FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, February 9, 2012

CORNING, CA – – Tehama County farmer-rancher Bob Williams has announced his candidacy for the new 3rd Assembly district. A conservative Republican, Williams currently serves on the Tehama County Board of Supervisors and manages his family farm and cattle ranch.

“The 3rd district needs and deserves to have a representative in the Assembly who understands our area and is committed to representing us,” said Williams.  “Our agricultural based economy and rural, conservative values need to be represented at the State Capitol.”

The 3rd district seat is open because Assemblyman Jim Nielsen decided not to run for reelection this year in order to save taxpayers the cost of a special election.  Nielsen is planning to run in a State Senate special election in 2013.  State Assemblyman Dan Logue moved his residence out of the 3rd district in order to run for Assembly elsewhere, but recently decided to move back into the district.

“Moving in and out and forcing extra, costly elections is not what a true representative does, especially in these lean times,” said Williams. “I am running because I genuinely want to represent our district.  If elected to the Assembly, I pledge to serve my full term. I will not use this as a stepping stone to another office.”

Williams said he would be a “strong voice for fiscal accountability, balanced budgets and tax and regulation relief for small business, resource industries and farmers. He has extensive experience working for North State water rights.

Bob Williams is a fifth generation Valley farmer and cattle rancher who represents the home grown conservative values of the North State.  He will bring to the Assembly a common sense approach to problem-solving and a wealth of experience. Bob has lived in the 3rd district his entire life and raised his family here.

Williams is owner and managing partner of Williams Ranch, a family owned farming and ranching operation in Tehama County.  He is a member of the Tehama County Board of Supervisors, elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010 and a former Trustee of the Corning Union High School Board and Past President of the Tehama County Farm Bureau.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) Small businesswoman Barbara Ortega announced today that she will run for the newly-drawn 8th Assembly District. With new legislative maps in place in 2012 the District is left without a resident incumbent and expects to be a potential “swing” district that Democrats and Republicans will be watching closely in November.

“I’m running for Assembly because Eastern Sacramento County needs strong leadership in the Capitol,” said Ortega. “Californians every day continue to suffer from the gridlock at the Capitol that leaves our businesses suffering from overregulation and our budget in financial crisis. This has to stop and I want to bring my business experience and know-how to the Assembly so we can actually get things done to provide relief for California.”

Barbara is a fifth generation Californian and currently the co-owner of POW Group, which provides consulting services specializing in a wide range of business management services, strategic market analysis, marketing, economic development, grass roots programs, and business to business ventures. Prior to forming POW Group, Barbara served in various top positions with Abbott Laboratories, including as Director of Business Development & Strategic Programs. Her business career also includes serving as Director and Vice President of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association and Director of Legislative Affairs at the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Barbara attended Chapman College and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Communications. She completed graduate work at Stanford University and California State University, Sacramento.  She belongs to the Corporate Advisory Council for the National Hispanic Council on Aging.

Barbara and her husband David live in Sacramento. She has 2 grown children, Charlie and Sarah, and 2 grandchildren.

The new 8th Assembly district stretches from Citrus Heights in the north to the border of Galt in South Sacramento County.  It includes communities and neighborhoods of Arden-Arcade, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Gold River, Rancho Cordova, Rancho Murrieta, Vineyard and Wilton. Barbara has been a resident of the area for almost 30 years.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, January 12, 2012

OROVILLE, CA – North State farmer and State Senator Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) kicked off his campaign in the new 1st Congressional district today.

“I am honored to be able to stand here before you today and formally announce my candidacy for the United States House of Representatives,” LaMalfa told his supporters. “First I want to thank Congressman Wally Herger, not only for his endorsement of me, but for the years of dedication and for the dignity with which he served our area.”

LaMalfa said he would focus on protecting and expanding the job opportunities provided by the district’s timber, mining, water, farm and ranching industries, and reducing spending and waste.

