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| Democrat Cheryl Cook-Kallio filed Nov. 17 for next year’s Sixteenth Assembly District primary. |
ASSEMBLY | DISTRICT 16 | If outgoing Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins was a college football coach her recruiting trip to the Sixteenth Assembly District could be graded as fairly successful.
Suffice to say there are no blue chip recruits in the district straddling Contra Costa and Alameda Counties currently held by Republican Catharine Baker.
Democrats in both counties have been scouring the district for a suitable challenge to Baker, who last year became the first East Bay Republican elected to the Legislature in six years.
Enter Cheryl Cook-Kallio, a recently termed out Pleasanton councilmember, to fill the void. Cook-Kallio officially formed a campaign committee Nov. 17 and, according to one powerful union, Atkins was the agent leading to her recruitment.
In a region where Big Labor has faced a pair of expensive and stinging loses leading to Baker and Steve Glazer’s rise, it’s no surprise unions are searching for payback. And Atkins and the Democratic leadership in Sacramento view the Sixteenth District as high priority for its potential to be flipped in 2016.
But most concede it will be difficult after the Republican leadership appeared to have let Baker vote with a moderate touch during her first year in the Assembly. A strategy which positions Baker in line with the moderate, liberal-skewing district.
Baker’s rise followed her vanquishing of labor-backed Democrat Tim Sbranti and may have been the trigger leading to independent Democrat Glazer topping another labor-friendly Democrat, Susan Bonilla, last May in the Seventh State Senate District.
Moderate Democrats like Orinda Councilmember Amy Worth and Contra Costa County Democratic Party farmhand Jerome Pandell were early rumored candidates, but neither appeared to have the mettle of unseating the freshman Republican.
ebcitizen.com 
I'll be voting for Catherine Baker. Her positions and supporters are absolutely the right fit for this district.
Down with dirty union whores who want to run BART into the ground!
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Baker has done nothing for us in the Capitol. We want a Democratic change. Cheryl Cook-Kallio is a breath of fresh air, and we hope Cheryl wins.
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Baker has done nothing for us in the Capitol. We want a Democratic change. Cheryl Cook-Kallio is a breath of fresh air, and we hope Cheryl wins.
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I'll be voting for Catherine Baker. Her positions and supporters are absolutely the right fit for this district. You are the stupidity of your misguided ways–referencing 10:47 PM.
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I'll be voting for Cheryl Cook-Callio. Her supporters are much nicer. You are the company you keep.
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For shame, Carolyn Phinney. For shame on you.
Team? We think you dream too much.
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Your team is the only one with a potty mouth.
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Mr. Skells and I will proudly support ASSEMBLYWOMAN CATHY BAKER. She is the real deal who cares about ordinary people. The other union whores want to pick the public's pockets clean. For shame, Carolyn Phinney, for using potty mouth against our dear Cathy. Our Cathy will win in another landslide just as she did with MITT-Branti the last time around. He decided to continue suckling on the public tit by joining Swalwell's staff as his Chief Union Whore Airhead. For shame!
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Wow, what a nasty group is supporting Catherine Baker and commenting here. If we vote on the conduct of the candidates supporters, Cheryl will win in a landslide. Let's all grow up and argue the substance. What are their positions on privatization of public schools/charter schools? What are their positions on BART extension to Livermore? Let's focus on the issues and stop the personal attacks. These are both fine women. They don't agree on everything. Vote on issues, not baloney.
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Sure, she is a nice person. One has to come off as nice in order to get votes. In reality, she is lacking in many different areas and will not allow herself to be educated by people who know what's going on. She is a very weak leader.
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Baker has come out with legislation against BART strikes and gives a damn about the PEOPLE. She has been a tempered voice of moderation and best represents the views of the MAJORITY of this district. Talk about letting your extreme pro-union whore bias show. Clean she is.
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Some of the bloggers on this site certainly let their bias show. I have met Cheryl Cook-Kallio many times and like her as a person. She is a moderate Democrat and will serve this Assembly District very well if elected. I have watched Baker do absolutely nothing for this area after being elected by a billionaire pouring millions into the race to elect her. Clean she is not.
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If scraping below the bottom of the barrel counts, the we agree union slut. A 'great' candidate. Love CLEAN CATHY BAKER 2016!
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Cook-Kallio sounds like a great candidate to me despite the arrogant rants of MW and the antiunion whore above.
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Sounds good to me. This district represents, good, moderate-conservative values. Our Democratic household loves clean Cathy Baker. She vanquished the union whores and will continue to do so in 2016. You go, girl!
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Pleasanton politicians are generally despised throughout the valley area. They are considered arrogant, ignorant, and really out of touch. Cook-Kallio is a clear example of this. She constantly displays poor leadership.
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By MW:
A Republican, in other words Catherine Baker, actually represents Alameda County!!!!
That is outrageous and disgraceful – AND IN FACT WE SHOULD MAKE IT UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO CERTIFY AND ACCEPT THE RESULTS IN ANY CONTEST IN WHICH A PERSON WHO IS A REPUBLICAN AND/OR A CONSERVATIVE GETS THE MOST VOTES IN AN ELECTION TO DECIDE WHO IS TO REPRESENT AN EXTREMELY LIBERAL AREA SUCH AS ALAMEDA COUNTY.
In other words, anyone who does not accept and believe in, or at least pretend to believe in, the politically correct lies, garbage, and nonsense that all good little liberals do is obviously stupid, narrow minded, a bigot, a racist, and in general an extremely inferior person. And people who are as extremely superior and as extremely intelligent as liberals are should not have to be subjected to the extreme injustice of being represented by a person as inferior as conservatives are, and regardless of the election results. So I am going to ask Ruth Bader Ginsburg, LaDoris Cordell, and Eric Holder to immediately remove from office any public official who is a conservative representing a liberal area.
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Amen to the above. And lest we forget….she was on that ill-fated ACAP governing board that never met. In fact, she had the worst attendance record of them all. She never went to the meetings! She is a terrible leader and a racist.
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Cheryl Cook-Kallio might be a registered Democrat, but her views are far closer to most Republicans. This does not speak well of the Democratic Party.
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