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Inyo, Kern, San Bernardino, Tulare Counties, CA June 6, 2006 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for David Minton Silva

Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 34; Green Party

This information is provided by the candidate

WHO AM I AND WHY SHOULD YOU VOTE FOR ME

  • I was born in Tulare at Tulare District Hospital in 1943. ƒæ I grew up a migrant farm worker traveling around all of California but worked each summer on my Godfather¡¦s Dairy and got my school clothes each year that way. ƒæ In High School I was always chosen for Treasurer. I was Treasurer of the Science Club, Treasurer of the Foreign Relations Club, and Treasurer of the FFA. I was Vice-President of the Latin Club, Vice-President of the Squires, a service organization, President of Masque and Palette. AND, I was Yell King. ƒæ I became President of Youth for Kennedy for the L.A. South Bay Area. ƒæ I volunteered for four years in the Air Force upon graduation. I was an Inventory Management Specialist, a Logistics Supervisor and Division Superintendent, and for being a whistle blower I was made US Airman of the Month. I was Secretary of the Holy name Society and a Catechism Teacher for Officers children. ƒæ After the Air Force I worked in the Film Industry. I was a cinematographer but mostly worked in pre-production breakdowns and film scheduling. ƒæ I founded Ecological Films with a partner. I wrote the scripts and did the budget breakdowns. When the Company moved to Boston I went back to school. MY experiences at UCLA were mostly academic. ƒæ In Law School I served on the admissions Committee, the Recruitment Committee and served two years as the Personnel Officer. ƒæ When the AIDS epidemic hit and took most of my friends in the first waves I became the First Home Manager for the Aids Project L.A. while working in a first amendment law firm in Beverly Hills. ƒæ I came back to Tulare and found work in Fresno. I worked as an Eligibility Worker. My first assignment garnered me a reputation as I cleaned up a long abandoned case of mostly Pakistani Families with failed businesses of some five hundred cases. I founded the Homeless Unit, was a shop steward and became the Vice President of SEIU 535. ƒæ I moved to Santa Cruz and immediately was placed on the Negotiations Team where I uncovered the famous case of the County¡¦s abuse and misuse of the self-insured Employees Health Fund. I became Treasurer of SEIU 415 during the democratization movement and kept us in the black and sent three times as many representatives to three times as many conferences before having to retire. ƒæ When I retired I served on the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), the Sister Cities Committee, and Housing and Homelessness Task Force among many others. I started the Hate Free Zones movement and founded the Safe Sleeping Zones for homeless people living in their cars. ƒæ I worked for SCAP (Santa Cruz Aids Project) where I organized the First Hand Speakers Bureau and trained speakers. I also founded the Client Advisory Council. ƒæ The rest of my work has been political focusing on local sustainable communities. ƒæ In 2003 I returned home to Tulare and immediately became involved in Patient Rights and Community Action ƒæ I ran for the Tulare Health Care District in 2004 and received the endorsement of the Tulare Advance Register. ƒæ I was appointed to the City of Tulare¡¦s Community Relations Commission and on to the County of Tulare¡¦s Child Abuse Prevention Council. ƒæ I am now running for the 34th Assembly seat. Originally there was just an Incumbent Republican and no Progressive from any party when entering the race.

¡§I plan to win the endorsement of the Change to Win Unions and other independent and progressive unions and independent farmers and small businessmen.¡¨ Silva says, ¡§I have always gotten the endorsement of SEIU and Teamsters whether I was a campaign manager or a candidate. I want union activist to walk precincts for me and work the phone banks.¡¨ Silva is encouraged that the California Teachers Association Local Service Region has refused to endorse either of the two major party candidates. ¡§Yes, that¡¦s very good for a usually conservative union to praise me, say they wanted to endorse me and then intentionally withhold their endorsement from the Democrat. I am very pleased.¡¨

Silva¡¦s number one plan for the district is future focused on transforming the district into an energy producer. ¡§Converting manure into electricity is practically my slogan,¡¨ Silva says constantly. I also want to require all the new sprawl housing developments to have solar roofs and all the community buildings downtown to be fitted with solar roofs and each community with a sewer system will be converted to energy producers.¡¨ When told he did not get his first union endorsement Silva did not flinch but rather he promises to put union members alongside chamber of commerce members together as staff in several new field offices through out the district. ¡§I figure we could use three neighborhood offices in the greater Visalia area and then at least six other offices in the several small rural towns. We want all people to feel free to get involved and tell us how to act in Sacramento when we get elected. After the primary and we prove we can hit Bill Maze harder than this Johnny Come Lately Democrat we expect the endorsements to come in fast and we will be ready, financially and organizationally. One thing I know is getting out the vote and targeting. I know this is really an Independent district not a Republican or Reagan Democrat voting base. Very independent and I¡¦ll prove it with my truth and sunshine campaign¡¨ For Silva¡¦s Complete Platform go to http://www.cagreens.org and click on GPCA Platform. To volunteer to work in your precinct or neighborhood or community organization to get out the Progressive Independent vote email manager@silva4assembly.com Contact dsilva@greens.org or call and leave a message at (559) 684-0197 To get a copy of David¡¦s novel about Gandhi and the Boer War send a request to david@silva.us To make a donation send a check or money order to Silva for 34th Assembly, 1248 N ¡§E¡¨ St, Tulare CA 93274

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 30, 2006 23:30
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