[GPCA Updates] GREEN RELEASE: Green Party candidate scores in Orange County 48thcongressional Special Election primary, ]

[updates-admin at cagreens.org]

                   News Advisory
             THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
               http://www.cagreens.org
	

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 4, 2005 (11:05 p.m.)
	     

Green Party candidate scores in Orange County
48th congressional Special Election primary,
predicts ‘Green revolution' in run-off

SANTA ANA (Oct. 4, 2005 / 11:05 p.m.)- Green Party candidate
Bea Tiritilli - running a surprising strong race despite her
party's tiny registration in conservative Orange County -
late Tuesday night found herself among the top 10 finishers
in the Special Election primary to replace former
Congressman Christopher Cox in the 48th District.

As of late Tuesday night, it appeared none of the 17
candidates had won more than 50 percent of the vote, which
forces a Special Election run-off Dec. 6. The top
vote-getter in each party qualifies for the run-off,
including Tiritilli, who was running 9th with more than
double the Green Party's .56 percent registered voters in
Orange County. She was leading six Republicans, a
Libertarian and one Democrat.

"I look forward to working on a strategy to promote a
peaceful and Green revolution in Orange County and the
United States," said Tiritilli, 42, a high school teacher
who made opposition to the Iraq War and social justice a
major part of her grassroots campaign.

"We must bring our soldiers home from Iraq. That's our first
and most imperative priority. We need to defeat the mind-set
that war is the only method to combat our differences with
other nations. Next, we must overturn the pathetic
environmental policies this administration has designed to
pander to the corporations. This includes starting fresh
with an energy policy which does not subsidize big business
at the expense of conservation and small alternative-energy
businesses," said Tiritilli late Tuesday night.

"We also need to focus on sane immigration reform which does
not blame undocumented immigrants as scapegoats for
everything that ails our society. Instead, we must take a
creative approach to examining and acting upon the roots of
undocumented immigration, which often means economic
desperation brought on by American foreign policies that
favor corporations at the expense of the poor and dwindling
middle class," Tiritilli added.

Sixty-seven Greens hold office in California, including Karl
Warkomski, mayor of Aliso Viejo. Tiritilli is the third
California Green to run in a Special Election in 2005 and
fourth nationwide. In April, Aimee Allison finished fourth
of eight candidates vying for an empty Oakland City Council
spot, and Pat Driscoll was eighth of 12 candidates in a
special election for the 5th Congressional District
(Sacramento) in March.