Hinton Is A Fighter On Important Issues

Brandon Turbeville

Napa Valley Register

May 31, 2016

With Napa County’s Board of Supervisor’s election drawing near, Napa County residents would do well to examine not only the stated positions of the various candidates, notably in District 2, but their track record as well. On both of these points, there is clearly one candidate that stands out among the rest - James Hinton.

Amidst the debate surrounding the position of Board Supervisor for District 2, Hinton is the only candidate who has consistently spoken out about the dangers of genetically modified food and the necessity of labeling GMOs at both the state and county level. Hinton has never been afraid to raise the issue publicly at debates, forums, and campaign events.

Just as important, Hinton has been a tireless fighter for clean food long before he was a candidate in the race for County Board of Supervisors. Hinton has been raising the issue of GMOs in prior political action for years and he has done so out of his own commitment and belief that all people should have access to healthy food. His track record is one that is clear in regards to this issue. Thus, one can easily see that Hinton’s position is longstanding and was not made for political points.

Hinton has also taken a stand on the controversial S.B. 277 “vaccine bill” in California, another issue that is most certainly not one that politicians are clamoring to comment on. On S.B.277, Hinton could have remained silent and pushed on, but he chose to take a public stand on principle and oppose the bill.

Likewise, Hinton has advocated for the adoption of an organic, local school food program in Napa County schools similar to the “Conscious Kitchen” approach of the Sausalito Marin City School District.

No vote urged on GMO legislation

James Hinton

Napa Valley Register

Posted on the Napa Valley Register on July 20, 2015

Where’s the Beef? Or, rather, where’s the beef coming from?

Earlier this year, the World Trade Organization ruled that the United States was engaging in unfair trade practices by allowing country-of-origin labeling on red meat. The U.S. House of Representatives quickly moved to submit legislation to remove country-of-origin labels on these products.

Unfortunately our congressman Mike Thompson (CA District 5) was one of the supporters of this legislation. This means that, if this bill is able to pass the Senate, it is quite possible that an individual purchasing one hamburger could actually be consuming meat from seven different countries. Since the country-of-origin labels would be removed, the consumer would have no way of knowing that this is the case.

Deregulating the meat industry, particularly if the passage of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) becomes a reality, is absolutely insane.

Meanwhile Monsanto darling, Rep. Mike Pompeo (KS District 4), just introduced a new bill H.R.1599 that could soon ban all mandatory GMO labeling in the U.S. This means it would reverse the results of any efforts at the state level to label GMO’s in California.

James Hinton: Napa Valley's anti-GMO candidate

Brandon Turbeville
August 28, 2014
Napa Valley Register

After years of leading the charge against genetically modified (GM) food, California now has its own anti-GMO/pro-organic political candidate. James Hinton, an independent running for California’s U.S. House District 5, has come out strong against the proliferation of GM food in the U.S. food supply as well as in the environment. Hinton has also taken a strong stand in favor of GMO labeling.

Hinton has received an impressive amount of support already, despite running against an opponent who is a career politician with a sizable campaign purse. Hinton has amassed endorsements from a variety of organizations from the NRA to the Tax Wall Street Party, but, even more important, he has received the endorsement of California voters.

Hinton has already survived the California primary and received enough votes to be the only candidate facing Democrat Mike Thompson in the general election. There have been anti-GMO candidates in the past — in California and elsewhere — but Hinton’s campaign appears to be the most promising.

While Hinton would prefer to see a world free of GMOs, he is also aware of the practical limitations to that goal in the current political climate. This is why Hinton has stated his full support behind labeling efforts.