A lot of politicians say the right things. Damon Connolly, a Democratic candidate in District 12, gets it done. There will be no surprises on where he stands when he’s representing us in the State Assembly. Below are his positions on many of the critical issues facing the North Bay.

Climate Change

Damon Connolly has been a fearless and effective environmental champion throughout his entire 18-year career in public service. He has always understood that the urgency of the climate crisis requires bold and unwavering leadership, and that’s the kind of Assemblymember he’ll be.

Damon authored San Rafael’s Climate Change Action Plan when he was Vice Mayor (the first adopted in Marin County), updated Marin County’s Climate Change Action Plan, co-founded Marin Clean Energy (MCE), and helped start Sonoma Clean Power. 

Damon’s leadership has helped reduce carbon emissions in Marin County by 24% since 2005, and the county is on pace to reduce emissions by 60% of 2005 levels by 2030.

In 2020, Damon co-authored a policy to oppose and deter offshore oil drilling by requiring direct voter approval for any facility that assists with it. Under his leadership, Marin County also joined San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties, with Richmond and Imperial Beach cities, in suing the major oil companies for promoting petroleum consumption as environmentally responsible while knowing that it causes harm. These legal efforts are still ongoing, but one thing is clear: Damon isn’t afraid to stand up to the big polluters.

Open Space

To live in Marin and Sonoma counties is to love the outdoors. That’s why throughout his public service career, Damon Connolly has always prioritized the preservation of open space and improvements to our trails and bike paths.

Open space that Damon has helped preserve includes McInnis Marsh, a 180-acre historic wetland, and Silveira Ranch, a 340-acre scenic mix of grasslands, valley oaks, and tideland habitats.

In the State Assembly, Damon will continue his legacy as a conservationist we can trust.

Wildfire Prevention

There’s arguably no concern that represents a more existential threat to the North Bay than wildfire risk. As climate change continues to make us more vulnerable, we’ve all come to dread “wildfire season”, knowing how many communities it puts at risk.

As a County Supervisor, Damon Connolly has worked closely with Marin County Fire and Marin County Parks and Open Space to develop effective wildfire prevention and preparedness strategies, including budget support for more fire crews. In 2020, Damon helped lead the campaign to pass Measure C, establishing the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority. This program will significantly improve the county’s wildfire response, including more investment in vegetation management, wildfire detection, evacuation programs, and public fire safety education.

Damon will continue this kind of visionary leadership in the State Assembly. He’ll prioritize the flexible resources needed to protect homes, create evacuation routes, and prepare community members for emergencies.

Housing

Damon Connolly understands that housing is one of the most important issues facing our state. Throughout his career, Damon has prioritized an expansion of affordable housing while protecting the rights of tenants and breaking down the barriers to home ownership. Notably, during the pandemic, Damon voted to prevent displacement through an eviction moratorium for tenants, which helped stem the pain until the state intervened with financial payments, preventing what could have been a huge rise in homelessness in our community.

He will work to ensure that state housing requirements recognize the value of open space in the North Bay and prioritize new homes, especially affordable, near our downtowns and major transit corridors. In this way, we get the best of both worlds: more vibrant, livable, and affordable downtown cores adjacent to the natural wonders that make our region such a wonderful place to live.

Homelessness

Throughout California and the North Bay, far too many people are struggling to secure housing, and it’s led to a sharp rise in our unhoused population. An issue that is national in its scope is too often left to local governments to address, and the outcome isn’t satisfactory for anyone.

Damon Connolly supports Governor Newsom’s Homekey initiative that embraces a housing-first approach by offering grants to local governments to purchase and rehabilitate buildings, like hotels and vacant apartment buildings, to be converted into permanent supportive housing. Homekey is a great foundation that should be expanded upon. Damon has been working with cities and towns to collaboratively address encampments.

Additional resources are needed to address the full range of reasons people experience homelessness, including mental health and addiction support, family counseling, job training, recidivism intervention, and direct help for vulnerable youth.

Economic Revitalization

As California turns the corner on COVID-19, the next phase of our response needs to take center stage: our economic recovery.

