Sacramento – The following statement was released today from Jim Araby, Executive Director of UFCW Western States Council regarding SB 562:
“SB 562 failed not because of Speaker Rendon, but because the proponents tried to exploit a Trump narrative and make threats to pass an incomplete policy without doing the tough work to build a truly broad based progressive coalition.
“I hope this will be a lesson for organizations that expound on progressive politics, and force those of us who favor progressive policies to think deeper about what is happening in California in relation to our policy goals. The real enemies of progress in California are not people like Speaker Anthony Rendon or Governor Brown, but corporations like Chevron and elected officials who do their bidding.
“California, and its progressive organizations and individuals, have an opportunity here to show how progressive governance is enacted and how we hold politicians accountable to those values. The only way this is going to happen without falling into the factionalism that has destroyed the rest of the country’s politics is to build the biggest and strongest coalition to drive a comprehensive agenda and make sound policy arguments for the issues we are pushing. The campaign for SB 562 lacked most of this and that is the true reason why it failed.”