Former LA Mayor Endorses IRV

Submitted by Monika Kulma on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 18:48.

Former Mayor Richard J. Riordan has endorsed Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) for the City of Los Angeles. "IRV will help our City make headway with two major challenges: fiscal hardship and low voter turnout," Riordan said in a written statement.

According to the Los Angeles City Clerk, IRV will save taxpayers $8 to $9 million each election year. By reducing the number of elections, IRV will also empower voters and reduce voter fatigue.

Riordan has a long history of civic leadership. He served as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993 to 2001. Subsequently, he served as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Secretary of Education from 2003 to 2005.

"We are extremely proud to have Mayor Riordan's endorsement," said Gautam Dutta of New America Foundation. "We salute his lifetime of service to the City of Los Angeles and California as a whole."

IRV has attracted a broad base of support. IRV endorsers include Sen. John McCain, Sen. Barack Obama, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, former Congressmember Tom Campbell, Howard Dean, and 1980 Presidential candidate John Anderson.

May 7, 2008

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IRV Endorsers

Elected officials

Richard Riordan, Former Mayor, City of Los Angeles
Eric Garcetti, President, Los Angeles City Council
Jose Huizar, Los Angeles Councilmember
Wendy Greuel, Los Angeles Councilmember
Bill Rosendahl, Los Angeles Councilmember
Ed Reyes, Los Angeles Councilmember
Laura Chick, Los Angeles Controller
Richard Alatorre, Former Los Angeles Councilmember
Jackie Goldberg, Former Los Angeles Councilmember
Judy Chu, Chair, California Board of Equalization
Debra Bowen, California Secretary of State
Mark Ridley-Thomas, State Senator
Sylvia Scott-Hayes, President, LA Community College Board of Trustees
Georgia Mercer, LA Community College Trustee
Mona Field, LA Community College Trustee
Nancy Pearlman, LA Community College Trustee
more supporters

Organizations

Los Angeles League of Women Voters
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
National Latino Congreso
Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC)**
African American Voter Registration Education Project
UNITE HERE (Local 11)
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local
721
AFT College Faculty Guild (AFT 1521)
AFT College Staff Guild (AFT 1521A)
Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE)
Southwest Voter Registration Education Project
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA)
California Common Cause
ACLU of Southern California
Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles
San Fernando Valley Alliance for Democracy
Los Angeles Greens
Asian American Action Fund-California
more supporters

Individuals

Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder, United Farm Workers
John Emerson, President, Capital Guardian Trust Company, Personal Investment Management*
Charlie Woo, Past Chair, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
David Murphy, President, Building LA's Future
Antonio Gonzalez, President, William C. Velasquez Institute
Anthony Thigpenn, President, Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE)
Mark Drummond, Chancellor, Los Angeles Comunity College District
Holly Fujie, Governor, State Bar of California*
Carmen Trutanich, Los Angeles City Attorney Candidate
Kathay Feng, Executive Director, California Common Cause
Liza White, President, Los Angeles League of Women Voters
Tyree Wieder, President, Los Angeles Valley College*
Reyn Blight, Chair, Los Angeles Industrial Development Authority*
Kathy Spillar, Feminist Majority
Marcy Winograd, President, Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles
Damian Carroll, Past President, San Fernando Young Democrats
Sean Treglia, Commissioner, Los Angeles Ethics Commission*
Maria Armoudian, Commissioner, Los Angeles Environmental Affairs*
James Hsu, Partner, Sonnenschein Law Firm*
Dan Mayeda, Counsel, East West Players Theater*
Allen Erenbaum, Partner, Mayer Brown Law Firm*
Ron Wong, Board member, Asian Business Association*
David Holtzman, President, Los Angeles Voters for Instant Runoff Elections
Marybelle C. Ang, Board Member, Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council*
Jimmy Valentine, Attorney, SEIU Local 6434*
Anthony Rendon, Professor, California State University - Fullerton*
Nick Warshaw, President, California College Democrats*
more supporters

* affiliations listed for identification purposes only

** supports IRV in concept

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IRV in LA

Former LA Mayor Endorses IRV

IRV Endorsers

Elected officials

Organizations

Individuals