Charles Koch Challenged To Debate Prop 23 By California Student Leader Joel Francis

Brendan DeMelle DeSmog
on

Joel Francis, a Marine Corps veteran and senior at Cal State Los Angeles, has issued a debate challenge to Koch Industriesโ€™ billionaire CEO Charles Koch on his support for the disastrous Prop 23 attack on Californiaโ€™s climate and clean energy progress.

Bankrolled with at least $1 million of Kochtopus funding, along with even larger amounts from Texas oil companies Valero Energy and Tesoro Corp. and Ohio-based Marathon Energy, Proposition 23 is on the ballot in California this November, andย would set back Californiaโ€™s ambitious efforts to fight climate change and create clean energy jobs.

Student leader Joel Francis challenges Charles Koch to meet him โ€œanytime, anywhere in the state before election dayโ€ to explain why Koch is meddling with democracy in a state he doesnโ€™t even liveย in.ย 

Watch Francisโ€™ debate challenge to Charlesย Koch:

Francis vows to travel to Koch headquarters in Wichita, Kansas to re-issue the debate challenge in person to Charles Koch if he fails to respond by next Tuesday. ย 

Student climate activists at POWER VOTE CA, a project of the California Student Sustainability Coalition, have issued a โ€œNo on 23โ€ pledge for Californians to voice their opposition to this attack on California democracy by out of state oil interests.

Stay tuned for updates on whether Charles Koch accepts the challenge. ย As Francis says at the close of his video challenge, โ€œyou canโ€™t possibly be afraid of just one college student.โ€ ย 

Or canย he?ย 

Brendan DeMelle DeSmog
Brendan is Executive Director of DeSmog. He is also a freelance writer and researcher specializing in media, politics, climate change and energy. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Grist, The Washington Times and other outlets.

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