SACRAMENTO—CALPIRG, the Public Interest Advocate, today released its scorecard for the 120 members of the California
legislature. Ten senators and twenty-seven assembly members scored a
perfect 100% for the 2006 session. The average score in the Senate was
66% and the average Assembly score was 63%.
“With so many powerful special interests lobbying in Sacramento,
CALPIRG is a voice for the public on issues including health care,
consumer protections, and government reform. We applaud and thank the
thirty-seven legislators who scored 100%, because they consistently put
the public interest ahead of special interests,” said Emily Rusch,
Consumer Advocate for CALPIRG.
The scorecards enable California
voters to learn more about their elected officials’ voting records,
giving them the information needed to praise or criticize their actions
from the previous year. CALPIRG makes the scorecards available to the
public via our newsletter to citizen members, our email list, and our
website.
Among
the bills passed last year by the Legislature and signed by the
Governor was AB 2911 (Núñez/Perata), which allows the government to
negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for discounts of up to 60% on
prescription drugs for six million low income Californians.
The
legislature also passed AB 774 (Chan), which ensures that uninsured
patients aren’t unfairly overcharged for hospital services, AB 2877
(Frommer), which gives consumers information about affordable
prescription drug options, and SB 202 (Simitian) which protects the
privacy of cell phone records.
Two
other bills were passed by the Legislature but vetoed by Governor
Schwarzenegger: a bill to establish universal health care (SB 840,
Kuehl) and a bill to improve corporate tax transparency (AB 675,
Klehs).
“With
the new legislative session already underway, CALPIRG looks forward to
working with legislators this year on major health insurance reforms,
prescription drug safety, and public transit investments to reduce
traffic congestion,” said Rusch.
The 2006 “Public Interest Champions,” legislators who scored 100%, are:
Senator Elaine Alquist
Secretary of State Debra Bowen
Senator Christine Kehoe
Senator Alan Lowenthal
Former Senator Deborah Ortiz
Senate Pro Tem Don Perata
Senator Jack Scott
Senator Joe Simitian
Former Senator Jackie Speier
Senator Tom Torlakson
Former Assembly Member Joe Baca
Assembly Member Karen Bass
Assembly Member Patty Berg
Assembly Member Rudy Bermúdez
Former Assembly Member Wilma Chan
Board of Equalization Member Judy Chu
Assembly Member Joe Coto
Assembly Member Hector De La Torre
Assembly Member Noreen Evans
Former Assembly Member Jackie Goldberg
Assembly Member Loni Hancock
Assembly Member Dave Jones
Assembly Member Betty Karnette
Assembly Member John Laird
Assembly Member Mark Leno
Assembly Member Lloyd Levine
Assembly Member Mark Leno
Assembly Member Lloyd Levine
Assembly Member Sally Lieber
Former Assembly Member Carol Liu
Former Assembly Member Cindy Montañez
Assembly Member Pedro Nava
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez
Senator Jenny Oropeza
Assembly Member Fran Pavley
Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas
Assembly Member Ira Ruskin
Assembly Member Lori Saldaña
Former Assembly Member Simon Salinas
