Ok, this isn't a Senate or House race, but it is just as vital and perhaps even more crucial. Out in Mendocino County, their new DA Paul Gallegos is the subject of a RECALL campaign funded almost entirely by the evil MAXXAM/Pacific Lumber group. Enviromentalists will know all about the battle to save Headwaters forest, one of the few remaining old growth forests, from logging (where Julia Butterfly made her name).
Gallegos filed a case against Pacific Lumber for fraud and lying to the govt in regards to the settlement reached between the company and the US govt. Because of this, pacific lumber paid an out of town company to gather signatures for the recall. Ralph Nader wrote a column about it:
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0216-03.htm
Why must these issues be left up to Nader to raise?? I don't blame him in a way for running, because the Democrats are pretty pitiful about addressing corporate power for the most part, especially outrageous abuses such as Pacific Lumber.
So this guy's house has also been broken into twice:
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127~2896~1975963,00.html
MAXXAM corporation, which owns Pacific Lumber, is based in Texas (surprise, surprise) and its CEO, Charles Hurwitz, is the most foul type of human being. PAcific lumber was known for treating its employees well and doing sustainable logging. Hurwitz came in and started raping the forest. MAXXAM also owns Kaiser ALuminum, and raided the pensions of its workers and they had a strike a few years back. this was a company that had previously never had one because Kaiser was known as a humane boss (starting the non profit HMO health group). This is all in a book about Hurwitz, "The Last Stand."
So let's stand up for this guy and beat this recall, which will be held on Mar. 2. Anyone who lives in the area and knows what's going on firsthand, i'd love to hear about it. Please donate here:
www.votegallegos.org