Surely you remember former U.S. Representative Richard Pombo (R-Tracy). In 2007, because of his horrendous voting record (7% lifetime score) and his questionable ethics, CLCV successfully worked to defeat Pombo as part of a huge coalition of California environmental and other progressive groups.
Well, he’s back — but not where you’d expect. Kicking off the young decade with an outrageously opportunistic announcement, Pombo has resurfaced in Congressional District 19, announcing his plans to run for that safe Republican seat in 2010. (Of the registered voters in CD 19, 44% are Republicans, 37% are Democrats, and 14% decline to state — a far cry from the statewide breakdown of 31% Rep/45% Dem/20% DTS.)
Pombo does not currently live in CD 19, but that’s a mere technicality. It happens that current CD 19 Rep. George Radanovich has announced that he will not run for re-election, leaving the seat wide open.
CD 19, a largely rural district in the state’s Central Valley, includes a wide swath of Yosemite National Park. Pombo is, of course, the man who proposed selling off 15 sites in our National Park system to the highest bidder.
Sarah Rose, CLCV’s Director of Programs, appeared on KTVU Channel 2 news last night to comment on this development. “We worked very effectively with constituents in that district to make sure folks knew what then Congressman Pombo had been doing and how he had not be representing their best interests in Washington,” she said. Read more on KTVU.com and watch the report.
Just to remind you what kind of public official Pombo is, we’ve dusted off our report that helped bring to light some of Pombo’s most egregious abuses. Read “Pombo’s Family and Friends Network” here.
We’ll keep you posted on future developments.
