A large group of Democrats met John Laird on July 15 at the IHOP.  The Democratic candidate for the California State Senate. He is running in the special general election that will take place on August 17 to fill the vacancy left when Abel Maldonado was appointed as Lieutenant Governor. 

An educator, former Mayor, Community College Trustee and Assembly Member, John Laird has a long career dedicated to community service. Throughout his career, he has been a strong advocate for working people, environmental protection, access to health care, public education and civil rights. 

John was elected to represent the 27th Assembly District, including portions of Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara Counties, in 2002. He was re-elected in 2004 and 2006, receiving over 70% of the vote each time.  As Budget Committee Chair from 2004-2008, John earned a reputation as the Assembly's budget expert and a strong proponent of investing in California's future and a critic of excessive borrowing. In 2006, John helped deliver the first on-time budget since 2000 - a budget that reduced community college fees, restored funding for public transportation and K-12 education and dramatically increased the budget reserve, while reducing the deficit. In 2008, the San Jose Mercury News named John their "Most Effective Legislator" in the region. John was on the Santa Cruz City Council from 1981 to 1990, he served two one-year terms as Mayor in 1983 and 1987. He was elected to the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees and served from 1994 to 2002, when he was elected to the Assembly. John was born in Santa Rosa and raised in Vallejo. He is a graduate of University of California, Santa Cruz.

John’s web site is: http://www.lairdforsenate.com/