Friday, October 26, 2012

Teamster doctor running for Congress from Calif.

We're paying close attention to 19 political candidates who are Teamsters, used to be Teamsters or are close Teamster friends. Between now and Nov. 6, we'll be presenting one candidate a day to you, courtesy of Teamster Magazine. Read about other Teamster candidates hereherehereherehereherehere, here and here.

California podiatrist Dr. Lee Rogers, an affiliate Teamsters member through the California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, is running for U.S. Congress in California’s 25th District.

Rogers is challenging Republican Rep. Buck McKeon, a longtime anti-worker congressman who has fought against organized labor and the Labor Department.

“The middle class is suffering while we’re giving away billions in subsidies to profitable companies,” Rogers said. “Let’s focus our tax dollars here at home and protect working families.”

Rogers has been endorsed by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. He specializes in podiatry and limb salvage at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys. He co-founded and directed the Amputation Prevention Center in the hospital, and has published more than a hundred scientific papers, articles and book chapters on health policy.

Rogers said in his first 100 days he would oppose Republican plans to gut Medicare, co-sponsor a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding Citizens United, introduce legislation to ban x-ray scanners on humans for non-medical purposes and establish a yearly conference of local California leaders to establish legislative priorities.

He and his wife Susan live in Simi Valley with their two daughters.