Club endorses Jerry McNerney for Congress

Get involved; help defeat Richard Pombo

For the second election in a row the Sierra Club has endorsed wind-energy engineer and environmentalist Jerry McNerney in his challenge to Rep. Richard Pombo, who, with a pathetic 6% rating from the nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters, boasts one of the worst environmental voting records in the House of Representatives.

Pombo, who chairs the powerful House Resources Committee, has made it his mission to unravel the Endangered Species Act, sell off public lands, and open up coastal areas protected by a congressional moratorium on offshore oil drilling. Pombo has drawn fire from moderate members of his own party, including a primary challenge from colorful former Rep. Pete McCloskey, who polled more than 32% in this June's Republican primary. McCloskey's challenge - which shows that many 11th District Republicans are fed up with Pombo's positions and association with the convicted felon Jack Abramoff - coupled with a narrowed voter-registration gap in the district, has created an opportunity for McNerney to pull off an upset in what has previously been seen as a safe GOP seat.

For McNerney to win, everything must go right. And that includes getting help from large numbers of Sierra Club members in and near the sprawling 11th Congressional District. The 11th, a gerrymandered mess designed to protect Pombo, sprawls from northeast of Lodi to Morgan Hill and Gilroy in the southwest. The district's northwestern fringe includes Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, and Pleasanton.

In July, Pombo's two Republican primary challengers, McCloskey and Tom Benigno, formally endorsed McNerney, an unprecedented event in this conservative district. Communicating the frustration of so many GOP voters who are troubled by Pombo's corruption, McCloskey and Benigno told a news conference that they believe Jerry McNerney is ready to restore honesty, integrity, and accountability to Washington.

"You know, I never really thought I'd be doing this. I've been a Republican for 57 years. My family have been Republicans for four generations," said McCloskey. "But I've concluded two things: Jerry McNerney is an honest man; Richard Pombo is not. I'm confident that Jerry McNerney is an honorable man who will vote his conscience."

McNerney, whose wind-energy background has led him to make energy policy a cornerstone of his campaign, says: "We have a moral obligation to our children and to the future of our nation to protect our natural heritage. Clean energy alternatives create jobs while protecting our air and water from pollution. We have the technology, the will, and the intelligence to balance California's and the nation's precious resources with the demands of a growing economy."

McNerney, with an election cycle's experience, has become a more formidable campaigner (he garnered 38% in the last election despite having few resources and being outspent nearly 10 - 1).

WhatYouCanDo

The Sierra Club encourages members to get involved in this campaign. Defeating Pombo is one of the best things we could do for the environment in 2006. Not only would we send an environmental enemy packing, we would replace him with a person of honesty, integrity, and purpose.

Volunteer to walk precincts for McNerny every Saturday up until the election from 10:30 am to 2 pm, with free lunch provided, meeting at 555 Peters Ave., #105, in Pleasanton. Sat., Sep. 30, will be the special Sierra Club Bay Chapter day there. Defenders of Wildlife will be sponsoring a special canvassing event on Sat., Sep. 16, meeting at 10 am at a park in Pleasanton and including a barbecue after the walking. You can phone-bank any week day between 2:30 and 6 pm and on Saturdays from 11 to 2. To sign up to help, contact or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 307

To find out additional ways you can help, to volunteer for the campaign, or to contribute, contact Carl Zichella at the Club's California-Nevada-Hawaii field office at zichella -at- sierraclub-sac.org (preferred) or call (916) 557-1100 (leave a message at general mailbox).

To learn more about Jerry McNerney, visit his campaign web site - www.jerrymcnerney.org

To learn more about Pombo's environmental record, visit www.sierraclub.org/pombo/factsheet.asp