Phil Angelides in Riverside

Written by: Anja C on Aug 18, 2006 3:50 PM EDT

Our Democratic Candidate for Governor Phil Angelides made a campaign stop in Riverside yesterday with the promise that, when elected, he will change the priorities of the current State government. He will fight for the concerns of middle class families, who are squeezed and scared for their future.

He pointed out that current Governor Schwarzenegger failed to fulfill his many promises made during the recall campaign: he has no plan to end the deficit, no plan to lower college costs, the tax burden for the middle class has gone up while on the other hand the top economic brackets have fared very well.

Angelides contrasted these broken promises with his own goals for protecting the future of the common California Citizen, including the following:
• Stop borrowing against the future of our children
• Balance the budget
• Stop tax breaks for the wealthy
• Roll back college tuition fees to the levels they were before the current governor took office
• Require big employers to provide healthcare coverage for their employees
• No privatization of state pension plans
• Lessen taxes for middle class families with incomes below $100.000,00
• Provide a State earned income tax credit increase of $200,00 per child

During the questions, Phil was very much at ease, with a quick smile and he answered questions without hesitation, quickly and succinctly, and most importantly, genuinely.

Phil seemed to especially enjoy questions that came from schoolchildren present. When asked by one what he planned to do "about art and music in the school" his response was that he plans to save money by closing tax loop holes which allow many major corporations to avoid paying taxes altogether. This money saved would benefit schools, thus enabling them to reinstate cut programs.

My impression is that Angelides is a genuine, caring person who stands for the progressive ideals we all support. I believe he will fight to improve the lives of many Californians.

Now, all WE have to do is support him,
by talking to neighbors, colleagues and friends,
by encouraging people to register to vote and then VOTE!
By donating to his campaign, by holding house parties
and by joining us in the many canvassing events this fall!

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Location: Riverside, CA 92501