September 2023

9/13/23
Clean Elections San Diego
Hi Everyone,
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Last month we shared why clean elections are important. This month let’s see how they work.  And for those who might have missed last month’s update, here is a brief reminder. While there are a lot of reasons to support clean elections, the one that I like is that it “levels” the playing field for those who want to run for office.  It does cost money to run for office and right now those who are wealthy or those who have special interest financial support usually overwhelm those candidates who are capable and who might want to serve the public, but who have limited financial resources.
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I think this is wrong and clean elections provides a solution to this problem.
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If we had clean elections in place, candidates who wanted to run for office as a clean candidate could earn the right to a small amount of public funding if they can prove that they have wide support and if they agree to not solicit any donations from anyone else nor to put any of their own money in their own campaign.
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The amount of pubic funds that a clean elections candidate would receive would be small when compared to the amount of funding available to wealthy and special interest supported candidates. But they do not have to match the huge amounts of funding available to traditional candidates. The amount of funding that a clean election candidate would receive can cover the basic financial needs to run for office and they can now spend all their time reaching out and talking to voters.  And if a clean candidate wins, they would only be accountable to the voters!
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For more information on the value of clean elections, go to our web page: cleanelectionssandiego.org and watch the short, 7 minute video created and narrated by Bill Moyers, former journalist and philosopher,  who is a passionate supporter of clean elections.  In his video, entitled “Road to Clean Elections,” Bill Moyers shows the dramatic impact clean elections has had on Arizona and Maine which have had them since 2000.
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That’s all for this month.  If you have any questions or suggestions, please give me a call at 619-299-8870 or email me at hartley2k@aol.com.  And you can always join me for coffee on the last Saturday of the month, 
September 30 at 10 AM, at the Park Blvd LeStats located two blocks north of El Cajon Blvd.
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John Hartley, Coordinator of Clean Elections San Diego

August 2023

8/9/23
Clean Elections San Diego
Hi Everyone,
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How are you? I often get asked questions about clean elections. What are they and why do we need them?
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First, why do we want clean elections for San Diego? Clean Elections is an answer to the problem of big money controlling our political system.  Right now wealthy and special interest candidates dominate who is elected through their large financial contributions to their candidates of their choice.
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Those wealthy and special interest candidates usually swamp candidates who might be qualified and who might want to fight for the benefit of all, but who have limited financial resources. The result is that too many politicians who are elected to office are beholden to their financial backers, and not to the general voter and the public good for all.
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The result is that the special interests get what they want from government and the needs of the ordinary person and neighborhoods come in second, or are delayed or are forgotten altogether.
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This is not right.  Government should fight to solve the problems for all, not just for the wealthy and the 
special interests. 
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This is why we support clean elections, a form of campaign finance reform in which every day people who are   qualified and who want to represent the public, are able to earn the right for a limited amount of public funds to run competitive campaigns with wealthy and special interest candidates.
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And lastly, let me emphasize that the goal of clean elections is not to force all candidates to run as a clean elections candidate.  Running as a clean elections candidate is an option. Candidates who want to run traditional campaigns, can still do so. 
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Next month, we will share how clean elections works. 
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Enjoy your summer and we urge you to visit our web page at http://www.cleanelectionssandiego.org/
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And I invite you to join me for coffee at LeStats coffee house at 10 AM on Saturday August 27 for any questions or suggestions that you might have  LeStats is located in University Heights on Park Avenue, two blocks north of El Cajon Blvd.
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John Hartley, Coordinator, Clean Elections San Diego
619-299-8870 or hartley2k@aol.com

July 2023

Clean Elections San Diego
 
Hi Everyone,
How are you?  We are having some great weather and as a “native” San Diegan, I sure enjoy the warn weather! A quick update, we are almost finished with our review of the language of our Clean Elections measure and we are still outreaching to groups and residents about the advantages of clean elections.
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One of our best presenters is Mark Linsky, chair of the clean elections campaign.  Check out his message on clean elections below. And please let us know if you would like a clean elections speaker at your group.
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The best outreach is to friends and neighbors.  Talk to them about clean elections and then point them to our web page where they can watch the short, 7 minute Road to Clean Elections video created by Bill Moyers showing the 20 year impact of clean elections on Arizona and Maine.
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And you can always invite them to join me over coffee at LeStats coffee house at 10 AM on Saturday July 29.  LeStats is located in University Heights on Park Avenue, two blocks north of El Cajon Blvd.
or have them contact me personally at 619-299-8870 or hartley2k@aol.com.
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San Diego Clean Elections Campaign by professor Mark Linsky


     The San Diego Clean Elections campaign has been going on for some time but in the last few years it has come remarkably close to success.  Clean Elections would offer a public funding option to candidates running for council seats in the City of San Diego and thus eliminate the troubling influence of private money.  
     In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, an effort to put the Clean Elections initiative on the ballot fell  just short of approval by city council.  Another effort is now underway to qualify the initiative for the 2024 election.  Only the naive and the new born are unaware of the pressure that money exerts in the political process and the huge negative effect  that it has on real democracy.
It’s time for Clean Elections.


