In 2014, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez cruised to victory uncontested when she ran for her first reelection after a year and a half in office. In 2016, her most visible opponent appears to be one of the most interesting candidates in recent history.
Louis J. Marinelli, is running as a candidate for the California National Party, which advocates California leaving the US to form a new nation. It appears that the party has a Twitter account but is not (according to the Secretary of State’s website) actually trying to qualify for ballot status.
Marinelli has made a number of, what can only be described as significant and creative campaign pledges, including seceding from the United States, moving the UN headquarters to San Francisco, and building solar panel roadways in Southern California.
Marinelli has also taken to Twitter to share his opinions on a number of very hot political topics in a more direct manner than we’re used to hearing. The day of the San Bernardino shooting, while California law enforcement was being hailed for successfully stopping the shooters, Marinelli suggested that it might be dangerous to employ military veterans as police officers because “They’re trained killers” and “many have PTSD” and calling for a repeal of the Second Amendment because Americans can no longer be “trusted with guns”. What followed was a fascinating… um… dialogue between Marinelli and former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher.
Marinelli also tweeted that the blame for Wednesday’s attack in San Bernardino might fall on “a half century of American imperialism/foreign policy.”
Finally, Marinelli has announced that he will be soon release a detailed plan, which I can’t wait to read.
