Lynn Woolsey Retirement Announcement Expected Next Week: Report

U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey is expected to announce next week that she will not run for reelection in 2012, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Sources tell the California-based outlet that the Democratic congresswoman will announce her plans to retire at her home next Monday.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported last December that Woolsey, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was undecided on whether or not to seek another term.

"She hasn't made up her mind," a spokesman for the congresswoman said at the time. "But she will make that call by June."

Novato Patch reports:

Woolsey, D-Petaluma, notified the media that she will make an announcement from her Petaluma home on June 27, but the release said nothing about the reason for the gathering.

According to the Chronicle, Woolsey spokesperson Bart Acocella is tight-lipped on what the Democratic lawmaker will say next week. "I can tell you that she will make an announcement on the 27th about her future plans," he said.

Joe Garofoli reports on what the future could hold of the congressional seat currently held by Woolsey:

Even with the state's new redistricting plan likely to create a very-different looking 6th District, there's already a line forming to snag the super-safe Democratic seat-for-life, starting with termed out Assemblyman Jared Huffman and activist and author Norman Solomon, Marin County Supervisor Susan Adams, state Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, and Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane.

Here's another name to toss in the mix: What about Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom?

Woolsey was first elected to the U.S House of Representatives in 1992.

Comments

[John Graham]

01:55 PM on 06/21/2011

I can't see Gavin Newsom because he is from San Francisco (former mayor) and that is Nancy Pelosi's discrict, not Ms. Woolsey's. I'd put my money on Mr. Huffman. I will of course, futilely support a conservative candidate who will not even be on the ballot in the general eleciton, due to the new "jungle" primary.

[Cacey]

04:18 PM on 06/21/2011

Newsom will serve well as Lt. Governor then follow either Sen. Boxer or Sen. Feinstein if he doesn't follow Brown as governor. Newsom's objective is the Presidency and I predict he will make it.

[wyldthings]

04:30 PM on 06/21/2011

Maybe Governor or Senator but not President. His exploits with his best friends wife, his personal Secretary will kill that.

[mad tn dem]

12:48 PM on 06/22/2011

I guess "jungle" has a meaning other than the one I'm thinking of?? Not only will you be alone in your support..it will be as you are here..alone..1 fan..is it possible you've fanned yourself?

[FogBelter]

01:39 PM on 06/21/2011

I'm pulling for Norman Solomon to get the seat if it open's up. He is brilliant and would serve the people well.

As a citizen of San Francisco I wouldn't want to wish Gavin Newsom on anyone. I know the corporate democrats have big plans for him, but I wouldn't want to see a progressive democrat replaced by him.

[Jeffrey Kohan]

01:31 PM on 06/21/2011

I went to law school with Noreen Evans who is considered a possible replacement. She is a very bright lady and I am sure that she will do an excellent job if she happens to win.

[dawlishgal]

01:18 PM on 06/21/2011

This site is not working to reply to comments made already. So I will summarize.....all working people who are working legally must pay taxes. FICA comes out of paychecks via withholding. Crooked politicians have illegally "borrowed" this money, and conservatives would rather not have to repay it , so they paint old and sick as villains in the deficit. Nevermind that Republicans suckered us into invading a country that had done nothing to us, and wasted 3 trillion bucks and still counting, including well over a hundred billion that can't be accounted for. The richest of the rich (the ones who have most need of military and protection services from the government) pay only a small fraction of what they used to pay when our country still functioned as a democracy...before politicians began to realize that they couldn't be reelected without pandering to moneyed class.

And re "progressive" vs "liberal"..... "liberal" has had it's meaning distorted by the Gingrich wordlist that toys with the brains of the terminally gubllible to the point that they are convinced to vote against their own best interests. And Limbaugh, Beck and Faux have sucked out the brains of most the gullible to the point that they can't even recognize that they have been played for suckers. So"progressive" is an alternative word that is on its way to being distorted by the thugs who suck out the brains, but so far it hasn't been totally destroyed.

[coliwabl]

12:53 PM on 06/21/2011

It's really too bad because there will be one fewer progressive to fight Obama and his Republican tendencies to support the wealthy, like Goldman-Sachs, the IMF, and Wall Street.

