Green Party of California
Encyclopedia
The Green Party of California (GPCA) is the California
affiliate of the Green Party
. The party is a ballot-qualified in California
, first established as such in 1991, using the petition method of gaining state recognition.
As of January 2010, there were 111,395 registered party members accounting for 0.66 percent of registered voters in California, a drop from five years prior, when the party had 158,000 members, for 0.95 percent of registered voters. Mendocino, Santa Cruz
, and Humboldt County
have the highest per-capita number of Green Party members.
To maintain qualified status in California, a party must have registered voters equal to or more than 1 percent of the number of votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election, or by the statewide race method, according to which a party may retain its ballot status by receiving at least 2 percent in any of seven statewide races.
In 1994 Margaret Garcia received 3.8 percent (315,079 votes) for Secretary of State, surpassing the 2 percent threshold necessary to retain statewide ballot status. Garcia's total retained ballot status for the Green Party of California, because after the November 1994 election, the number of voters needed to qualify (or re-qualify) went up to 89,007 (Green registrants stood at 78,992). Had Garcia not received the total she did, the Green Party of California would have lost its ballot status as of January 1995.
Since the 1994 elections, the party has had continuous ballot access in California.
In 1996 Arcata, California
, a city with a population of about 17,000, became the first city ever to have a Green majority on the city council
, with three of five seats. Greens controlled the council from 1996–1998 and again from 2004-2006.
In November 2009, Fairfax, California
gained a Green majority in city council, winning three out of five seats. And as of December 2009, at least 33 Green Party of California members hold elected office, including Mayor of Richmond
, Gayle McLaughlin
, Mayor of Sebastopol
, Larry Robinson, Mayor of Marina
, Bruce Delgado and Mayor of Fairfax
, Lew Tremaine.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
affiliate of the Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
. The party is a ballot-qualified in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, first established as such in 1991, using the petition method of gaining state recognition.
As of January 2010, there were 111,395 registered party members accounting for 0.66 percent of registered voters in California, a drop from five years prior, when the party had 158,000 members, for 0.95 percent of registered voters. Mendocino, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County is the name of two counties in the United States:* Santa Cruz County, Arizona* Santa Cruz County, California...
, and Humboldt County
Humboldt County
Humboldt County is the name of three counties in the United States:* Humboldt County, California* Humboldt County, Iowa* Humboldt County, NevadaHumboldt County may also refer to:...
have the highest per-capita number of Green Party members.
To maintain qualified status in California, a party must have registered voters equal to or more than 1 percent of the number of votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election, or by the statewide race method, according to which a party may retain its ballot status by receiving at least 2 percent in any of seven statewide races.
In 1994 Margaret Garcia received 3.8 percent (315,079 votes) for Secretary of State, surpassing the 2 percent threshold necessary to retain statewide ballot status. Garcia's total retained ballot status for the Green Party of California, because after the November 1994 election, the number of voters needed to qualify (or re-qualify) went up to 89,007 (Green registrants stood at 78,992). Had Garcia not received the total she did, the Green Party of California would have lost its ballot status as of January 1995.
Since the 1994 elections, the party has had continuous ballot access in California.
In 1996 Arcata, California
Arcata, California
-Demographics:-2010 Census data:The 2010 United States Census reported that Arcata had a population of 17,231. The population density was 1,567.4 people per square mile...
, a city with a population of about 17,000, became the first city ever to have a Green majority on the city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
, with three of five seats. Greens controlled the council from 1996–1998 and again from 2004-2006.
In November 2009, Fairfax, California
Fairfax, California
Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 115 feet...
gained a Green majority in city council, winning three out of five seats. And as of December 2009, at least 33 Green Party of California members hold elected office, including Mayor of Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, Gayle McLaughlin
Gayle McLaughlin
Gayle McLaughlin is a California politician. She is a member of the Green Party and, since 2006, the mayor of Richmond, California and a member of Richmond's City Council. McLaughlin was elected on November 7, 2006 by a 279-vote margin over incumbent mayor Irma A. Anderson...
, Mayor of Sebastopol
Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,379 at the 2010 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people...
, Larry Robinson, Mayor of Marina
Marina, California
Marina is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. The population was 19,718 at the 2010 census. Marina is located along the central coast of California, west of Salinas, and 8 miles north of Monterey, at an elevation of 43 feet . Marina was incorporated in 1975 and is the newest city...