Mark Linsky – Mark taught Political Science at San Diego City College for thirty years and has recently retired.  Before teaching he held administrative positions with the City of San Diego including assignment to the mayor’s office where he co-wrote a study on crime and criminal behavior.  He was a member of the Pacific Beach Democratic Club many years ago and is delighted to be back with the group

June 2023

Hi Everyone,
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Happy June gloom to everyone.  Remember that summer is right around the corner! We are still making steady progress working on the review of our clean elections measure and we have started on a new outreach campaign which you will hear about at another time.
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We are always looking for volunteers, especially in media and outreach.  If you can give us some volunteering time, we will be extremely supportive.  Give us a call or email us at the contact information listed below.
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We also invite you to check our web page at: CleanElectionsSanDiego.org, especially to view the 7 minute video entitled: Road to Clean Elections created and narrated by Bill Moyers. Share this with friends, neighbors and family members.
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And I again invite you to join me for coffee on the fourth Saturday of this month, June 24, at 10 AM at LeStats on Park Blvd, two blocks north of El Cajon Blvd. Bring your questions, suggestions and offers of help!
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John Hartley, Coordinator: Clean Elections San Diego
619-299-8870 – hartley2k@aol.com 
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Why I support Clean Elections by John Hartley
There are a lot of reasons to support clean elections.  One of mine is that I is that I do not feel that our neighborhoods or regular San Diegans get a fair share of help and support from the city of San Diego.
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The reason for this, I believe, is that developers, lobbyists and special interests have more clout with the city than our neighborhoods because of their big money contributions to their candidates.  The result is that their wants get the first priority with the city, while our neighborhoods needs come in second, or down the line or just ignored.
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I don’t feel that this right!
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With clean elections, clean elections candidates would have the funding to run competitive campaigns against wealthy and special interest backed candidates, for city council.  With clean elections, neighborhoods would have the chance to elect their own leaders, those they know and trust, to the city council.  With clean elections, neighborhoods and all San Diegans would be empowered.

May 2023

Hi Everyone,
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How are you?  Our campaign is moving along.  It might not seem exciting, it might seem mundane, but we are doing what it takes to win a campaign.  And our goal still remains to get a clean elections measure on the 2024 ballot, and then to win that election!
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We are still reviewing the clean elections language, day by day, to decide if we want anything changed.  Remember that we have different clean elections language.  The first version was written as a citizen initiative.  That version was amended by the city attorney’s office to conform with the city’s rules and regulations since we were now ask the city council to put clean elections on the ballot. And given our busy private lives, we are only able to work on it once a week or so.  But we will have it done by the time we need it done.
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The other area that we are now concentrating on is outreach to voters about clean elections.  We are resuming presentations to different groups and we are directly reaching out to voters. And, we continue to find voters supportive of clean elections when they know what it is.
Also, we continue to need help with our campaign. We could ,not only could use help, in outreach, but we still need help in such areas as working with social media and organizing data.
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And you can help by reaching out to friends and neighbors about clean elections. The most effective way to do that, besides you sharing your reasons for your support of  clean elections, is to point potential supporters to our web page, “CleanElectionsSanDiego. org” and invite them to watch the Bill Moyers 7 minute video entitled ” Road to Clean Elections”
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I end this clean elections update with an invitation to join me, over coffee, on the fourth Saturday this month,  May 27 at 10AM at the LeStats coffee house on Park boulevard,  two blocks north of El Cajon Blvd. I find it fun to meet with supporters and to share about clean elections, as well as, listen to their questions and suggestions.
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John Hartley: Coordinator,  Clean Elections San Diego
619-299-8870 – hartley2K@aol.com

April 2023

Clean Elections San Diego
Update
4/14/23
“If anyone should own our politicians, it should be we, the people”
—  Bill Moyers – American Journalist
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Hi Everyone,
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Our main thrust at the moment is that we are still reviewing the language of our initiative.  It is slow work but we want to make sure that we have it right.
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If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact John Hartley at 619-299-8870.  Our web page is: CleanElectionsSanDiego.org where you can read a little about our history, our endorsements ,our news updates and a video that I encourage you to check out, entitled “The Road to Clean Elections.” This 7.5 minute DVD was written and narrated by Bill Moyers, the journalist,  and it covers the impact of clean elections on Arizona and Maine. These states have had clean elections since 2000.
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Our goal continues to put clean elections on the 2024 ballot and then to win the 2024 campaign!  But if you would like to help out today, we suggest that you check out our web page, watch the video again and invite a friend to look at clean elections by having he or she, watch the video.  And then send me their contact information so we can keep them updated on our campaign.
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Lastly, I invite you to join me over coffee, especially if you have any questions or suggestions, on Saturday, April 22 at 10 AM at Le Stats coffee house, 4496 Park Blvd, two blocks north of El Cajon Blvd.
Below is a piece written by Mark Linsky.  Mark is our campaign chair. a professor at San Diego’s Community College and my colleague,  in the clean elections campaign.
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A few months back I wrote a commentary for the Times of San Diego about the need for clean elections
in our town.  I pointed out what the real cost of ‘politics as usual’ has been for
America’s Finest City.  Any objective observer—regardless of party affiliation—has to be concerned
with the long list of bad  deals which have enriched the downtown interests while short changing the
citizens who expect their elected officials to act wisely on their behalf. The Ash St. debacle is only the
latest and most costly example of this.
So how does this involve the push for clean elections?  The short answer is unless private money is  removed from the electoral equation,  candidates will continue to be beholden to the money which helped put them
in office.  This system will not go away.  But it can be offset by candidates who accept only
public funds and therefore are immune to the pressures and arm twisting of individuals and groups
who expect a return on their investment. In a democracy, the people are supposed to rule.
And it is high time for a clean elections initiative which will make that a reality for the citizens
of San Diego
—  Mark Linsky