[Marcospinelli]

12:45 PM on 06/21/2011

The truth about Lynn Woolsey:

As the head of the Progressive Caucus, Lynn Woolsey led 79 of the 82 members of the caucus to pledge that they would not vote for any healthcare reform legislation that didn't include a public option.  
Woolsey then led the 79 to renege on the pledge.

Lynn Woolsey likes to brag that she was the first to bring a resolution to end the war in Iraq.  She, and congressional Democrats (and Obama) ran on ending the practice of paying for the wars through supplemental emergency spending bills, and putting the wars on budget (see why that is significant here).

Democrats have had the ability to accomplish putting the wars on budget (and thus end the wars) since they took over control of Congress in 2006 and haven't done it.  They haven't needed Republicans to do this for years, 5 years, and haven't done it. 

Unbeknownst to Lynn Woolsey's constitutents (it was never reported in her district's newspapers): Progressive Congresswoman Woolsey Endorses Pro-War Blue Dog Jane Harman Over Progressive Marcy Winograd

'Progressives' like Woolsey have let Obama continue with just about all of Bush-Cheney's policies, and wars, and let Obama go Bush-Cheney even better, by letting Obama assert, unchallenged, that presidents have the right to k!ll Americans with no due process or oversight, push for 'preventive detention' and no transparency of anything a president asserts should be his secret.

KEEP READING

[Marcospinelli]

12:57 PM on 06/21/2011

Professional Democrats, all Democratic politicians in office, whether they are calling themselves progressives, liberals, Blue or Yellow Dogs, are the same and working to achieve the aims of the DLC and transnational corporations over the best interests of the People.  If they are a professional politician, in office or not, a member of the Democratic Party (in Washington or back in the states), they have bought into and are supporting the culture of transnational corporations as their real constituents.  
Their only problem with this is that corporations don't vote, and politicians need votes to get into office.  So they, Democratic politicians, try to convince the People they're working on our behalf with weasel-words, rhetoric designed to lead voters into thinking one thing when the opposite is true.  Obama can say, "I tried to do it, but those mean/crazy Republicans wouldn't let me."  

Democrats in both chambers of Congress work as a team. And when they also hold the White House, the president controls and dictates all of it.  They identify what they hope to achieve (pro-corporate legislation) and then strategize how to get it while saving each other's hides with constituents come election time.  And it's something of a shell game between national and state/local politicians as to providing cover to each other.  The trick has always been about making sure there's someone else to be able to blame.

Democratic politicians in liberal districts (like Woolsey) are the worst.  If their votes are needed to cross over and kill liberal legislation (like a public option or access to abortion or reinstating the rule of law and closing Guantanamo and trying detainees in federal courts), the DNC will make sure they are covered come election time, with massive infusions of money into their campaign war chests and crushing any principled challenges to them from the left in their primaries.  

Otherwise, if their votes are not needed, they can continue to vote along liberal lines and keep their liberal constituencies back home happy and in the dark as to how ineffectual they really are in achieving their constituents goals.  

Obama's demand that Woolsey and the entire Progressive Caucus cave on a public option was insult to injury.  He didn't even need all of their votes, by the way, to get the legislation without a public option to pass.  The two last hold-outs (Kucinich and Massa) he crushed in particularly brutal ways.  

Too bad for us that Obama doesn't use that same ruthlessness when it comes to dealing with Republicans and getting real Democratic legislation and policies into effect.

[getsit]

12:17 PM on 06/21/2011

Boy, the trolls are having a field day on this thread. Woolsey is a honorable woman who has served my country well. She has brought money and jobs into my county. She's looked after us well and she is ACCESSABLE TO HER CONSTITUENTS. She is kind and caring, not a corporate sponsored sociopathic thug with no compassion for his fellow human being.

[Nonpartay]

04:13 AM on 06/22/2011

You're lucky to live in her district. I've always wanted to live in that area. Oh well. :)

[seawillow]

12:03 PM on 06/21/2011

Well if she voted for President Obama, she voted Republican. How smart is she?

[rchwel]

12:54 PM on 06/21/2011

The senile old man and the ho from Alaska lost get over it !

[seawillow]

01:28 PM on 06/21/2011

Well, Obama kept Guantanamo, expanded Afghanistan, delayed the Iraq withdrawl, helped invade Libya, never heard of unions, Wisconsin, immigration, or gay marriage, he governs from the right, and he gives Republicans practically everything they want. Hey, if you're a Republican, you have nothing to get over. But good tip for the future.

