Asm. Stephanie Nguyen, Avelino Valencia, Mike Gipson, and Sen.Tim Grayson included in the Hall of Shame as industry-influenced representatives who failed to “show up” for constituents
Sacramento—Last week, Courage California, the largest statewide multi-issue progressive organization, was joined by Assemblymember Liz Ortega, Eric Morrison-Smith of Alliance for Boys & Men of Color, and Courage board member Lauren Windsor of American Family Voices and Gonzo for Democracy at a California State Capitol press event to launch its highly anticipated 10th Annual Courage Score. The statewide, multi-issue annual report card grades California state legislators on how courageously they have—or haven’t—represented their constituents against the corporations that exploit our communities.
On Tuesday, March 25, the 10th Annual Courage Score was distributed to Courage California’s 1.4 million-strong membership base and statewide partners. The score details each legislator’s district, votes, and campaign contributions.
Outside the State Capitol, Courage California’s Executive Director Irene Kao celebrated a decade of Courage Score’s profound impact in Sacramento and throughout the state. The organization unveiled its 10th Annual All-Stars and Hall of Shame with enlarged versions of the newly released Scorecards, complete with the top industry donors for each of the state legislators.
“As we enter the new legislative cycle, we are calling on our state legislators to show the courage that Californians deserve by representing the values of their constituents. To have the courage to fight against the outsized influence of wealthy corporations and industries that spend millions of dollars to protect the status quo in which they enjoy record profits at the expense of our communities, our economy, and our environment,” said Irene Kao, Executive Director of Courage California, at the press conference last Tuesday.
Kao, Morrison-Smith, Windsor, and Asm. Ortega highlighted the critical role Courage Score plays in our democracy and spoke about the importance of voters having clear, transparent, and trustworthy information about their elected officials’ voting records and corporate donors and influencers to effectively hold their representatives accountable.
SEE THE NEW COURAGE SCORE REPORT CARD HERE: CourageScore.org
“Our communities deserve more than empty promises – we deserve action, and we need tools like Courage Score to help us cut through the theatrics, the political games that people be playing, and help us get to the truth. It [Courage Score] gives us the receipts,” said Eric Morrison-Smith of Alliance for Boys & Men of Color.
“For our organizers and advocates who are doing this work, it’s gonna be super critical to understand who are champions, who are the people that we could be pushing, and who are the people that we might need to vote out, “said Morrison-Smith. “And it’s not gonna be just for electoral season that we’re gonna be using this scorecard, it’s gonna be for year-round accountability.”
Courage Score allows Californians to see their state representatives’ “Courage Score” on a scale of 0-100, with a corresponding letter grade from A+ to F. The Courage Score is a rating of each legislator’s willingness to stand up for people over corporate profits. Below are the legislators who made it into the 10th Annual Hall of Shame, representatives who are out of step with their constituents by voting against their districts’ values and interests, and All-Star representatives who consistently stand up for their constituents, demonstrating, through their votes, lists.
10th Annual Courage Score All-Stars:
| Damon Connolly | AD 12 | Marin and Sonoma Counties |
| Matt Haney | AD 17 | San Francisco |
| Mia Bonta | AD 18 | East Bay |
| Liz Ortega | AD 20 | East Bay |
| Alex Lee | AD 24 | South Bay |
| Ash Kalra | AD 25 | South Bay |
| Dawn Addis | AD 30 | Central Coast |
| Gregg Hart | AD 37 | Central Coast |
| Isaac Bryan | AD 55 | Los Angeles |
| Aisha Wahab | SD 10 | East Bay |
| Lola Smallwood-Cuevas | SD 28 | Los Angeles |
| Lena Gonzalez | SD 33 | Los Angeles |
10th Annual Courage Score Hall Of Shame:
| Stephanie Nguyen | AD 10 | Sacramento |
| Avelino Valencia | AD 68 | Orange County |
| Mike Gipson | AD 65 | Los Angeles |
| Tim Grayson | SD 9 | East Bay |
Legislators were evaluated on how they voted on 67 bills across issues from the legislative session—selected based on a survey of progressive ally organizations—and the extent to which their votes accurately reflect how their constituents voted in recent elections.
“It’s never a question for me whether or not to have the courage to stand up for my constituents,” said Assembly member Liz Ortega, a 10th Annual Courage Score All-Star.
“I watched my parents struggle every single day when it came to access to good wages, to health care, to benefits, so I never have a doubt in my mind where I’m going to vote when it comes to tough bills. And honestly, most of the time, they’re not that tough,” said Asm. Ortega. “They’re bills that will really make a difference. Bills that will change lives – things like housing, affordable access to health care, and climate and the environment [solutions] we need for future generations to survive. So, I will continue to be a Courage champion because it is who I am.”
Additionally, Irene Kao announced that, in response to today’s political climate and demand for increased corporate contribution and lobbying accountability, Courage Score will include the tech industry in its “Corporate Money Trail” tracking for each of California’s state legislators moving forward. For the past decade, Courage Score has tracked corporate giving from the Real Estate, Oil and gas, Cops, and Health Insurance industries.
“Tech donors are already outspending other industries by putting hundreds of millions each year to lobbying and political campaigns to fight a tech safety and accountability agenda. And now it’s time for us to shed light on this growing fight and ensure that all Californians can see how their representatives are, or aren’t, standing up to big tech in Sacramento,” said Lauren Windsor, who serves on Courage California’s board of directors.
“Every Californian deserves representatives who are doing the courageous work for the people, not for corporate profits or for their own gain.”
Following the press conference, Courage California hosted a statewide convening for its partners and ended the day with a 10th Courage Score Anniversary Reception for its partners, All-Star members and honored Lifetime All-Star members.
A full list of the bills used to calculate the Courage Score report card can be found here: https://couragescore.org/bills/. Representatives who objectively voted in ways that did not reflect their communities’ values are featured in the Courage Score “Hall of Shame,” whereas those who consistently put their communities first are named to the Courage Score “All-Star” team.