Mark Leno Television Ad - "Fight"

I want to be certain you saw our first TV ad that is now airing. We are receiving a very positive response from those who have seen it, and I think you will like it too.

I need your help now more than ever, to make sure we can keep this ad up and place others on the air. Your $1000, $500, $250, or $100 contribution will go directly to buying air time for these ads. Your generous contribution will go directly to communicating our winning message to voters and leading us to victory.

We can and will win this race that has entered the final stretch. Our recent polling shows this is now a tight race between a moderate candidate who recently entered the race and myself.

We are doing what we need to do to win. I recently received San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's endorsement. We have opened a campaign headquarters in Marin County. We are precinct walking and phone banking.

Please consider contributing $1000, $500, $250, $100, or the most generous contribution you can before Monday's financial filing deadline:

http://www.actblue.com/page/march17

Let your voice be one of many giving us the tools to reach even more people.

-Mark

Marin Kick Off The Home Stretch

Mark your Calendars and save the date

Sunday
February 24th
San Rafael

For A Fabulous Party to Kick Off The Home Stretch of Mark Leno’s State Senate Campaign

$25 Suggested Donation – No One Turned Away

Become a Host in the Fight Against the Status Quo
$3600 – $2000 – $1000 – $500 – $250 – $100

Pick Up Petition-In-Lieu Forms Saturday to Get Mark Leno on the June Ballot!

Just a quick reminder...don't forget that tomorrow you can pick up your Petition-In-Lieu forms to help gather signatures and get Mark Leno on the June ballot; we need to have this done by the end of the month. You will also have an opportunity to sign up for other campaign activities, meet the campaign team, and chat with Mark about the campaign and the road ahead.

It's a quick affair - no more than 10 minutes if you are in a hurry - so please join us.

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you tomorrow from 11 a.m. to Noon at the Woman's Building, 3543 - 18th Street - between Valencia and Guerrero (map).

See you then!

-Tom Higgins
Campaign Manager
Mark Leno for State Senate

The Year of Change San Francisco Kickoff

We've come a long way since I announced my candidiacy on March 2nd. - more than 10 months ago. It's hard to believe we are less than five months away from the June primary elections.

I want to thank you for all of your support and help throughout 2007, and I need you again in 2008 as our campaign ramps up for the final stretch.

Please join us at our New Year's Campaign Rally. Most importantly, we will have an opportunity for you to pick up signature-in-lieu forms to help get us on the ballot (a very important first step in 2008).

-Mark

• Join Mark as he personally thanks friends and supporters and encourages everyone to get involved
• Obtain signature-in-lieu forms to help get Mark on the June ballot
• Sign up to be a precinct captain
• Register to help get the word about Mark out to voters by phone banking and precinct walking
• Host a fundraiser
• Sign up for other activities taking place in the final 5 months leading up to June's election
• Meet the campaign team
• Chat with Mark about the campaign and his goals as our next State Senator!

Details: Saturday, January 12 from 11 a.m. to Noon at the Women's Building - 3543 18th. Street Between Valencia and Guerrero.

There will be no formal program, but a great opportunity to sign up for an assortment of activities to help ensure 2008 is indeed the Year of Change, meet the campaign team, and chat with Mark.

Please RSVP to info@markleno.com or call 415/615-0311, Extension 21 and ask to speak with Charles.

Join us

The Year of Change - 2008 - is almost upon us.  Change is assured - one way or the other - in the White House, and on June 3rd, the voters of Sonoma, Marin, and San Francisco will have a clear choice for their next State Senator. 

Your support and involvement in our netroots, grassroots campaign affirms our motto of being "The Best Choice for Change!"  

Hidden Agendas Scheme

Next June, California will be facing an initiative that is a direct threat to California voters.

The so-called California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act (CPOFPA) - dubbed the "Hidden Agendas Scheme" - is being pushed by wealthy landlords intent on abolishing rent control.

The Hidden Agendas Scheme would:

• Eliminate rent control and other renter protection laws.
• Threaten water quality and supply.
• Hurt the environment and stop regulations that protect our neighborhoods.
• Lead to thousands of frivilous lawsuits and paralyze approval of new homes, businesses and other community projects.

There is a competing ballot measure for real eminent domain reform. Get the facts!

Email from Mark

Tomorrow, from 3-5 PM, Belva Davis will moderate a debate sponsored by the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club between the candidates running for the 3rd State Senate.

Please join me:

Rally Against so-called California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act (CPOFPA)

Assemblyman Mark Leno Joins Poverty Rights, Tenant Advocacy, Environmental and Labor Leaders to Discuss Efforts to Derail Misguided Eminent Domain Ballot Initiative

WHEN:      Wednesday, November 14 at Noon

WHERE:     Civic Center Plaza, across from SF City Hall on Polk Street between McAllister and Grove Streets.

WHO:         Assemblyman Mark Leno

Susan Leal, General Manager, SF Public Utilities Commission

                        Ted Gullickson, SF Tenants Union

                        Barbara Blong, Senior Action Network

                        John Rizzo, Sierra Club

                        Tim Paulson, SF Labor Council

                        League of California Cities

WHAT:        Inspired by a narrow defeat by California voters in 2006, supporters of a deceptive ballot measure to restrict the use of eminent domain are back at it again with an even more seriously-flawed initiative that favors wealthy property owners.

Assemblyman Leno will be joined by a coalition of poverty and tenant rights organizations, environmentalists, labor leaders and others to denounce the so-called “California Property Owners and Farmland Preservation Act,” which would abolish rent control, reduce rights for many low-income Californians, remove important environmental protections and hand rich property owners more power to control local land-use decisions.

Leno discusses what the impacts would be of this initiative and what efforts are under way to ensure it meets the same fate as its 2006 predecessor.

