Election Action 2008
MLYD AA Members Help Secure Victory for Mariko Yamada in Assembly District 8
June 3, 2008
Mira Loma Young Democrats Alumni Association members Eddie Kirby (ML '06), Aleksey Lutsuk (ML '06), and Brian Newton (ML '06) led a team of our members, hand-in-hand with the Sacramento Central Labor Council, to help Get Out the Vote for Democratic Assembly Candidate Mariko Yamada (pictured to the left) in Fairfield. This race was close; just 1,000 votes seperated her and her Democratic rival Christopher Cabaldon.
Our members walked precincts, phonebanked, and on election day drove out voters to their polling places to guarentee Mariko got the votes she needed to be our next Assemblymember in District 8. Aleksey Lutsuk (ML '06) said of the experience, "It always feels good to work with our brothers and sisters in the Labor movement for a common cause. This is just one way that our organization (Mira Loma Young Democrats Alumni Association) continues to play a vital role in local and statewide politics".
The race was highly competitive with special interest group EdVoice running a half-a-million dollar plus Independent Expendature campaign in support of Christopher Cabaldon. But Labor and the Mira Loma Young Democrats Alumni Association fought back, and we were able to pull Mariko to victory. The final vote count was: Mariko 17,009 votes, Cabaldon 15,961 votes.