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| Westly attends Diablo Grande event |
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| Written by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Saturday, 20 October 2007 | |
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Democratic fundraiser attracts many local officials  Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator “I will run for governor again,” Westly said, perhaps in 2010 or 2014. The former state controller received uproarious applause from the crowd of more than 80 attendees. The fundraiser dinner attracted local leaders, as well as others from throughout the county. Patterson’s representatives included planning commissioner Luis Molina, school board president Bruce Kelly, Mayor Becky Campo and City Council members Sam Cuellar and Dominic Farinha. Westly, who is the California chair of Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, talked much about the upcoming presidential election, saying he thought Obama or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton would come out on top. “We are looking toward a Democratic blowout,” he said. Westly, who runs a firm that aims to help entrepreneurs build clean energy companies, also discussed global warming, describing it as a worldwide problem. He cited predictions that temperatures will rise an average of 3 degrees worldwide in the next 25 years. Meanwhile, pollution is likely to increase worldwide as countries such as China and India become bigger oil consumers and increase industry, he said. “Los Angeles is crystal clear compared to Beijing,” Westly said, asserting that breathing the air in that Chinese city is akin to smoking 53 cigarettes per day. More investment must be made in renewable resources, he said, such as wind energy and electric cars. Wednesday’s keynote speaker also took some time to answer questions from the audience. State Assembly candidate Angela Raeburn of Turlock asked Westly whether he thought race may become a hindrance in Obama’s presidential race, as he is black. Westly he said he did not think that would be the case. The Illinois senator is dynamic, looks good on television and may be able to cater to the “faith-based axis,” he said. Patterson Mayor Becky Campo asked Westly about Obama’s stance on immigration issues, and he noted that Obama is the son of immigrants and spent part of his youth living in Asia. As a result, Obama has been on the forefront of immigrants-rights issues, Westly said. Donna Patterson, Stanislaus County chair of the Democratic Party, said she enjoyed the evening event. “There was lots of enthusiasm,” she said. Patterson has known Westly since he was a boy in the Silicon Valley, and she likened him to an adopted son. This is the second year in a row that the Central Valley Democratic Club has booked a well-known speaker at Diablo Grande. Last year, the club hosted former House Majority Whip Tony Coelho. “Really, our goal was to get larger-named politicians to know where Patterson is,” said Dennis McCord, a member of the club’s West Side Committee. The event also served as a forum for attendees to announce their candidacy in local races. In addition to Westly’s announcement that he would run for governor, former Sheriff Les Weidman announced he is running for Stanislaus County Supervisor Tom Mayfield’s seat in the June 2008 election. Meanwhile, local planner Molina said he is considering running for Supervisor Jim DeMartini’s seat. “If you can convince my wife, we’re going to go forward,” said Molina, who also serves on the Stanislaus County Board of Education. Westly encouraged attendees to stay politically active. He also stressed the importance of the Central Valley, saying the region holds a lot of sway in statewide elections and will be an important stop for Obama’s campaign. “You can’t win an election without addressing the issues of the Central Valley,” he said. To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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