Das Williams has dedicated his life to the protection of the coastal environment and working families. In 15 years he has done this in a variety of capacities: serving 4 years as legislative aide, 5 years teaching, 6 years on the Santa Barbara City Council, and working in over 26 elections for progressive candidates and causes. And, now, he's the CA35 State Assemblyman.
"We need to rebuild our middle class by creating new jobs and pushing our state to invest in new technologies and industries. I’ll expand alternative energy and sustainable, clean ways of living and doing business, and will unite our state’s environmental and labor constituencies behind a pro-jobs agenda to ensure that California is not left behind..." -- Das
Das Williams helped former Assemblymember Hannah-Beth Jackson write legislation prohibiting new oil tankering off the Santa Barbara Coast.
Das also helped craft a state resolution calling on the Feds to terminate all offshore oil leases.
Das has made very public statements that both offshore and onshore drilling areunacceptable.
Das has been, and still is, fighting to protect our environment on so many fronts...championing Alternative Energy....Public Transportation....Energy Efficiency.
Unfortunately,the truth doesn't make for good copy on deceptive campaign literature that is being sent out by his opponent(s).
I have had one goal and one goal only throughout my career: to end oil drilling permanently. I grew up on the Central Coast and, like so many others in this community, we have lived with the constant threat that oil drilling poses on a daily basis. Not only must we work to do everything possible to end drilling for the sake of the environment and public health and safety, but make a steady and persistent transition to a clean-energy future. As a legislative aide for former Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, I helped write landmark legislation that ended the practice of transporting oil from oil rigs by tanker, therefore significantly reducing the risk of oil spills. I also helped craft a resolution calling on the federal government to terminate all offshore oil leases. As a city councilman I have staunchly opposed all oil development off our coast, including the current proposal by Venoco to build an onshore oil rig in the city of Carpinteria. Here in the city of Santa Barbara, we have had much success in transitioning to green, alternative energy sources and helping reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Since I was first elected in 2003, we have more than doubled the city’s use of renewable energy and created tough energy-efficiency standards.
Das has worked with a wide variety of people and organizations toward a common goal of lessening our energy footprint. For example, this news from 2007.
Earlier this month, the Santa Barbara City Council passed a new Energy Ordinance that aims to make the city’s buildings 40% more efficient than those in any other U.S. city. Under the ordinance, Santa Barbara’s energy standards become 10% more stringent every five years. The aim, City Council member Das Williams told the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Daily Nexus, is to make city’s buildings 20% more efficient than required under California Title 24 efficiency standards, themselves 20% more efficient than national standards. To pre-empt fights between the city and builders over the ordinance, the Santa Barbara-based Community Environmental Council and the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects worked to educate builders about the benefits of building efficiently. A coalition of 15 local groups, including environmentalists, contractors and architects, are actively supporting the energy ordinance and the Architecture 2030 Challenge, a measure that inspired the ordinance and calls for cities to be carbon neutral by 2030. - FlexYourPower
Someone who knows the issues and communicates regardless of party lines to make things happen. That's exactly what we need up in Sacramento. That's exactly what Das Williams brings to the table.
it's about PLANNING for energy alternatives...it's about WORKING toward energy self sufficiency....it's about TAKING initiative for positive change. It's about FORGING ahead to the future. It's all about the DOING. And Das is doing just that.
relies upon rebuilding our Middle Class:
Das Williams helped former Assemblymember Hannah-Beth Jackson write legislation prohibiting new oil tankering off the Santa Barbara Coast.
