There have been some news links posted on the Flash main page over the last few days about the legislature "expunging" (or never posting, I believe is the reality) from its websites the official Assembly July 24 vote tallies for Chuck DeVore’s AB 23, which would have allowed offshore oil drilling (it failed 28-43, with eight not voting):
LAT: California Assembly expunges votes on oil drilling bill
The articles are comical, when you read some of the stated reasons for hiding the votes of our representatives.
The 30,000 foot implication in the articles, of course, is that such a bill is too controversial for the public to fully understand the complex and personal reasons for each members’ respective vote on the matter. I like that one.
More specifically implied is that any Democrat demanding the U.S. rid itself of the necessity of foreign oil sources, would need to "splain" how they could be opposed to relying on our own sources of availability.
The side implication — stated in the media — is that some Republican legislators who voted in favor of California oil drilling prefer not to be on the record if it can be avoided.
Seldom is it noted that there could be some GOPers simply embarrassed to not be on record in support of drilling. That is, if the few of those could actually control a vote to expunge the record.
All that fodder aside — and although some of the news articles, blogs and other websites other than the legislative ones have already run the tallies — it is important that FR also be a source for democracy (or, for representative government, more accurately).
So, sue me…
YES (28)
Anthony Adams, R-Hesperia
Joel Anderson, R-Alpine
Juan Arambula, independent-Fresno
Bill Berryhill, R-Modesto
Tom Berryhill, R-Ceres
Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo
Charles Calderon, D-Whittier
Connie Conway, R-Tulare
Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley
Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine
Mike Duvall, R-Yorba Linda
Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands
Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield
Ted Gaines, R-Roseville
Martin Garrick, R-Carlsbad
Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford
Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills
Kevin Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore
Stephen Knight, R-Palmdale
Dan Logue, R-Linda
Jeff Miller, R-Corona
Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert
Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks
Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber
Jim Silva, R-Huntington Beach
Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita
Van Tran, R-Costa Mesa
Mike Villines, R-Clovis
NO (43)
Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco
Jim Beall, D-San Jose
Robert Blumenfield, D-Woodland Hills
Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica
Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo
Anna Marie Caballero, D-Salinas
Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto
Wesley Chesbro, D-Arcata
Joe Coto, D-San Jose
Hector De La Torre, D-South Gate
Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles
Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park
Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa
Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles
Paul Fong, D-Sunnyvale
Felipe Fuentes, D-Sylmar
Warren Furutani, D-Gardena
Cathleen Galgiani, D-Livingston
Mary Hayashi, D-Castro Valley
Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo
Alyson Huber, D-El Dorado Hills
Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael
Dave Jones, D-Sacramento
Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank
Ted Lieu, D-Torrance
Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach
Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco
Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia
William Monning, D-Santa Cruz
Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara
John Perez, D-Los Angeles
Manuel Perez, D-Coachella
Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena
Ira Ruskin, D-Redwood City
Mary Salas, D-Chula Vista
Lori Saldana, D-San Diego
Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley
Audra Strickland, R-Thousand Oaks
Sandré Swanson, D-Alameda
Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch
Norma Torres, D-Pomona
Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont
Mariko Yamana, D-Davis
NOT VOTING (8)
Karen Bass, D-Baldwin Vista
Marty Block, D-San Diego
Mike Davis, D-Los Angeles
Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego
Isadore Hall, D-Compton
Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point
Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina
Jose Solorio, D-Anaheim
###
August 6th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Thanks for publishing this. It will help next November when we tell reporters who wants to foul our shores with oil.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Uh huh, Steve, as if you already didn’t have access to it multiple places!