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  Gray, Patricia "Pat"
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationGreen  
 
NamePatricia "Pat" Gray
Address
, California , United States
EmailNone
Websitehttp://www.patgray.org/
Born August 27, 1936 (87 years)
ContributorBarack O-blame-a
Last ModifedDavid
Dec 07, 2023 09:10am
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InfoPersonal History

I have lived my whole life in this congressional district. I come from a working class family with strong union values. My father was an organizer for the Seamen's Union and the Teamsters. My family was very active in the Democratic Party. (Those were the days when Democrats cared about working families).

I have seen serious deterioration of the quality of life for working families. When I was a child, the Park and Recreation Department staffed after school activities at the school site. After school sports programs were free. Each school had a nurse on staff and Public Health had well baby clinics for the children. Higher education was within reach of working families. A student was concerned about grades to go to college-but did not have to worry about the cost.

I married a teamster and we purchased a home in the Excelsior District of San Francisco. We did this on the salary of one person. I was able to stay at home with my young children. I know that this sounds impossible to the young people today. I am distressed at the conditions facing working families today, and think they deserve what I had. I raised my kids and now I am doing the grandchildren. I know first hand what it is to try and get by in this area in 2003 for old folks, workers, unemployed, children and families.

Professional History

I taught Art and Social Studies in the public schools of San Francisco. I was an elected official in the American Federation of Teachers, local 61, AFL/CIO. I changed my profession due to concerns for my safety, and the lack of services for seriously troubled students. I studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and became a landscape painter. I have also had time to be a social activist. I joined the Green Party and am now an elected member of the Green Party County Council of San Mateo County. I have been an organizer and activist for Universal Health Care (prop 186), Repealing the Deregulation of the Energy System (prop 9), and an activist in the California Oaks, a Ralph Nader organization. I am now working for the Public Financing of Candidates (to establish public funding of political campaigns) and Health Care For All (for single payer health care in California).

In 1992, as President of Peace Action of San Mateo County and the Chairperson of Common Agenda to Rebuild America, I wrote Measure A for the San Mateo County ballot. Measure A said, "Shall the federal government reduce the defense budget by 10% each year for the next five years and use the savings to provide job training and employment opportunities, restructuring the defense-related industries for peace-related purposes, environmental protection, education, housing, health care, AIDS and cancer research, mass transit, drug abuse prevention and treatment, and deficit reduction?"

Within a week of the overwhelming passage of this measure, Representative Tom Lantos voted to INCREASE THE MILITARY BUDGET, ending our hope of a peace dividend and demonstrating his lack of concern for the opinions of his constituents. (or at least the ones who do not contribute generously to his 'war chest').

The vote of Representative Tom Lantos to support going to war in Iraq (again) is the reason that I decided to become a candidate for congress. I am applying for the job of being your Representative in Congress for the 12th District of California. While Lantos' war vote got me to the point that I couldn't stand it any more; the bipartisan agreement on the war, the tax cuts for the very rich, the Patriot Act, the Homeland Security Act, the cuts in social services, the attack on the Social Security System and the lack of Health Care are more than I can stand! The power of the corporations to steal our democracy so angers me that I am standing up to say, "ENOUGH! WE MUST TAKE ANOTHER PATH! WE ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY!" Government should be 'us', not 'them'. True democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people, and that is not what we have now!

from patgray.org

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  11/02/2004 CA - District 12 Lost 9.12% (-58.91%)
  03/02/2004 CA - District 12 - G Primary Won 69.86% (+39.73%)
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