encompasses a large portion of Santa Clara County, including San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, San Martin, and small portions of surrounding West Valley cities. The San Jose communities of Willow Glen, Almaden, Evergreen, East San Jose, and Downtown are included within the district.

Ballotpedia

https://ballotpedia.org › California_State_Senate_District_15

California State Senate District 15 - Ballotpedia

California State Senate District 15 is represented by Dave Cortese (D). As of the 2020 Census, California state senators represented an average of 989,419 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 933,550 residents.

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › California's_15th_senatorial_district

California's 15th senatorial district - Wikipedia

California's 15th senatorial district is one of 40 California State Senate districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Dave Cortese of San Jose.

vote.santaclaracounty.gov

https://vote.santaclaracounty.gov › 15th-senatorial-district

15th Senatorial District | Registrar of Voters - Santa Clara County ...

Nov 4, 202515th Senatorial District As a result of Proposition 140 in 1990 and Proposition 28 in 2012, members elected to the Legislature prior to 2012 are restricted by term limits to three two-year terms (six years), while those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years in the legislature in any combination of four-year State Senate or two ...

Senator Dave Cortese

https://sd15.senate.ca.gov › district

Senate District 15 - Senator Dave Cortese

Senate District 15 is comprised of over 1,000,000 residents and encompasses a large portion of Santa Clara County, including San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, San Martin, and small portions of surrounding West Valley cities. The San Jose communities of Willow Glen, Almaden, Evergreen, East San Jose, and Downtown are included within the district.

Sur.ly

https://sur.ly › i › sd15.senate.ca.gov

sd15.senate.ca.gov - Senator Dave Cortese | Proudly... - Sd 15 Senate Ca

sd15.senate.ca.gov. Official website of Senator Dave Cortese, representing California Senate District 15.

Ballotpedia

https://ballotpedia.org › Dave_Cortese_(California)

Dave Cortese (California) - Ballotpedia

Dave Cortese (Democratic Party) is a member of the California State Senate, representing District 15. He assumed office on December 7, 2020. His current term ends on December 4, 2028. Cortese (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the California State Senate to represent District 15. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024. Cortese completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection ...

ijaction.org

https://ijaction.org › senate-district-15

Senate District 15 - Initiate Justice Action

Senator Cortese was first elected to the State Senate in 2020. He previously served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for 12 years, and prior to that as Council Member and Vice Mayor for the City of San Jose.

calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org

https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org › legislators › dave-cortese-164699

Dave Cortese - Digital Democracy | CalMatters

Dave Cortese, [dd-age], is the son of longtime California Assemblymember Dominic Cortese. After graduating from UC Davis and Lincoln Law School, he spent most of the next three decades on a local school board, the San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. He worked in finance, ranching and real estate […]

Senator Dave Cortese

https://sd15.senate.ca.gov › biography

Biography - Senator Dave Cortese

Senator Dave Cortese was elected in November of 2020 to represent State Senate District 15 which encompasses much of Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. Along with his accomplished career as an attorney and business owner, the Senator previously served on the Santa Clara County

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