(Sacramento) -- Assemblymember Swanson received perfect scores of 100% on annual legislative report cards from leading environmental, labor, senior, and consumer groups for his activities during his first year in the Legislature in 2007. The groups include California League of Conservation Voters, the California Labor Federation, California Congress of Seniors, and the Consumer Federation of California.

"These organizations are at the forefront in advocating for the critical needs of people and the valuable resources of our state. I am deeply honored that they have recognized my first year of work in the Capitol so favorably. These votes of confidence are a source of encouragement and inspiration for me," Mr. Swanson said.

Additionally, Assemblymember Swanson received an "A" from the California Public Research Interest Group, which works to protect the public from corporate wrongdoing. It also advocates on behalf of the state's most disadvantaged to ensure their needs are met. Assemblymember Swanson was one of just eleven members of the California Assembly to receive the highest rating issued by the group last year.

Assemblymember Swanson received another "A" for advancing racial equity from the Jarad Sanchez & Tammy Johnson Applied Research Center. They noted his work on criminal justices issues, particularly his authorship of AB508, which would protect the children of former drug offenders by making their parents eligible for food stamps.

Each these groups have voiced concern over the impact of this year's budget crisis. Looking ahead to this challenge, Mr. Swanson remarked, "Our current budget crisis should not be a debate over money and cuts. It should instead be an effort to define our values and policy priorities as a state. We are at an historic crossroads that requires every one of us to pledge our support for our children, who are and will determine our future. We should all work for and demand a California that will invest in education. Countless studies have verified that our failure to budget for schools ultimately means that we will have to budget even more to build additional prisons. That outcome will ultimately come at the expense of the very things that every one these organizations passionately advocates for."