The San Francisco Sentinel reports:

Opponents argue the Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property measure could displace 180,000 residents living in rent-controlled residences.

“If this measure were to pass, thousands of San Franciscans would be forced out of the city,” said Ted Gullicksen of the San Francisco Tenants Union.

“Seniors especially would be hard hit if they lost their rent control protections.”

Paul Hogarth has a long piece for Beyond Chron:

But you don’t have to be a tenant to be outraged about CPOFPA – you just have to drink water. Other parts of the ballot initiative – which would be enshrined in the state’s Constitution – would prohibit the acquisition of land and water through eminent domain to develop public water projects. The initiative would ban eminent domain for private use, but Section 19(b)(3)(ii) includes such “private use” as the transfer of property rights to a “public agency for the consumption of natural resources.”

What does that mean? Any construction projects to deliver running water would be ruled unconstitutional. San Francisco’s long-term plan to revamp Hetch Hetchy that provides our clean water would be nixed, as well as other efforts to bring public drinking water to California’s growing population. That’s why Susan Leal, who manages our Public Utilities Commission, will be speaking out at today’s rally in opposition.

Anyone who cares about the environment should oppose CPOFPA. The proposition would ban laws or regulations that “transfer an economic benefit to one or more private persons at the expense of the private owner.” Because the courts have ruled that virtually all land-use decisions and environmental laws can transfer an economic benefit from one party to another, these laws could suddenly be out the window. That’s why John Rizzo, who chairs the local Sierra Club, will be speaking out today. Other environmental groups are expected to come out in opposition as well.

Right-wing proponents of CPOFPA are hoping that voters will get confused – and simply support it because it says it will restrict eminent domain. There are legitimate reasons to oppose eminent domain abuse – nobody wants the government to take someone’s property and give it to a private developer like Wal-Mart. The Supreme Court’s 2005 decision allowing a local city to take peoples’ homes for private use was certainly misguided. But the solution is not to ban rent control, repeal environmental laws and make it impossible to provide clean drinking water.

Attend if you can.

Assemblyman Mark Leno Responds to On-Going Oil Spill Crisis

Earlier today, California State Assemblyman Mark Leno participated in a volunteer-level beach clean-up along the shores of San Pablo Bay at China Camp State Park near San Rafael. 

“I share the sense of outrage and the call to action that this disaster has prompted throughout our region.  I also feel the frustration of so many people who want to volunteer their time and energy to the recovery and relief efforts,” declared Assemblyman Leno. 

The debris clean-up at China Camp was conducted in anticipation of oil-slicked waters reaching this area’s beaches in the near future and to make any subsequent oil clean-up easier.   

Unfortunately, the first oily water to reach China Camp’s shore was detected by Assemblyman Leno and his team while conducting their clean-up near the historic village.  The detection was reported to state park rangers who collected samples. 

“We know the bunker fuel is a hazardous material and clean up of already oil-coated beaches must be handled by trained professionals,” stated the Assemblyman.  “However, removing debris from beaches not yet impacted by the oil is one of the best ways to help according to biologists.” 

“There will be legislative hearings in the near future, and I will bring forward any legislation needed to ensure this can never happen again in California.  The most immediate thing we must do is work to minimize the on-going environmental degradation taking place in our precious Bay and Pacific Ocean,” concluded Assemblyman Leno.

On Friday morning, Assemblyman Leno and Governor Schwarzenegger received a briefing as to the spill and clean-up status by the U.S. Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Game at the Incident Command Center.  Assemblyman Leno then received an aerial tour of the Bay and Pacific coastline to assess the scope of the incident at that point.  Immediately following the more than hour-long helicopter tour, the Assemblyman briefed reporters assembled at Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands. 

Yesterday, Assemblyman Leno participated in two briefings – one in San Francisco and one in Marin County – conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response to receive further updates and to learn how to immediately help the situation. 

Treasure Island and the site of the Cosco Busan strike on the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge are located in the 13^th Assembly District represented by Assemblyman Mark Leno.

Latest on Cosco Busan Oil Spill

From the Coast Guard:

The Unified Command for the Cosco Busan Oil Spill announced today that clean-up efforts have increased to more than 937 people.  Currently we have approximately 350 people conducting shoreline cleanup operations, with an estimated 350 additional personnel by Tuesday.

The following agency representatives were present during today's press conference on the status of the current operations:  Rear Adm. Craig Bone, Commander, 11th  Coast Guard District; Bevan Dufty, Acting Mayor, San Francisco; Phil Ginsburg, Mayorial Chief of Staff, San Francisco; Barry McFarland, The O'Briens Group, Incident Commander for Responsible Party; Steve Edinger, California Department of Fish and Game, State On Scene Commander; Capt. William Uberti, Federal Onscene Coordinator; Rudy Evenson, National Park Service; Laura Philips, Department of Emergency Services; Joanne Hayes-White, Fire Chief, San Francisco, Lisa Curtis, Administrator Department of Fish and Game, Office of Spill Prevention and Response.

The U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen will arrive this evening to meet with local and state officials, and to review the progress of the cleanup effort.

The National Transportation Safety Board has begun an independent investigation into the cause of the incident. The U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California is now engaged in a federal criminal investigation, which is fully supported by the Unified Command.

The public is urged to avoid areas and wildlife that are affected, as untrained people can cause further damage to the environment and stress on the wildlife. Concerned citizens should call 877-823-6926 to report any sightings of oiled wildlife.

The most recent information about the clean-up is as follows:

For a list of closed beaches, please go to www.uscgsanfrancisco.com. A list of beaches where the public can assist in cleanup efforts without hazardous material training, can also be found at www.uscgsanfrancisco.com. A coordinator will be on-site to provide direction to the volunteers. Any volunteer who finds oiled material must report it to the coordinator on site.