The concerns of the people are his concerns, and his ideas include
community localization and the upholding of human rights by all levels
of government. His commitment is to enhance the quality of life prevalent in this District, where he has grown into adulthood witnessing the contradictions displayed by impoverished ghettos of various ethnicities alongside the realms of opulence, from Napa Valley to Solano County. There is much at stake, for the preservation of peace and freedom as well as the ecology. Freedom through liberty means uniting with your fellow people to exercise their democrtaic ability to organize a better way of life. As a Senator, Guillermo will push forward his agenda for better living:
* Independent Environmental Pollution verification testing, through qualified and publicly accountable 3rd parties.
* Community control of the police, for the implementation of a humane system of community policing.
* Protection of local agriculture land, and subsidies for local production of food.
* Tax breaks for worker-owned operations, such as collectives in its variant forms.
* Mandating that all levels of government in the State of California uphold human rights, including with the treatment of people without homes, ethnic, religious & sexual minorities, etc.
* Independent Environmental Pollution verification testing, through qualified and publicly accountable 3rd parties.
* Community control of the police, for the implementation of a humane system of community policing.
* Protection of local agriculture land, and subsidies for local production of food.
* Tax breaks for worker-owned operations, such as collectives in its variant forms.
* Mandating that all levels of government in the State of California uphold human rights, including with the treatment of people without homes, ethnic, religious & sexual minorities, etc.
Guillermo may be contacted care of the Peace and Freedom Party of Solano County [SolanoPFP@lavabit.com]
Map showing California's Senate District 3
Update 2012-05-18: Napa County Green Party has ENDORSED our campaign!
Here are Guillermo's answers to the 2012 Napa Valley Green Party Candidates' Questionnaire
1. In one or two sentences, why are you running for public office?
I am running for public office in order that I may advocate ideas and propose solutions while campaigning. As a native of the California Senate 3rd District, I comprehend the needs and concerns of our people, both in the agriculture lands and in the cities.
2. Would you support a resolution calling on the state to approve an amendment to the constitution to end corporate personhood? Why or why not?
By granting fictitous entities the same rights and protections as living Citizens, we find ourselves living on a very unequal playing field against "people" who are, in essence, like "gods" with powers of a monopolized media, influence over all sectors of government, and a type of psycopathy which would sell it's own mother for a few extra dollars for the corporation's investors. This madness has to end, and the only it will end is by an amendment to overturn the (corrupt) supreme court. Further, I feel it is up to the States to start reigning in these entities for the sake of the living people.
3. Would you support legislation to implement ranked choice voting, also known as instant run-off voting across California? Why or why not?
Using San Francisco as an example, we can understand how the IRV is an equalizer for candidates who are not part of a mainstream party. In statewide elections, it's primary function would be to make sure that the People of California are given an actual choice which they pre-selected, leading to better and stronger democracy.
4. Did you ever support the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq? Please elaborate with two sentences why you take your position.
I did not for the main reason that the invasion came at the end of the disastrous "No-Fly Zone" war during which the USA not only targeted schools, hospitals and water purification plants, but which killed over a million children over 10 years. The invasion of Iraq was, of course, based on lies, and it also served to drain the treasury of billions of dollars which would otherwise had been used to make our country a better place. Wars, unless for defense, are a crime against nature and human kind, especially with the constant use of nuclear weapons by the USA (depleted uranium bullets).
5. Would you support legislation to implement universal single-payer health care in California? Why or why not?
Private health-care conglomerates are only in the business to make money for their shareholders. A person's health should not manipulated for profit, and with the rise of HMO "death panels" forcing people off needed care for the sake of money ought to be counted as a crime against humanity. So, the only solution is a single-payer health care option which is universal and more humanistic.
6. Do you support the current statewide effort to get mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food on the state ballot in November 2012? Why or why not?
genetically engineered food (GMO) have been introduced into the market without any sound oversight by independent 3rd parties uncorrupted by corporate finance. It is not known if these ingredients are safe or non-allergenic, or if they cause cancers. A mandatory labeling law on GMOs would be the first step in allowing us in California to watch what we eat, which is something I support.
7. What is your position and why on trans gendered persons having the right to serve openly and transition while in the U.S. Military?
While I have no opinion about the status of a person and everybody should be treated equally under the law, I do advocate against joining the military. One of the reasons I do this is because, as it currently stands, the military does not (de facto) uphold Human Rights both in its wars or internally in its organization. A trans gendered person in transition would have an extremely difficult time in the patriarchal military.
8. What is your position and why on gay marriage?
Marriage, ideally, is about love, a natural instinct that has no gender line. Seeing how homosexuality is a natural phenomena seen throughout many animal species, with examples of caring parents of the same gender seen in penguins (et al), there is no rationale to decry homosexuality as an abomination. Same-sex parents are just as stable and natural for children as heterosexual marriages, and all children need are a stable family unit.
