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   Vol.65/No.7            February 19, 2001 
 
 
Socialist in race for mayor of Los Angeles
 
BY AL DUNCAN  
LOS ANGELES--Supporters of the Socialist Workers campaign of Wendy Lyons for mayor of Los Angeles collected 1,200 signatures of working people here in two weeks to place Lyons, a garment worker, on the ballot for the April 10 primary election.

The socialist candidate turned in 1,000 of those signatures--the maximum allowed--to the city clerk's office February 5 to be checked against the roster of register voters. To get on the ballot in Los Angeles 500 signatures of registered voters are required. The city clerk's office is to certify Lyons's ballot status within 10 days.

In launching the campaign Lyons and her supporters campaigned to get out the truth about the crisis facing workers and farmers in the state due to the price gouging by the energy monopolies and the state-sponsored bailout of the electric utilities.

According to campaign supporters who collected the signatures, a big majority of people signed the petitions in response to the campaign's demands to open the books of the energy monopolies, to nationalize them without compensation, and to run them as public utilities in the interests of working people.

Lyons stated, "This crisis is the latest example of the fact that capitalism, as it heads deeper into crisis, will bring with it devastating consequences for working people around the world. Our campaign poses a fighting, revolutionary alternative to what the superwealthy ruling minority and the parties that represent them have in store for workers and farmers."

"Our campaign," Lyons said, "is getting a serious reception to our central proposition: that working people can and must mount a revolutionary struggle to replace the capitalist government with one of our own, opening up the battle to eliminate capitalism and construct a socialist society."

Lyons already has a full campaign schedule and has pledged to continue to speak out in the interests of workers and farmers and in opposition to the Democratic and Republican parties that represent the wealthy ruling class.

[As we go to press the City Clerks office in Los Angeles informed the Socialist Workers campaign that Lyons has met all the requirements to be placed on the April ballot. Please see "Look us up" on page 12 for information on how to contact the Lyons for mayor campaign.]  
 
 
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