Outspent 10-1, Insurgent Sacramento County Supervisor Candidates Vow to Continue Fight to Represent the '99%,' Not Special Interests
SACRAMENTO – A high school civics teacher and a civil rights attorney – outspent by about 10-1 by special interest-backed incumbents – said Wednesday they will continue their struggle to represent the people of Sacramento County, and not special interests, after coming up short in their bid to win a seat on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. No incumbent supervisor has lost in 42 years.
Gary Blenner, a civics teacher at Rio American High School, garnered about 6,500 votes, or nearly 24 percent, narrowly missing a runoff with incumbent Roberta MacGlashan and Julie Sams, both Republicans in a heavily GOP 4th District. But his support made it possible for Sams to force MacGlashan into a November runoff.
Jeff Kravitz, a constitutional law professor and Occupy Sacramento attorney, collected more than 11,000 votes in his insurgent head-to-head campaign against incumbent Susan Peters, in District 3. His 35 percent of the vote in a district recently gerrymandered by Peters to eliminate portions of East Sacramento which voted against her 4 years ago.
Both Kravitz and Blenner said their efforts to represent "99 percent" are just beginning.
Blenner said: "There is a desire for change in this district. This was the best showing by a progressive candidate has done in the 4th Supervisor District in more than 10 years. It is clear from the outcome that a majority of voters rejected Roberta MacGlashan and the special interests that have controlled our local political agenda for the last eight years. This is only the beginning. Grassroots movements take time to develop, nurture, and grow. This movement to occupy government on behalf of working people will continue to evolve. I am proud to have helped be part of that vehicle for change in our community. "
Kravitz said: "Our campaign was a complete grassroots effort that embraced voters from all political parties who want real change in District 3. Despite being dramatically outspent, we collected more than 11,000 votes in a very conservative part of Sacramento. People are tired of politics as usual and I intend to continue to work to build a movement in District 3 that will bring proper leadership to the increasingly urban district, which has no real central government; it has a fiefdom for a privileged few. I intend to change that. The people here deserve a responsive and transparent government."
Both Kravitz and Blenner have called for a foreclosure moratorium in Sacramento County, and a redistribution of county budget monies to put people back to work, fixing the roads and helping those needing a social safety net, rather than giveaways to wealthy special interests.
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