Sacramento - Another Democratic candidate has entered the race for the 3rd Congressional District in 2010. SMUD Director Bill Slaton is up against fellow Democrats Amerish Bera and Gary Davis for the seat currently held by Republican Dan Lungren. Director Bill Slaton is a Sacramento-area resident since 1974 and was first elected to the SMUD Board of Directors in November 2002 to represent Ward 7, which includes North Highlands, Carmichael, Antelope, Foothill Farms and a small part of Placer County. He is the former chairman of the board for KVIE Channel 6, Sacramento’s public television station. Slaton is a strong advocate for green energy and, according to his campaign flyer, “embodies the spirit of the new energy economy.” Under Slaton’s leadership, SMUD expanded the Rio Vista Wind Farm outside Sacramento, which now produces over 100 megawatts of clean, renewable power. He is leading efforts to ensure the dams on the American River keep generating hydropower and is utilizing hydroelectric systems to expand renewable energy sources. He also helped create the Solar Shares program, where consumers who can’t install solar panels buy into a large SMUD-owner solar system. His flyer references recent polls that indicate 52 percent of district voters would like someone new in office compared to 32 percent who want to re-elect Dan Lungren. The polls also indicate that Republican registration in our district is declining rapidly, from 7.65 percent in 2004 t0 2.19 percent in 2008. The district's democratic minority population has risen dramatically since 2000. As of early August, Slaton has raised over $228,000 for his campaign, nearly as much as Lungren’s $233,000. If you’d like to know more about Bill Slaton, visit www.slatonforcongress.com. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.