CLCV Endorses Ted Lieu for Senate District 28

The California League of Conservation Voters has enthusiastically endorsed state Assemblyman Ted Lieu in the race for the 28th Senate District. Voters in Senate District 28 should vote for Lieu in the special election held on February 15th to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Senator Jenny Oropeza.

Lieu is a proven champion who will represent the strong environmental values of the constituents of the district, as did the late Senator Oropeza (who had a lifetime score of 87% on CLCV’s California Environmental Scorecard).

To volunteer for Lieu's Senate campaign, visit his Web site.

As a member of the state Assembly, Lieu earned a 95% lifetime score on environmental legislation in CLCV’s annual Scorecard. For three terms, Lieu has represented Assembly District 53, which includes the cities of El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Marina Del Rey, and portions of the City of Los Angeles. Lieu currently represents more than half of the voters in Senate District 28.

CLCV has previously endorsed Lieu and organized significant grassroots support for his original campaign for state Assembly in 2005. Lieu’s accomplishments as an Assemblyman include co-authoring the landmark climate and clean energy law AB 32 and working with then-Assembly member—now Natural Resources Secretary—John Laird on critical green building legislation.

When the members of CLCV’s endorsement panel interviewed Lieu, they asked him to name the most urgent environmental priorities in Senate District 28. Demonstrating his intimate knowledge of the challenges of the district, he listed AB 32 and global warming, water conservation/recycling, and improving air quality as the top environmental issues he will continue to tackle as a state Senator.

• According to Lieu, global warming is the single greatest threat to California’s and our nation’s future.  He was a coauthor of AB 32, the state’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act, and is committed to promoting better land use planning and sustainable development, rigorously defending California’s greenhouse gas emissions reductions policies and regulatory gains, and keeping pressure on the federal government to follow California’s policy example.

• Ted understands California’s desperate need for sustainable water practices that protect the environment while providing a stable water supply will continue to be a major issue for the state.  He has repeatedly called for more water conservation and recycling, including authoring a law that prohibits homeowners associations from penalizing homeowners who want to convert to more water efficient landscaping.

• The Assemblyman is keenly aware that air quality remains poor in many regions of California, especially in places like the Los Angeles basin. “Dirty air harms all of us, especially children, and increases the chances of asthma and other health ailments,” said Lieu.  “I have repeatedly championed air quality issues, including fighting to expand the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District so that they would be more responsive to the communities that I represented.”

If no candidate receives more than 50% (a true majority) in the February 15 election, a runoff election will be held April 19, 2011. (For information on ballots, polling locations and other issues, visit visit the LA County Registrar's Office).

For more information about Ted Lieu, visit his Web site. To see the details of Ted Lieu’s Assembly voting record on priority environmental bills from 2005-2009, see CLCV’s California Environmental Scorecard .