CPF Voice Rings Loud and Clear in Campaign '08
California Professional Firefighters and its affiliates proved once again that the issues that matter to first responders are issues that resonate with the state's voters.
State Legislature
In a year with a record election turnout, CPF-endorsed candidates won in all but three of the 91 Assembly and Senate contests in which we made a recommendation -- a whopping 97 percent success rate!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CPF ELECTION SUCCESSES
The victory list includes competitive races in which CPF's endorsement provided a crucial edge to all of our endorsed candidates - Democrat and Republican. The result is a powerful, bipartisan class of firefighter-friendly legislators.
"With us, it is never about party - it's about standing with those who stand with us," said CPF President Lou Paulson. "We're proud of our bipartisan endorsement list and look forward to working with firefighter-friendly majorities during what promises to be a challenging and difficult year ahead."
Ballot Propositions
In addition to CPF's success in legislative contests, firefighters also helped lead the defeat of Proposition 6 -- a ballot measure that could have diverted millions away from vital services such as fire protection to bankroll law enforcement programs that would not guarantee any additional officers on the street.
"Voters made it clear in the election that they weren't ready to hand anyone the keys to the state coffers," said President Paulson. "At a time when our state faces a potentially catastrophic budget shortfall, now is not the time to be setting aside huge chunks of money without accountability."
Local Elections
CPF local affiliates are also checking in with their own success stories, as voters sided with firefighters on dozens of candidate and ballot measure issues.
As it is at the state level, the core objective of local political action is to stand with those who stand with us, and work to defeat those who attack firefighters, their family and core public safety issues.
In the area of standing with our friends, Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014 played a pivotal role in electing a strong CPF advocate to one of the most powerful local government positions in the nation. State Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas - who authored several important CPF-backed measures including EMS reform - was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. In addition to pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars of support into the campaign, Local 1014 also provided logistical support and an army of firefighter walkers and phone callers to help this staunch ally win his hotly-contested race against LA City Councilman Bernard Parks.
And when it comes to defeating those who attack our members, San Diego City Firefighters Local 145 helped take out one of the most hostile anti-firefighter public officials in California. San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre, whose one-man assault on firefighters' hard-earned retirement benefits earned him bipartisan scorn, was easily defeated.
Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 also helped take out a hostile local official when their candidate - former NBA star Kevin Johnson - unseated incumbent Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo. Working with CPF and FireStar Productions, Local 522 partnered with the Sacramento Metro Chamber to put out an effective last-minute TV spot in support of Johnson's campaign.
"The success of CPF affiliates comes at an especially important time for our profession," concluded Paulson. "As budgets contract at the state and local level, it is imperative that we have forceful advocates for first responders at every level of government. I'm proud of what our members have accomplished this year."
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