For Immediate Release, March 21, 2022
Contact: Karuna Jaggar, (510) 220-2410, karunajaggar@centeractionfund.org
Center Action Fund Endorses Mike Ortega for California’s 46th Congressional District
SANTA ANA, Calif.— The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, the 501(c)(4) political arm of the Center for Biological Diversity, announced today that it is endorsing Mike Ortega in the Democratic primary in California’s 46th Congressional District.
“Mike Ortega will take bold action to address the climate crisis through a rapid phaseout of fossil fuels and a just transition,” said Karuna Jaggar, California political director at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund. “Ortega is a climate champion challenging an incumbent who has long been in the pocket of Big Oil and Gas donors. With so much at stake right now, we cannot afford business as usual.”
“We are excited to get to work with Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund on mitigating and taking on the exigent crisis of climate change, as well as protecting our beautiful wildlife in our nation,” said Ortega. “The work they do is crucial for progressive candidates like me to be informed as to what precisely must be done to save this planet from the greed of the fossil fuel industry and create a sustainable world for our children.”
Ortega is challenging Rep. Lou Correa, an oil-backed, corporate Democrat whose voting record extends more than two decades to his time in the state legislature. Correa’s record includes opposing a moratorium on fracking, opposing a bill that would require oil and gas companies to notify neighbors before fracking, opposing cleaner fuels for heavy-duty vehicles, opposing a pilot program to bring solar to disadvantaged communities, and opposing a climate change community benefits fund.
Last year, Correa took more than $25,000 from the oil and gas industry, according to Open Secrets, which tracks money in politics. Throughout his tenure in government, Correa has consistently opposed solutions to address the climate emergency and has protected the interests of Big Oil instead of Californians.
The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund is a national nonprofit organization that advocates for legislation and legislators that will advance a progressive environmental agenda. The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) affiliate of the Center for Biological Diversity, but these organizations’ names are not interchangeable. This news release is from the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, not the Center for Biological Diversity.