Political notebook: Teachers decry Fiorina's stance on jobs bill
| Thursday, Aug 26 2010 07:00 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Aug 26 2010 07:00 PM
A group of local teachers held a press conference in Bakersfield Thursday to denounce Carly Fiorina, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, for opposing a federal jobs bill they say will save 16,500 education jobs in California.
"Carly Fiorina laid off 33,000 Hewlett-Packard employees and now she is offering pink slips to more than 1,200 educators in the Bakersfield area," retired Bakersfield City School District teacher Bill Griffith said in the release.
The event, held at Downtown Elementary School, was put on by an offshoot of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party called CEO Watch.
Fiorina is running against incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer, a Democrat. The race is tight, polls show.
"Given her 28 years of failure in Washington," Fiorina spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an e-mail, "it comes as no surprise that Barbara Boxer is misleading voters yet again by making false promises about jobs in an effort to save her career as a politician." Fiorina's camp disputes claims the bill will save teaching jobs.
David Valadao, the Republican candidate for the 30th state Assembly District seat now held by Danny Gilmore, is holding a press conference Friday morning at the Liberty Bell to announce "significant endorsements."
Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall, Assemblywoman Jean Fuller, Assembly candidate Shannon Grove, school board Trustee Keith Wolaridge and Valadao's former rival in the June primary, Stephanie Campbell, will be among the speakers/endorsers.
Valadao will face off with Democrat Fran Florez in the November general election.
The race is among the most-watched in the state Legislature because neither party has a lock on it.
Michael Rubio, the Democratic candidate for the 16th state Senate District seat, said his campaign plans to knock on 30,000 doors before Election Day.
Rubio's prodigious door-knocking contributed to his surprise landslide win in the 5th District county supervisor's race in 2004. He says his team walked to 15,872 homes in that race.
"Elections are won on front porches and kitchen tables across the district," Rubio said in a release.
He will face Republican Tim Thiesen in November.
