Bowen sees all angles of Elections and Voting Rights, which is why she will be an OUTSTANDING Secretary of State for California and can continue groundbreaking legislation there and help those of us not privileged enough to have her leading our SOS offices and now with
ActBlue providing state candidates in Cali with the privilege of contributing I'd put in a plug
to Support Bowen Here But I'm here for two other reasons.
First - Secretaries of State have now become the most important person in elections. As such a war has been waged with a new site up that is fighting for specific candidates across the country who are running for Secretary of State in swing states and now Michigan has been added. (visit: www.secstateproject.org) I urge you to lobby on behalf of Bowen, by contacting them here to gain their support in getting the message out about the importance of an independent voice in those offices. But Primarily I am here to expose The OTHER SIDE of Debra Bowen, the side that few mention. It isn't just about Voting Rights - there's actually more.
Those in the anti-Diebold fight know her as the
Brave Senator of the West who swoops through California with committees and hearings asking the tough questions and holding higher-ups accountable. Senator Debra Bowen is on the front lines with those of us who believe Ohio and Florida must never happen again, and that with transparency in our government, we will -somewhat- soften the ease of corruption. The right sees this issue as the pouty snarky reaction to not getting the girl - but its actually a little more serious than that. Clearly this is yet another reason for people to stay at home on Election Day and not participate in the process - because if you don't have enough money and power to set the rules - why bother showing up to fight the fight.
Bowen was first elected to the Cali State Legislature in '92 after a race where no one saw her coming. She faced challengers in a primary who held leadership positions higher than hers. Bowen was content fighting for environmental rights and even redistricting from her local law firm and Neighborhood Watch group - but didn't like her choices in the primary. So she added her name - and won. She was slammed hard with direct mail pieces accusing her of being a
partisan puppet under the watchful hands of then Speaker of the State Assembly Willie Brown. Little did they know that of all people who would toe the party line, Debra Bowen was too busy leading the way and standing for her own ideas and issues.
Not afraid to stand for her own agenda, Bowen reached across party lines to ensure a proactive approach at keeping the
Los Angeles Air Force Base off the list of base closures, Bowen's first
ID Theft Bill that made it a crime to steal someone's identity, Bowen's
first transparency bill that gave access to the general public to view specified information concerning bills, the proceedings of the houses and committees of the Legislature, statutory enactments, and the California Constitution on the internet - so the general public could keep abreast of the laws their representatives were passing.
Her first few legislative battles to keep her seat were closer than her Senate race in 1998 where her district clearly saw the benefits of having Bowen advocating for them. With this kind of support, Bowen has been able to grow further in her experience and advocacy for these issues that protect all Californians.
As years progressed her advocacy for simple laws that benefit the every day things we face became the norm. With her advances in preventing identity theft, California was on the cutting edge to help people who became the victim of the new generation of purse snatchings. With Bowen's law Californians could now put a security freeze on their credit reports, meaning an identity thief (aka purse/wallet snatching s.o.b) even one who has your name, address, Social Security number, birth date, mother's maiden name, and first pet you owned -- will not be able to get new loans and credit in your name. Anyone who has suddenly had a new GAP card arrive in the mail confused because they didn't apply for one - knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. I was grateful she passed this law in 2003 because in 2004 when I became victim of a deceitful round of ID theft there was ample support via the web for where I should go and what I should do.
Then came the Energy Crisis. With deregulation of California Power, the rug was pulled out from under the most venerable. Bowen stood firm in finding a solution in her roll as the chair to the Energy and Utilities Committee in 1999+ making lemonade out of already soured energy customers.
"We really need to decide what we want our energy market to look like - not just tomorrow, but in a year, five years, and fifty years. . . As the California experience has shown, those goals can't always be achieved in a free market system when there isn't true competition between power sellers. .... Let's not confuse action with progress. First, we need to decide what we want the electricity world to look like. Do we want the convenience of `choice' even if it comes with the risk of skyrocketing prices? Do we want the safety that comes with reliable prices, even if it means those prices won't be the lowest of the low? . . . The most important thing is to figure out how we can guarantee Californians a safe, reliable supply of electricity that is reasonably priced. . . .The test here, in my book, is what makes sense for ratepayers, not what makes sense for SCE's shareholders..." Conversation with Debra Bowen
But the list doesn't stop with Bowen's advocacy for "pocketbook policies" she helps from the heart too. Children and families are top on her list of "fight for's." A staunch advocate for adoption and foster care, Bowen led the charge in helping foster children with post-traumatic stress disorder, a too often overlooked disorder in children who have suffered in awful circumstances or witnesses horrific events.
The parent to numerous pets and creatures, Bowen also advocates for the well-being of animals. This stems from her commitment to her precious puppy Misha and years of local community parades, parties, and picnics. This actually caused rifts among some local politicians who couldn't find the fun with bringing along animals to Holiday Parades. Yet, Misha managed to wag his way in, year after year much to the delight of community members and children.
My personal favorite moment came just a few years ago. Many may not have heard of the preacher who took on Working Mom's. Rev. Ralph Drollinger who did the Capitol Ministries program in Sacramento did
a sermon one afternoon saying that mothers ought not to serve in the state legislature.
This hit home with many of the women who worked both at home and the Capitol to make their children's world a better place. Bowen took on Drollinger with the famed
Apron Gate - where a group of Senators (male and female) wore aprons on the Senate Floor in protest of the insensitive remarks. Mothers wore a special scarlet letter M on their lapels and that day a barefoot Bowen announced she'd be
"serving up a billion dollars in savings for PG&E customers, identity theft legislation ... along with bacon and eggs, getting my shopping list together and preparing to can."
Drollinger failed to come up with a witty comeback, and the message was clear - having mothers serve in our government brings a unique perspective to laws that affect our families, maybe it isn't such a bad idea after all.....
Many of us have been hearing what Bowen can do to ensure each of the votes of Californians are counted
as they are cast, but few know about the rest of the story. While her advocacy for fairness and transparency continues to be the source of her election to the office of the Secretary of State, there are many chapters to her that aren't part of that office, and as such, rarely see the blog traffic.
Bowen is a leader, with the kind of understanding we hope
all of our elected officials possess and her passion stems from a long standing devotion to the little guy - the regular every day person, mother, child, and voter. And of all the elected officials who make me get out and knock doors, raise money, and fight - Bowen is my hero.
I urge California to help Debra Bowen in her fight for Secretary of State - and again - if you'd like to cast your kindness to a list of
American Political Idols you can
Support Bowen Here BUT I really encourage you to email the folks over at the new Secretaries of State Project: by
contacting them here and tell them all about Debra's work in California.