Nurses endorse Phil Angelides for California Governor

Bonnie Ho, writing in the Sept 2006 Registered Nurse magazine, reports on the California Nurses Association's (CNA) endorsement of Democrat Phil Angelides for Governor:

Saying that he would help California provide greater access to healthcare and better prepare for natural disasters than the incumbent. CNA/NNOC announced on Aug. 29 its support of state treasurer Phil Angelides for governor.

"We're going to move to make California a model for universal healthcare," Angelides said at the Los Angeles press conference announcing the endorsement, which coincided with the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. He also supports Proposition 89, CNA/NNOC's November Clean Elections ballot initiative that aims to stop corruption in politics by curbing the influence of campaign money. Angelides also said that he would prioritize healthcare, education, and the public good above protecting profits for corporations and the wealthy.

Phil Angelides (left) with John Edwards

In contrast, current Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has publicly opposed universal health-care, worked against a law requiring large businesses to cover their workers, and vetoed legislation to give communities more notice about hospital closures. Also in contrast to Schwarzenegger's effort to overturn nurse-to-patient ratios, Angelides said he would never suspend the law.

But one of the main reasons for confidence in Angelides is simply that he came through during the emergency following Katrina last year. When CNA/NNOC was scrambling to send RN volunteers to the Gulf Coast, the organization asked Angelides for help. Within days, he arranged and sponsored seats on a charter jet plane to fly about 50 CNA/NNOC RN volunteers to Louisiana.

Austrian Social Democratic poster for International Workers Day 1898

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