“Crushing environmental regulations and rules need to be brought into balance with the real everyday needs of people,” said LaMalfa. “I have believed for some time now that Washington is out of touch with everyday Americans and especially with those of us lucky enough to live in the rural North State and rural America. One of my goals will be to make sure other members of Congress understand there is a whole world outside of Washington full of hard-working families trying to make ends meet.

“As your representative in Washington, D.C., I will work to: reduce the debt and balance the budget; reduce taxes so working families and small businesses can keep more of their hard-earned money; repeal unnecessary regulations that hamper our ability to create jobs; protect North State water rights and increase water storage throughout the state; and stand up for our conservative values of freedom, family, hard work and individual responsibility,” La Malfa said.

Doug LaMalfa is a fourth generation rice farmer. A lifelong resident of Northern California, Doug attended local schools and grew up learning the value of hard work and community service. Doug earned his degree in Ag/Business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He and his wife, Jill, along with their four children, make their home on the family farm in Richvale. His state senate district covers much of the same territory as the new first congressional district.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve as the Valley’s representative in the House of Representatives for the last year,” said Denham.  “With the support of the people of the 10th district, I look forward to continuing my work to improve our economy, protect our farms and small businesses, increase water storage and delivery and reduce debt and wasteful spending.”

Jeff Denham is a Valley almond farmer, small businessman and Air Force veteran who was first elected to Congress in 2010.   In Congress, Jeff has quickly emerged as a leading voice for fiscal responsibility and debt reduction.  His “Civilian Property Realignment Act” is a significant piece of legislation that will improve the management of federal property, shrink the federal government’s footprint and save taxpayers billions of dollars.

“I believe the federal government is too big, too intrusive and out of touch with the needs of the people,” said Denham. “The greatness of America does not come from our institutions in Washington, it comes from the goodness, hard work, innovation and patriotism of the American people.”

Denham has proven to be a strong campaigner with wide appeal across party lines. In his first State Senate election, Denham won a seat that had a 15 percentage point Democratic advantage. In 2008 he handily beat back an attempt by liberal special interests to recall him after he refused to support a state budget that was out of balance and spent too much.

Denham said that the Valley’s economy will continue to be a focus of his efforts.

“The federal government’s tax and regulatory policies hamper economic growth and are especially harmful to small businesses and farmers, who provide most of the jobs in the Central Valley,” said Denham. “No nation in history has taxed or regulated itself to prosperity.”

Rep. Denham serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure where he chairs the Subcommittee on Economic Development. He also sits on the Natural Resources Committee, and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Jeff and his wife, Sonia, have been married for 17 years and they have two children.

CHICO, CA — United States Congressman Wally Herger (R- CA 02) announced this morning that he will not seek another term in the House of Representatives. The conservative Congressman’s decision will bring to a close a distinguished public service career that began 35 years ago on a local school board, took Herger from the Capitol in Sacramento to the Capitol in Washington, D.C. and spanned the terms of seven U.S. Presidents.

“I have been blessed with the privilege of serving my community, district, state and country for 35 years and being part of some of the most important events in our nation’s history,” said Herger. “That privilege came with many sacrifices, the foremost of which was all the time spent away from my family and my home here in Northern California. I want to focus on my family and enjoy spending time with my grandchildren before they grow up.”

Representative Herger was born in Sutter County in 1945. He was raised on a cattle ranch in the small community of Rio Oso. Growing up, he worked on his family’s ranch, and later ran the family’s small business, Herger Gas Company.

As a rancher and small businessman, Wally took his experiences to Sacramento and Washington, where he fought the negative impact of high taxes, overregulation, and big government . He was elected to the California State Assembly in 1980 and to the United States House of Representatives in 1986.

A longtime member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the current Chairman of the Subcomittee on Health and a leading opponent of Obamacare, Herger successfully sponsored H.R. 674 last year to repeal the 3% withholding tax, which required government agencies at all levels to withhold 3% of their payments to businesses for goods and services. There has been broadly expressed concern among small businesses that this tax could wipe out their already slim profit margins and make it harder to create jobs.

