Endorsing the ‘Responsible Plan’ for Ending the War in Iraq
Posted March 27, 2008
A majority of Americans believe that we should leave Iraq and many believe we should pull our troops out immediately. Any plan to bring our men and women in uniform back from Iraq safely has to be carefully considered. I have endorsed the Responsible Plan, because it takes steps to address all the issues that a withdrawal will entail: ending military action in Iraq, using diplomatic power, restoring the military, and creating a new energy policy.
My specific contribution to implementing the Responsible Plan in Congress will revolve around our energy policy and how rapid progress on energy issues is necessary for us to solve key problems of the faltering economy, jobs, national security, food, and transportation. The key to our nation’s future prosperity is reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and creating new green collar jobs in a clean energy economy.
Debbie Cook Wins Pre-endorsement Caucuses
Posted March 14, 2008
Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook won nearly unanimous delegate support for her Congressional campaign during the California Democratic Party’s regional endorsement caucus held in the city of Orange Thursday evening.
By securing 96 percent of the delegate vote, Cook was placed on the fast track to winning the endorsement of the full state party, to be decided during the annual convention in San Jose March 28-30.
“People across this district and across the country are ready for change. They want a representative in Washington who will stop the partisan bickering, work hard and get results for the 46th Congressional District,” said Cook. “I want to thank the grassroots Democrats across the district from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Costa Mesa for their overwhelming display of support for my candidacy.”
Rep. Jane Harman Endorses Debbie
Posted March 10, 2008
U.S. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) has announced her endorsement of Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook for the 46th Congressional District race.
Harman is the latest of dozens of prestigious and respected leaders backing Cook’s campaign for Congress, including Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) and State Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach).
“Jane’s support is very meaningful to me because of her work on the Energy and Commerce Committee and Energy & Air Quality Subcommittee,” Cook said. “She is tackling issues that hold special importance to me and to my neighbors—issues that have not been addressed by the incumbent in this district.”
Currently mayor of Huntington Beach, Cook has devoted much of her adult life and her legal career to protecting environmentally sensitive locations in Orange County. She considers reducing America’s dependence on fossil fuels an environmental and national security imperative.
In addition to her duties on the Huntington Beach City Council, Cook is chair of the Energy and Environment Committee for the Southern California Association of Governments and chairs the Orange County Parks Commission.
The 46th Congressional District spans a two-county coastal area from Costa Mesa on the south to the Palos Verdes Peninsula on the north.
Huntington Beach Mayor Runs For Congress
Posted February 02, 2008
“Our nation faces big problems: a growing energy gap, a struggling economy, global warming, the escalating costs of 6ealth care, and the war in Iraq .” Mayor Cook said. “We need new people with new passion and new ideas who have experience working across party lines to get results.”
Cook faces long odds in this heavily Republican district. But Cook believes that the best and most creative solutions are coming from non-partisan elected officials at the local level, who are close to their constituents. “We need to focus on the basics: where we work, where we live, and our place in the world.”
She helped lead the fight to prevent the Orange County Sanitation District from dumping massive amounts of partially treated wastewater into the ocean. Cook has promoted energy efficiency and other green initiatives in Huntington Beach city government. Cook made the announcement Saturday, Feb. 2 during a Democratic Mayor’s breakfast at the Democratic Party of Orange County’s Biennial Convention in Anaheim.
Cook, an attorney and a former small business owner, is serving her second term as mayor of Huntington Beach since being elected to the Huntington Beach City Council in 2000 and reelected in 2004. On the council, Cook is recognized for her common sense and her commitment to fiscal responsibility.
In the 1990s, Cook led grassroots efforts in Huntington Beach that saved public parks and beaches from commercial development. As an attorney, she worked on the legal team that set precedent in protecting environmentally sensitive coastal habitat including the Bolsa Chica mesa.
Cook currently serves as Chair of the Energy and Environment Committee for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and Chair of the Orange County Parks Commission.
Cook has spoken across the country and internationally on the challenges local governments face from the peaking of world oil production. She is a member of the board of directors of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas.
Cook has ties across the 46th congressional district which stretches along the coast from Costa Mesa to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. In addition to a degree in Earth Science from Cal State Long Beach, she has an honorary degree from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa as a result of 25 years of volunteer work in the Horticulture Department. While in her 20’s she purchased her first home in Westminster and volunteered in the Fountain Valley schools and Fountain Valley neighborhood watch program.
Cook has been a resident of Orange County for more than 40 years. She is married to John Fisher, has one son and a grandson.