Fresno, CA

Rep. George Radanovich, currently serving his sixth term in Congress, voted to authorize military force against Iraq in October 2002, and continues to support the occupation of Iraq. He has consistently voted against all resolutions or bills which would begin bringing American troops home from Iraq. On Memorial Day he issued a statement which linked Iraq to the war on terrorism, “This Memorial Day is particularly poignant because as we speak service members are overseas protecting us from the evils of terrorism.”

In March he criticized the Democratic majority in Congress for wanting to include timetables in military funding bills. “Micromanagement of the war, through arbitrary timelines for withdrawal, does not belong in a bill that’s purpose is to support the troops and provide them with the tools and equipment necessary to continue their efforts fighting the Global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Radanovich voiced his ongoing support for the occupation of Iraq in February, proclaiming, “I am here today to reiterate to the American people that the war in Iraq, as a part of the larger Global War on Terror, is absolutely vital to the security of our great nation as well as the rest of the free world.” He acknowledged that “poor intelligence” led to the invasion of Iraq, but said it was “intelligence that every major fact-finding and data-gathering agency in the world believed to be true. Nevertheless, spreading freedom to the Muslim world is our best long-term strategy in the Global War on Terror.”

Radanovich’s record on health care is consistent. He voted for a February 2006 bill to deny non-emergency treatment to people who could not pay the Medicare co-pay. He also voted to limit prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients in 2003, and voted against allow prescription drugs to be reimported from Canada. The American Public Health Association rated him at 0% concerning his public health voting record. According to the website GOPAuctionHouse.org, “big drug interests have given $9,700 to Radanovich over the Representative’s career.”

The League of Conservation rated Radanovich at 0% in 2006 for his environmental voting record. In 2006 he voted against increasing AMTRAK funding, and also against barring a website which promoted having a nuclear waste dump in Yucca Mountain. The prior year he voted to de-authorize critical habitats for endangered species. In 2003 he voted to speed up approval of forest thinning projects, and in 2001 he voted to reduce the liability for hazardous waste cleanup.

Radanovich sides with the oil industry. He voted against criminalizing oil cartels in May. In June 2006 he voted against keeping a moratorium on offshore drilling, and voted for scheduling permits for new oil refineries. He voted to allow new oil refineries to be constructed in 2005, and in 2001 voted against incentives for alternative fuels. He voted against prohibiting oil drilling and development in the Alaska National Wildlife Refugee, and voted no on beginning to implement the Kyoto Protocol. According to GOPAuctionHouse.org the oil and gas industry has given him $83,138.

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors finally decided on a 2007-2008 budget Thursday, July 19, 2007 after four days of hearings. The Fresno Bee reported the Board’s claim that the county is too broke to spend $50,000 on consolidating certain law enforcement services with the Fresno Police Department.

Channel 30 news reported that Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer compelled the Board to keep the city/county traffic ticket profit sharing agreement intact. Channel 30 also reported the Board is considering an increase in impact fees which could generate as much as $20,000 annually.

Dyer reportedly told the Board, “Simply as a result of our revenue sharing agreement, you would’ve gotten $5,000, in lieu of that you got $3, 827M…nearly $4M more…Traffic fatalities are down 28.8% percent between 2002 and 2006. That’s 53 fewer families that had to bury a loved one in our city as a result of our efforts and those are City and County resident”