Among the many other highlights of Herger’s career include playing a leading role in the reauthorization and expansion of the landmark 1996 welfare reform law, which broke the cycle of generational welfare for hundreds of thousands of families. In an effort to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in federal welfare programs, Congressman Herger championed the “Criminal Welfare Prevention Act,” which was enacted in 1996. This hugely successful provision, designed to stop the fraudulent payment of Social Security benefits to incarcerated individuals, has saved billions of taxpayer dollars.

Throughout his career Herger has been a strong proponent of better balance in federal environmental laws and policies and a critic of laws and regulations that needlessly harm farmers and small business owners, particularly the Endangered Species Act. He has been a vocal and active supporter of efforts to enhance and improve flood control and water storage infrastructure to meet the public health and safety needs of growing communities in Northern California. Herger has also worked to improve forest management to protect communities from catastrophic wildfire and provide local economic development opportunities. He championed several pieces of common sense forest health legislation including the Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Forest Recovery Act of 1998 and the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act of 2000.

“My most important concern when making the decision to retire from Congress was that the North State continue to be represented by a conservative who fully understands, and appreciates, our agricultural and natural resources-based economy and who has the proven ability to represent such a vast and unique area. That’s why I asked local farmer and State Senator Doug LaMalfa to consider running and am happy that he has agreed,” said Herger. “Doug has my endorsement and full support”.

Wally Herger is married to Pamela, and they reside in Chico. They are the parents of nine children and have eleven grandchildren.

“The Redistricting Commission has proposed Congressional Districts for our state. Among those is a new 39th Congressional District which includes my home in Fullerton and comprises numerous cities in Orange and Los Angeles Counties that have repeatedly chosen me as their conservative voice, both in Congress and when I served in the State Senate. Additionally, the proposed 39th includes the San Bernardino community of Chino Hills, which I look forward to getting to know.

“While there is further Commission work to be done and a possible referendum to be held, I will enthusiastically look forward to offering myself, once again, as the limited government, conservative candidate for the 39th Congressional District.

“Since the new lines were created several weeks ago, I have been humbled by an outpouring of support and encouragement from small business owners, local elected officials, grassroots leaders, activists and conservative Republicans, Independents and conservative Democratic voters. There is much work ahead of us to reverse the damage done to our economy by reckless spending, massive debt, and years of big government policies. The challenges our nation faces are many but I remain confident that by following the Constitution and conservative principles we can forge the most freedom and prosperity for our future generations. I would be honored to carry that mantle for the people of the 39th Congressional District.”

ROCKLIN, CA — Gilliard Blanning and Associates Inc. announced today that they have been retained to handle consulting and fundraising for the campaign of Phil Paule for State Assembly in the Riverside County district currently held by Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, who is not running.

Phil Paule is District Director to longtime GBA client, Congressman Darrell Issa, and is an elected member of the Eastern Municipal Water District Board of Directors. He is a resident of French Valley, where he resides with his wife, Julie Paule, and two sons.

“We have worked closely with Phil Paule and with Congressman Issa over the years. We look forward to helping Phil continue the strong and unquestioned conservative representation for this part of Riverside County,” said Dave Gilliard.

The district as currently proposed by the Citizens Redistricting Commission includes much of southwestern Riverside County. Congressman Darrell Issa and former State Senator Ray Haynes will serve as Honorary Chairs of the Paule Campaign.

You may be forced to run against a fellow Republican lawmaker. You may face a challenge from a local Supervisor or City Councilmember or a self-funder from the business community.  Due to the new “open primary” rules, public employee unions, trial lawyers and other liberal special interest groups may decide to “play” in your primary.  At the very least, you will need to introduce yourself to many new voters.

GBA Inc. is California’s most successful Republican consulting firm, with an unmatched track record of success in Congressional and Legislative campaigns. We can help you advance your career under your new district lines.

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