BURBANK — The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees hosted a fundraiser for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at IA Local 80 headquarters in Burbank. The event, presided over by International President Thomas C. Short, raised over $75,000 for the Angelides campaign and was attended by over 200 people, including IA officers, business representatives of several IA Locals, members of the rank and file, and California labor leaders.
President Short introduced Angelides with a forceful statement of the IA’s support for the candidate’s strong position on protecting working families who are losing representation to government administrations increasingly beholden to special interests. Said Short, “Phil Angelides is a man who envisions a state with even more jobs in the entertainment industry, with first class schools, with affordable health care for working families, and protections for our environment. The entertainment industry is environmentally the envy of the country, and adds a tremendous amount of ancillary jobs and tourism which accounts for several billion dollars a year in addition to the already $31 billion in production for the State of California.”
In his remarks, Angelides renewed his dedication to support the motion picture industry’s below the line workers, to maintaining union pension and health plans, and to education and opportunity for all Californians.