Local and Statewide Education Leaders Support Das Williams for State Assembly District 35


SANTA BARBARA, CA– Local Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams... announced [last week] that his campaign for the 35th Assembly District has received the endorsements of a number of key local and statewide leaders in education:

• State Senator Gloria Romero, Chair, Senate Education Committee
• Mary Louise Peterson, Ventura County School Board
• Leon “Lee” Elder, Former Ventura County School Board Superintendent
• Arturo Hernandez, Ventura Community College District Trustee
• Stephen Blum, Ventura Community College District Trustee
• Debbie Golden, Ventura Unified School District, VP
• Barbara J. Fitzgerald, Ventura Unified School District Trustee
• Ed Heron, Santa Barbara School Board Member
• Robert Noel, Santa Barbara School Board Member
• Annette Cordero, Santa Barbara School Board Member
• Tony Winterbauer, Hope Elementary School District President
• Scott Orlosky, Hope Elementary School District Clerk
• Leslie Deardorff, Carpinteria School Board Member
• Beverly Grant, Carpinteria School Board Member
• Alex Pulido, Ph.D., Carpinteria School Board Member
• Ana Del Rio Barba, Oxnard School District Board Member
• Tim Blaylock, Oxnard High School District Trustee
• Dr. Dean Nevins, Goleta Union School Board President
• Susan Epstein, Goleta Union School Board Member
• Bill Gadsby, Goleta Union School Board Member
  

(Titles for identification purposes only)

Education leaders, in citing their reasons for supporting Das’ campaign for the assembly, pointed to his record as a local school board member, Santa Barbara City Councilmember and teacher in working to provide and increase access to a high quality education for all children. As a local school board member, Das Williams helped craft a solution to a recent budget shortfall that avoided teacher layoffs and kept class sizes small. As a City Councilmember, Das has been at the forefront of efforts to expand after school programs and create more educational opportunities for youth.

“Our schools are facing enormous challenges,” said Debbie Golden, Vice President of the Ventura Unified School District. “It is more important than ever, to elect experienced leaders like Das, who have dealt first-hand with the challenges facing our schools and have a deep understanding of education issues. Das is an innovative, proven and principled leader who is committed to making our state’s education system the best in the nation and will not comprise our children’s education. I am confident that Das will be an effective and unwavering advocate for our schools, teachers, parents and children in Sacramento.”

Das Williams has made education a top priority in his campaign for the State Assembly. The early endorsements he has received from the educational community underscore his record of accomplishment and experience on educational issues as well as his strong support from teachers, parents and education experts.

“I am honored to have the support of local and statewide education leaders,” said Das Williams. “Education is the great equalizer and the foundation of our state. It is the key to a strong economy, the path to a good job and the key to strong and vibrant communities. In the Assembly I will continue to work with teachers, parents and administrators towards making a world class education accessible and affordable for every child in our state.”

Labels: 35th-Assembly-District, california-assembly, education, endorsements

[ From: "Assembly race already heating up," By Eric Lindberg, DAILY SOUND, March 12, 2009 ]


It’s still 20 months away, but the race for the State Assembly’s 35th District seat is already stirring up interest in the political community, particularly on the Democratic side of the ticket...

In recent days, Santa Barbara Councilmember Das Williams has started testing the waters with an exploratory committee and statement of intent to enter the race, allowing him to start raising funds to bankroll a possible campaign...

Williams preferred not to discuss the potential primary showdown with [Susan Jordan], adding that he doesn’t even want to set a date certain for when he’ll officially enter the race or back down.

“I think it’s just really important right now to concentrate on some of the problems in the city itself and I don’t want to be distracted by the assembly race when we’re dealing with things like the budget and gang violence,” he said.

Nonetheless, Williams said the pinch of the state’s budget nightmare is starting to be felt locally, describing how he visited a school yesterday where a large percentage of teachers had received pink slips.

“I’m pretty passionate about what’s happening — the destruction of our public education system,” he said. “It’s definitely made me even more serious about running.”

The councilman is also feeling out how his potential bid sits with a handful of voters in the district, which sprawls across a huge chunk of the Santa Ynez Valley and South Coast, as well as a portion of Ventura County.

Williams said he is speaking with 100 people from “all walks of life” throughout the district to get feedback...

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For full text, please go to: DAILY SOUND: Assembly Race Heats Up

Labels: 2010, 35th Assembly District, education, oil