Teacher Ad Criticizes Denham's Secret Pay Raises

During his reelection campaign in 2006, Jeff Denham told the public he had refused a 12% pay raise - but as was later revealed he in fact took that and several other pay increases that he told voters he'd rejected.

This deception has become the subject of a new ad by the Denham recall campaign:

The ad is set in a classroom and the script is as follows:

With our schools facing cuts, Jeff Denham said it was wrong for politicians to raise their pay. Teachers agreed. How can politicians take more, when our schools are getting less? But Denham took the raises politicians didn't deserve. He secretly canceled his pay cut and started collecting a 12 percent pay raise. Then, he did it again. Another secret pay raise - during the budget crisis. Jeff Denham still has a lot to learn. Don't we deserve better? Vote Yes on the Recall.

As California public schools face unprecedented and crippling cuts, with hundreds of local teachers receiving pink slips, Denham's lack of honesty about his own acceptance of higher pay has become that much more difficult to accept. Thankfully Californians nearly a hundred years ago created a method to hold legislators accountable for their deceptions - the recall. Voters in Senate District 12 will decide for themselves on June 3 whether it's OK for Denham to have misled them on pay raises, or whether they want new, honest representation that will help solve their state's problems.