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TODAY 12PM: Rally and March in SF Exposes Bay Area Legislators Who Represent Corporate and Real Estate Interests over their Constituents in Sacramento
Bay Area Residents Deliver Notice to State’s Leading Lobby Group: Stop Driving Housing Displacement and Real Estate Speculation
The People’s Report Card of California Adds State Sen. Steven Glazer to “Hall of Shame”
SAN FRANCISCO — On Thursday, April 21st, members of the California-based Courage Campaign, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action, tenant and homeowner groups will rally in San Francisco to call out a set of Bay Area legislators for failing to represent their constituents due to their close ties to corporate interests in California, specifically real estate interests.
For example, Sen. Glazer was supported by $1.19 million in spending by California real estate and development interests during his campaign. He was recently appointed head of the powerful Senate Banking Committee.
Tenants and borrowers will also highlight how the Real Estate industry spent more than $11 million since 2013 to influence elected officials. This spending has stopped meaningful renter protections and the ability of local jurisdictions to address their unique affordable housing needs — such as Sen. Mark Leno’s Ellis Act Reform Bill (SB 1439).
After gathering at the State PUC Building in San Francisco, protesters will march to the San Francisco Association of Realtors at 301 Grove Street to call attention to the dirty tactics used by the California Association of Realtors to influence elections and perpetuate the Bay Area’s housing and displacement crisis.
WHEN: Thursday, April 21st. 12:00pm PT.
WHERE: The rally starts at the State Building: 505 Van Ness at McAllister. Protesters will then march to the California Association of Realtors local chapter, the SF Association of Realtors, at 301 Grove Street.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Representatives from Courage Campaign; ACCE Action; and Tenants Together
The People’s Report Card of California allows all Californians to see their state representatives’ “Courage Score” on a scale of 0-100, along with a corresponding letter grade. The Courage Score is a rating of each legislator’s willingness to stand up for their constituents against corporate benefactors and special interest groups that exploit Californians. The People’s Report Card of California names State Senator Steven Glazer along with Bay Area representatives Assemblymember Jim Frazier, Assemblymember Jim Cooper and Assemblymember Catharine Baker in the “Hall of Shame” over their ties to corporate and special interests in California. Also featured in the Hall of Shame is San Bernardino Assemblymember Cheryl Brown, who cast a critical vote to help kill Sen. Leno’s Ellis Act reform bill, the same year she received $16,400 from the real estate industry.
CHECK OUT THE PEOPLE’S REPORT CARD OF CALIFORNIA HERE: www.CourageScore.org
Sen. Glazer has one of the worst voting records among Democrats in the State Senate, opposing an expansion of the Paid Family Leave Program (SB 406) and policies to secure equal pay for women (AB 1017). Glazer also opposed AB 1351 that would promote drug rehabilitation instead of prison time for certain nonviolent drug offenses, and he did not support SB 654 which regulated hazardous waste, or SB 546 which stopped unjustified health insurance rate hikes. Glazer’s constituents have a history of supporting far more progressive policies than the Senator — with 69% of Glazer’s district voting in favor of repealing California’s Three Strikes Law and 62% voting to support Prop 47 in 2014 which reduced nonviolent felonies to misdemeanors and helped dismantle racist police policies in California.
A full list of the bills used to calculate the Courage Score can be found here:
http://www.couragescore.org/legislative-votes-determined-courage-score/