In an e-Alert sent out Wednesday titled “Follow the Money in Campaigns for June,” Mayor Elizabeth Patterson expressed her support for Democratic Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada in the District 3 State Senate Race and told readers to “follow the money,” regarding Yamada’s opponent, Democratic Assemblymember Bill Dodd.

Yamada and Dodd are running for a seat which will be vacated by Sen. Lois Wolk, who is termed out. Patterson praised Yamada for her 40 years of experience work in the public sector working for social and public health and education. She also noted that Yamada, unlike Dodd, served a full term in the Assembly before running for a state Senate seat. She also praised Yamada for helping to clean up pollution in the Lower Arsenal.

“I support her for her integrity and grassroots support eschewing the kind of financial support her opponent is receiving,” she wrote.

The mayor then went on to note that Dodd had received money from PACs, including $50,577 for Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy and $25,000– which she noted had received funds from Valero and Union Pacific Railroad– and $25,000 from Jobspac, which Patterson said had received a fund from BNSF Railway.

Patterson also published findings from Courage Campaign, a progressive nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization, in which Dodd was placed in the “Hall of Shame.”

“The Hall of Shame includes the state legislators most out of step with their constituents, and most closely aligned with corporate and special interests that exploit Californians,” Patterson wrote. “To make the list, a legislator needs to have a Courage Score of 59 or lower – resulting in a grade of ‘F’ – and represent a district which clearly supports more progressive policies than the legislator.”

Dodd, Patterson noted, received an “F” grade from the organization. Among the possibilities that Mayor Patterson cited were him voting against senate bills that would have reduced carbon emissions and curbed a policy that allowed for police to seize people’s cash and belongings without committing them of a crime.

Meanwhile, Patterson stated that Dodd’s constituents voted differently.

“His district voted 63 percent in favor of Prop 39 which would allocate $550 million annually to improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy in schools,” she wrote.

As with all e-Alerts, Mayor Patterson wrote that the opinions expressed in her emails are strictly her own and do not reflect official city policy.

Voters can vote for either Dodd or Yamada in the June 7 primary, or they can vote for Democrat Gabe Griess or Republican Greg Coppes. As part of California’s top-two primary system, the top two vote-getters in this race will square off in the general election, even if they come from the same party. For more information on the two candidates mentioned in this article, visit YamadaForSenate.com or BillDodd.com.

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