9. Do you support granting legal status to all undocumented students/workers in the country, excluding those who pose a safety risk to society? Why or why not?
Yes, because with a legalized status, the undocumented workers could be paid a minimum wage and (with students) be afforded the same human rights as other people in California, .
10. Do you support legalization of marijuana in California? Why or why not?
The drug war has failed the people of California by criminalizing mental health issues (addiction) , creating a system of prisons without regard to Human Rights, in that it punishes individuals through incarceration in prisons full of violent gangs, and with minimal programs for job training or mental health (rehabilitation). Cannabis (marijuana) is a medicine with dozens of applications, from pain relief and psychological stabilizers, and even cosmetics such as topical creams which clears wrinkles (without making you intoxicated). California is losing it's chance to the worl'ds exporter of non-toxic & organic medicine which can be produced cheaply and effectively.
11. What is your view of the “Occupy” movement and why?
Having visited the various "Occupys", from the Northbay to the Eastbay, I have the impression that what is being seen is a new "Civil Rights" movement which bridges the different sectors of society into an actual United Front for Dignity against the excesses of capitalism.
12. What is your opinion on labor unions, and why do you hold this opinion?
Labor unions are protected under the 1st Amendment to the Federal Constitution as a Freedom of Assembly. Capitalism, unregulated and unleashed, cares not for the safety of the workers, in a broad sense. Therefore, unions are the worker's defense against anti-labor business practices seen in use by the corporations, whose only bottom line is to make profits and not to take care of the workers it employs. The larger unions are also a line of defense for the "American Dream" of a middle-class lifestyle, with the option of buying a house, good medical insurance, and retirement with dignity.
13. Would you support legislation to ban plastic bags in California? Why or why not?
Plastic bags are a ruin upon the sanctity of our ecology. The bags, being made of toxic plastic which does not degrade for decades, leeches plastic chemicals, choke sea animals, disrupt the habitat of endangered species, and allow for the mentality amongst consumers to be waster-makers. I would support legislation to ban PLASTIC bags, but I would advocate for a more limited production of corn-based plastic bags for the wide variaty of needs we seem to hold with these ubiquitous bags.
14. Would you support legislation to implement a living wage in California and why?
A living wage is a solution to the problems of poverty which are endemic here in the bigger cities of California's Senate 3rd District. However, I find that small business would be impacted, more so that we currently are in a great depression. A living wage, while needed, should be complemented by enhancement of social services, subsidized by a transaction tax on stock trading, with certain protections for small businesses who employ locally. I my opinion, a living wage could be localized to the price of living in the local region, thus what is appropriate for San Francisco may be too much for economically depressed cities such as Vallejo.
15. What is CEQA? Do you approve or not of environmental law, and what do you think is the most important environmental issue facing California? Why?
The California Environmental Quality Act is a piece of legislation which grants the power enforcement to Citizens and agencies to protect the ecology. Through the threat of enforcement, buildings and edifices must conform to basic ecological requirements which protect the people in the area (and the ecology) from toxic residue or unregulated pollution. A tool of enforcement used by municipal agencies under the CEQA is the environmental impact report which is mandated for the purpose of review by a government agency on the local level.
I support the CEQA in that it offers the people of California a minimal standard of enforcement against ecological criminal activity and protections against toxic dangers in the community.
Currently, in the California Senate 3rd District, I believe the ecological protection of our waterways and air is paramount in light of the fact that both aspects of the ecology are severely impacted by unaccounted mercury emissions from petroleum refineries, and from the soot found in the general region from the air force bases and freeways. As an advocate for the health of the ecology, I would take steps to ensure such matters remain in the public mind.
16. What is your vision on mass transportation for California?
Mass Transportation is a necessity for all lower-class people and students who are not able to afford a personal vehicle. Without a quality system for mass transit, keeping up with life's demands are almost impossible, especially for senior citizens, the disabled or mentally handicapped.
Announcement by Alex Shantz (Co-coordinator of the Napa County Green Party) published in the Napa Valley Register [http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/mailbag/napa-county-green-party-announces-endorsements/article_5f5871d6-a487-11e1-a1fb-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=story]
The Napa County Green Party is a non-corporate political party affiliated with the Green Party of California. We stand firmly on the principles of grassroots democracy, social justice, non-violence, and ecological wisdom. Occupy your government.
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The Napa County Green Party supports non-corporate political parties based on progressive principles.
Due to the fact that no Green Party candidates are running for state Senate or U.S. senate, the Napa County Green Party has endorsed the following Peace and Freedom Party candidates: Guillermo Herrera as a write-in candidate for state Senate District 3 and Marsha Feinland for U.S. Senate.
Occupy your government.
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