[didyouseethat]

12:02 PM on 06/21/2011

Another one bites the dust. If all of them would just go away. One can always hope.

[rchwel]

12:55 PM on 06/21/2011

Yeah moving backwards with the regressive terrorist party is so patriotic.

[didyouseethat]

01:15 PM on 06/21/2011

If the translation means smaller, less intrusive government with a bunch of so called do-gooders, then we are in agreement.

[galactictravelerjavjav]

11:58 AM on 06/21/2011

Gavin Newsom just moved into our district but I doubt he wants this seat.. California 6th district is by far the most beautiful in the state.

We take pride in knowing that everything on our food table can come from the district alone with a little help from a few miles away. A solid progressive district supporting local purveyors and voted to legalize 420 by a wide margin.

[StatsNpolls1]

11:50 AM on 06/21/2011

Is there anything dumber than a "proud socialist"?

So you prefer to live in North Korea instead of South?
East Germany instead of West?
Hungary instead of Austria?
Cuba instead of Puerto Rico?

Socialism has been tried dozens of times by much smarter people than Obama or posters here. Failed every single time, no exceptions. It goes against the very basics of human nature. You are trying to make cats bark. Good luck.

[getsit]

12:07 PM on 06/21/2011

Yeah, a teapartier. Obama and Woolsey ARE NOT SOCIALISTS. You haven't a clue.

By the way, EAST GERMANY DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE. Now it's just all Germany. And they are doing much better, economically, than Plutocratic U.S.A.

Go to the HP Green section. There is a cat that barks feature.

[mad tn dem]

12:15 PM on 06/21/2011

I said the same thing, but for some reason it didn't make it thru..but I agree with you totally..and unified socialist Germany is a wonderful thing.

[stanton89]

06:36 AM on 06/22/2011

We all know what Socialism is, But you libs with no fax calls anyone that doesn't hold your views teabaggers...! have been called christian. republican, teabagger, I am none of them. Ive also been called a TROLL many times. That I like Trolls are cool!
STANTON= MAINE TROLL!!

[didyouseethat]

12:09 PM on 06/21/2011

But the current crop of Socialists are so much smarter than the old crop of Socialists. Hang around here a while and they all will tell you how smart they are.
Fav'd.

[nedwards1134]

11:40 AM on 06/21/2011

She may as well resign, the seat she currently holds in the US House of Representatives will go to the RIGHT side of the aisle as a result of the 2012 election.

[galactictravelerjavjav]

11:49 AM on 06/21/2011

you don't know her district.. just as liberal as San Francisco.

[SteveSFM]

11:55 AM on 06/21/2011

Evidence?

[Just19Percent]

09:34 PM on 06/21/2011

Self-evident.

[gradyp]

11:39 AM on 06/21/2011

The phase 'to snag the super-safe Democratic seat-for-life' jumped out a me. The idea that any politician is safe confounds the nature of a representative democracy. Our elected officials should have some sense of 'being on probation', being answerable to the electorate.

[rchwel]

01:02 PM on 06/21/2011

Lets start with the south .

[gradyp]

08:51 AM on 06/22/2011

South as in 'Dixie' or south as in 'Southern California'?

[ruleoflaw66]

11:33 AM on 06/21/2011

Lynn--please run for Dianne Feinstein's seat, beat her like a drum, THEN retire. We need more real progressives in the senate and fewer blue dogs.

[getsit]

12:11 PM on 06/21/2011

wow! Do I agree with you. Though Feinstein has been doing a little better these last few years.

[ruleoflaw66]

02:08 PM on 06/21/2011

Google Feinstein and Peter Byrne, the investigative journalist who made her give up her seat on the commission that sent multi billion dollar contracts to her husband Richard Blum's war businesses.

Then google about her most recent involvement in the Presidio real estate deal, again with her husband's real estate company getting a contract at above market prices.

She hasn't changed a bit. She's still milking her position for all it's worth.

[mad tn dem]

12:24 PM on 06/21/2011

I wish there were NO blue dogs (dino's). The true democratic platform is something to truly be proud of and this crap about the "center" being better are full of what makes the grass green. A democrat that is NOT progressive is not a democrat.

[cla65]

11:32 AM on 06/21/2011

Good news for America!!!!!!!!!!