Federal CARES dollars have helped prevent drastic cuts to government services, but far too many of our small businesses are still struggling and many are months behind rent. As a County Supervisor, Damon voted for an emergency relief program to help our small businesses, ultimately raising $1.2 million in grants countywide that were distributed to small businesses. The state can and must do more to incentivize repayment plans that help small businesses stay open.

Working with Supervisor Judy Arnold, Damon also established the Marin Economic Recovery Task Force, which is working in partnership with non-profit and business partners to develop the long-term strategy needed to save small businesses and cut through the red tape to access resources.

There are no easy answers, but we know that inaction is not an option. Damon is committed to saving North Bay small businesses and employment opportunities and will continue looking for creative solutions as our next Assemblymember.

Health Care

Damon Connolly believes health care is a human right, and he will be a fearless advocate for universal health care in the State Assembly.

He supports CalCare, expanding Medicaid eligibility to all lower income California residents, additional subsidies to make healthcare more affordable on the Covered California state exchange, price transparency in health care billing, and prescription drug price controls.

Damon also believes that mental health care is a central component of comprehensive health care, and he supports policies to make mental health care more affordable, more accessible, and destigmatized.

Recognizing the shortage of caregivers and nurses in California, Damon will be an advocate for growing our state’s health care workforce and providing more personalized care to patients and residents in caregiving facilities.

Damon has always been a strong supporter of women’s health and reproductive rights, and supports legislation to make California an abortion sanctuary state so people can come to our state for the care they need.

Transportation

When it comes to ensuring a reliable transportation network in our community, Damon Connolly walks the walk (and rides the bus). For two months out of the year, Damon goes car-free to test the resilience and reliability of public transportation in the North Bay, and these experiences guide his work as Marin County’s representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area’s regional transportation agency.

As our next Assemblymember, Damon will continue this focus on seamless mobility. The idea is simple: transit needs to be affordable, connected, reliable, and easy to use.

Damon also prioritizes safe passage for bicyclists and pedestrians and Safe Routes to Schools to keep our kids safe on their way to and from school. He’s also committed to greater investments in Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure, and he supports accelerating our state’s transition to 100% zero emission vehicles.

Equity

Promoting social justice and racial and gender equity have been a core tenet of Damon Connolly throughout his life and career as a public official. Meaningful change means doing away with policies and practices that are unjust or allow for complacency in the face of injustice. 

As a Marin County Supervisor, Damon has placed equity front and center in his decision making. Every policy item before the county must include an equity impact analysis, and millions are being allocated every year to equity initiatives. 

As a State Assemblymember, Damon will promote policies that result in equal pay for equal work, family-sustaining pay and benefit levels, strong enforcement of anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws, and workforce training and retraining programs that expand opportunities for women and BIPOC communities, including pathways to senior management.

Reproductive Rights

With Roe v. Wade overturned by a reactionary Supreme Court, California is rising to the occasion. Damon Connolly was the first candidate in the 12th Assembly District to champion the establishment of an abortion sanctuary in the state to protect patients and people who offer or facilitate abortion services.

Damon proudly supports Prop 1, on the ballot this November, which would amend the State Constitution to affirm that reproductive health decisions are protected as a constitutional right.

In the Assembly, Damon will advocate for more resources to make abortions as affordable as possible, for people from any state, country, or territory, and supports policies that give the state the broadest possible latitude to protect people in our state seeking reproductive health services. He is proud to be supported by the Planned Parenthood Northern California Action Fund.

Sustainable Agriculture

Marin and Sonoma counties are home to some of the most desirable agricultural land in California, and the North Bay’s many family farmers and vintners deserve a voice in Sacramento who will fight to preserve their way of life.

This starts with acknowledging that the growing risk of droughts and wildfires is an existential threat to our rural lands (see “Wildfire Prevention” for more on Damon’s work on this issue). As our next Assemblyman, Damon will fight for regional, state, and federal resources to improve water conservation, recycling, and reclamation throughout the state, making more water available for all. He will also advocate for resources to help farmers engaged in sustainable practices, including strategies to help migratory birds and the use of next generation technologies that monitor water use and needs to ensure the most efficient distribution of water.