Labor kicks off campaign for March election

By Sheri Williams

More than 70 Labor volunteers helped kick off the Sacramento Central Labor Council’s campaign for the upcoming elections with a pancake breakfast and door-to-door canvas in January.

Central to the campaign effort is the race for the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors seat in District 3, where Labor has endorsed Gregg Fishman.

Along with knocking on doors for Fishman, Labor volunteers also worked to inform voters about other endorsed candidates including Jackie Smith for Assembly District 6. A full list of endorsements can be found on p. 3.

Labor members were joined at the kickoff by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna, SMUD Director Brandon Rose, San Juan Unifed School District Board President Paula Villescaz and SJUSD Trustee Zima Creason.

Steinberg voiced strong support for Fishman, saying he represented an opportunity for the county and the city to work better together if elected.

“Gregg is really a good man and … a lot of people don’t necessarily see it, but the Board of Supervisors is a crucial board for all the things we care about in our community, especially health and human services and the people who are really having a tough time in life,” said Steinberg. “And to have a strong majority of members who believe that mental health and homelessness are key priorities is crucial.”

Fishman currently serves on the SMUD board and has worked for the statewide association of counties.

“We need to do more for the working men and women in our community who have been ignored by this current leadership. We’re going to do this, and it’s going to make a difference,” Fishman told the crowd. “We’ve got regional issues we need to deal with. Absolutely I am going to be that partner with the city of Sacramento so that we can collaborate on the issues that mean the most to us like homelessness and housing and the environment and air quality. These are the things that do not stop at the city-county borderlines. I am absolutely going to be a partner with Phil Serna on this board so we can move a progressive agenda forward and get some things done.”

Serna echoed that call for cooperation, adding that having Fishman on the Board could create an important voting bloc.

“I am happy to join the Sacramento Central Labor Council folks out here this morning on a cold foggy Saturday morning to support our dear friend Gregg Fishman,” Serna said. “Quite frankly, selfishly I need the help on the board. We have a great opportunity with Gregg who I think has a shared set of values with Labor and he and I personally have a shared set of values that come from a progressive place and it’s a real opportunity to turn the tide on the politics of the county. It’s just been way too difficult for one, sometimes two, members of the board to do that and we desperately need that third vote and that’s what Gregg represents.”

Creason, who lives in the district where Fishman is campaigning, also voiced her support.

“I live right down the street and I am so excited to have a representative who is responsive and cares about community and that I believe 100% will uplift community voices,” she said. “It’s not just going to be a title for Gregg. Gregg is good people and I believe in him.”

Serna, on Facebook, also spoke about the importance of having unions and Labor support campaigns.

“No one achieves the opportunity to serve in elective office without the help of good people,” Serna said. “Here in Sacramento County that is especially true when it comes to Organized Labor and the women and men of our local unions. They take time away from their families, away from their personal obligations, and show-up in impressive numbers on a cold, damp Saturday morning to knock on doors and inform voters about Gregg’s commitment to the people of Sacramento County.”