Big Oil on the attack

We see it happening every election. A member of the legislature fights for clean air and clean water on behalf of his constituents. Then he courageously stands up to Big Oil and its relentless army of lobbyists in Sacramento. And what happens? Big Oil decides it needs to take him out and spends a ridiculous amount of money to try to elect someone who won’t represent his constituents. This time that fantastic legislator is Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who’s running for re-election for the 66th Assembly District, and we just found out that Big Oil is preparing to spend over half a million dollars against him.

Al needs your help! Al may not have $500,000, but people power can even the score.

In the past two years, I’ve gotten to know Al Muratsuchi quite well. That’s because he’s proven himself to be on the side of the environment. Al Muratsuchi has a 92% environmental score, and he’s voted to support critical environmental priorities like protecting our coast, banning plastic bags, and fighting against fracking. But Al Muratsuchi’s been a lot more than just a good vote, he’s been an environmental leader. This year he authored bills to fight offshore oil drilling, increase access to carpool lanes, and earlier this week, Governor Brown signed Al’s bill, AB 2188, to streamline the solar permitting process for home rooftops so more people can start using cleaner, renewable energy. No wonder Big Oil hates him.

Al’s a sharp contrast to his opponent David Hadley, a Tea Party, Wall Street executive who holds extremely anti-environmental views. This is someone who thinks teaching Earth Week in schools is offensive and considers it “indoctrination.” He’s also adamantly opposed to California’s Climate and Clean Energy Law, our landmark law that has fought climate change while creating green jobs and improving California’s economy.

Big Oil’s going all in for Hadley, but of course voters in AD 66 wouldn’t know it. If Big Oil ever disclosed who they were, nobody would ever support their candidate. That’s why they have fake, pleasant-sounding front groups like the California Driver’s Alliance, Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy, and the Senior Advocates League. Of course, the only drivers, jobs, and seniors they're advocating for are their executives’. Voters should expect to see their ads attacking Al on the airwaves, in mailboxes, and online. But they must not be fooled by their deception.

So if you know someone who lives in the 66th Assembly District (Torrance, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes) make sure they’re voting for Al Muratsuchi for re-election to the Assembly. This election is expected to be one of the closest races in California, and it’s up to us to get the truth out and bring Al to the finish line.