, Bruce Delgado and Mayor of Fairfax
Fairfax, California
Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 115 feet...
, Lew Tremaine.
See also
- Green Party
- California Green ArchivesCalifornia Green ArchivesThe California Green Archives and special collections was formally established in 2000. Its goal is to identify, collect, preserve, and make available records of the Green movement and Green party to green activists, scholars, writers, historians, and journalists, and for posterity...
- Aimee AllisonAimee AllisonAimee Allison is an author, public affairs television host, political activist, and a leader of the counter-recruitment movement. Beginning in September 2007, she was co-host of The Morning Show on Pacifica station KPFA, 94.1 FM in Berkeley, California.Allison was a Green Party candidate for the...
- Barbara BecnelBarbara BecnelBarbara Cottman Becnel is an American author, journalist, and film producer. She was a close friend and advocate for Crips co-founder Stanley Williams , and editor of Williams's series of children's books, which spoke out against gang...
- Medea BenjaminMedea BenjaminMedea Benjamin is an American political activist, best known for co-founding Code Pink and, along with her husband, activist and author Kevin Danaher, fair trade advocacy group Global Exchange...
- Peter Miguel Camejo
- Mike FeinsteinMike FeinsteinMike Feinstein is an American politician and a member of the Green Party. Feinstein has been involved in political activism since 1988, after he attended a conference at the Findhorn community in Scotland entitled "The Individual and the Collective: Politics as If The Earth Mattered"...
- Matt GonzalezMatt GonzalezMatthew Edward Gonzalez is an American politician, lawyer, and activist prominent in San Francisco politics. He currently serves as chief attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender's office....
- Daniel HamburgDaniel HamburgDaniel Hamburg is an American politician and a former Democratic Party Congressman and 1998 Green Party Gubernatorial candidate from California. He remains active in both the Democratic Party and Green Party.-Early life:...
- Forrest Hill
- Nativo LopezNativo LopezNativo Lopez-Vigil is a Chicano political leader and immigrant rights activist in Southern California. Lopez is the president of the Mexican American Political Association and the national director of the Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana , a community service and advocacy organization for...
- Gayle McLaughlinGayle McLaughlinGayle McLaughlin is a California politician. She is a member of the Green Party and, since 2006, the mayor of Richmond, California and a member of Richmond's City Council. McLaughlin was elected on November 7, 2006 by a 279-vote margin over incumbent mayor Irma A. Anderson...
- Kent MesplayKent MesplayKent Mesplay is the California delegate to the Green National Committee and unsuccessfully sought the 2004 Green Party Presidential nomination which he lost again in 2008.-Personal:...
- Ross MirkarimiRoss MirkarimiRoss Mirkarimi is a member of the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, California, a marijuana legalization advocate, and co-founder of the Green Party of California. He was elected in 2004 to represent District 5...
- Bill PaparianBill PaparianBill Paparian is an American politician, a former mayor of Pasadena, California, serving from 1995 to 1997. He was also a member of the Pasadena City Council from 1987 to 1999, and a Green Party candidate for Congress in 2006. He was the first Armenian-American mayor of Pasadena, as well as the...
- Mark SanchezMark Sanchez (politician)Mark Sanchez is an American politician in San Francisco, California. He was on the San Francisco Board of Education from 2001 to 2009, and served as president of the board from 2007 to 2009. Sanchez lost a 2008 election for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in District 9.- Biography and...
- Kent Warner SmithKent Warner SmithKent Warner Smith was a founder of the Green Party of California. He worked on the First Planetary Meeting of Greens, held in Río de Janeiro May 30–31, 1992, as a member of the International Working Group of the U.S. Greens...
- Charlene SpretnakCharlene SpretnakCharlene Spretnak is an American author, activist, academic, and feminist. Born in 1946 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Spretnak was raised in Columbus, Ohio. She earned her B.A. from St. Louis University and her M.A. in English and American literature from the University of California, Berkeley, in...
- Dona SpringDona SpringDona Spring was an American and activist and Green Party politician. She served on the Berkeley City Council from 1992 until her death in 2008....
- Laura WellsLaura WellsLaura Wells is a Green Party candidate for the 2010 Governor’s race in the State of California. Wells is a former financial and business analyst, and political activist in Oakland California. She supports making significant changes to Proposition 13 and to the current super-majority voting rule in...