Camejo, who had been battling lymphoma, died Saturday at his home in Folsom, a suburb east of Sacramento.

"Peter was a friend, colleague and politically courageous champion of the downtrodden and mistreated of the entire Western Hemisphere," Nader wrote in a statement released Saturday. "Everyone who met Peter, talked to Peter, worked with Peter, or argued with Peter, will miss the passing of a great American."

Camejo ran for the state's top office in 2002, 2003 and 2006, supporting abortion rights, the legalization of marijuana, universal health care and a moratorium on the death penalty. Before joining the Green Party, he also ran for president as the Socialist Workers Party nominee in 1976.

During the 2004 presidential contest, Camejo was independent Nader's vice presidential pick.

Last month, Camejo, who lost his hair from chemotherapy, attended the Peace and Freedom Party convention in Sacramento to endorse Nader's current bid for the presidency with running mate Matt Gonzalez.

"Ralph Nader is more than a candidate, he's an issue," Camejo said in his Aug. 2 speech, adding that Nader brought true reform, offering an independent choice to the "ruling party."

Nader said Camejo passed away a few days after completing his autobiography, which has a working title of "Northstar."

Born on New Year's Eve 1939 in New York City to Venezuelan parents, Camejo spent much of his life rallying for political and social change. During the anti-Vietnam War movement in the 1960s, his fiery campus activism earned him then-Gov. Ronald Reagan's attention as "one of the most dangerous people in California."

In 1987, Camejo co-founded Progressive Asset Management Inc., an Oakland investment firm that steers its clients' money into socially responsible funds where he remained its board chairman until his death. He also served as a board member of Earth Share, a federation of more than 400 environmental organizations, where he worked to promote solar energy.

"Peter Camejo was a man of great passion and boundless compassion for the poor, uninsured workers and for immigrant workers in their struggle for justice and legalization," Mike Wyman said in a statement on behalf of the Green Party of California. "He became a leader in the environmental justice movement and helped organized communities of color around environmental issues that affected them directly."

In January 2007, Camejo announced that doctors had diagnosed him with cancer after undergoing an MRI for a swollen spleen.

According to a statement put out by Camejo's family on a blog that had been updating his condition, Camejo voluntarily returned home Friday after undergoing treatment at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for a reoccurrence of lymphoma.

"Peter's health had declined rapidly over the last two days due to the aggressiveness of his cancer and the strength of the drugs used to combat his disease," according to the family statement. "His wife was at his side when he passed peacefully this morning."

Camejo is survived by wife Morella, daughter Alexandra, son Victor, brothers Antonio, Daniel and Danny and three grandchildren.

The family said funeral arrangements were under way and that a public memorial would be arranged later.

 

Photo from petercamejoupdates.blogspot.com
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