May Newsletter

5/16/22
Clean Elections San Diego.
Update
“If anyone is to own our politicians, it should be we, the people!’ 
– Bill Moyers, Journalist
Hi Everyone ,
.
Our campaign marches on.  As you know, our goal now is to put our clean elections measure on the 2024 ballot.  We are continuing to reach out to groups and individuals for support and if you have any suggestions or want to help, please get in contact with me.  Our team leader zoom meeting is on the first Sunday of the month.  If you would like to join us in June, please let me know. Our new web page is now up and complete, but we are always open to your input and suggestions: cleanelectionssandiego.org
.
This month we are starting something new.  We are including statements from supporters on why they support clean elections.  If you would like your voice included, please let me know.
John Hartley, Coordinator, Clean Elections Campaign for the City of San Diego
619-299-8870 – hartley2k@aol.com
.
P.S. We want to thank our supporters for their support!
.
Why I support Clean Elections – Carl Demas, President Serra Mesa Community Council (District 7)
.
After 32 years of living in San Diego, I have seen many candidates make promises to the electorate that are either forgotten or overcome by candidates because they need to find funds to run for public office. After receiving these funds, they are then committed to do the bidding of the giver instead of their constituents.  Clean Elections empowers neighborhoods by enabling those qualified residents to run for office in spite of their financial means. The result is an elected official who is responsible to the electorate and not a doner.
.
Why I support Clean Elections – Dr. Raghavan (Jay) Jayakumar, San Diego, CA (District 5)
.
.The American election campaign and the election outcome are heavily influenced by a small number of wealthy donors and powerful PACs. Well funded candidates can employ paid staff to publicize their message and superiority with door to door canvassing, pay for TV and Internet coverage, distribute great numbers of campaign brochures and flyers and employ savvy consultants to secure an election victory. These wealthy donor funded candidates may not be more suitable for the office, but would be seen, heard and talked about much more so that, solely based on their campaign chest, they may become popular. Candidates who are funded by individual small donors would normally have no chance against such candidates.
 
While one can be resigned to these benefits to wealthy candidates as part of the process in a capitalistic system, what is unacceptable is that once they win, they may be beholden to the wealthy donors and create public policies according to the donors wishes and instructions, and not for public good. Even at a lesser level, the wealthy donors would have greater access to the office holder and be able to persuade the office holder in favor of themselves.
 
The right solution is to provide public financing to candidates who are viable and  have a minimum demonstrated support in the community. Such candidates would waste less time raising election funds and thereby spend more time with their constituents. They would enact policies that are uninfluenced by the wealthy and powerful. The cost of funding these candidates would be a fraction of the savings that would accrue to the Government because of honest policies that would fully benefit the public. We would also get high quality representatives and exclude poor ones propped up by wealthy donors for their own benefit. For these reasons I support Clean Elections San Diego.
.
Why I support clean elections – Audrey Ledesma – Activist Rolando Park (soon to be district 9)
.
I support clean elections because until we get special interest big money out of politics, we will continue to have a government by the rich for the rich. The rest of America gets left out. Why do the rich keep getting richer while the rest of the country struggles?? Clean elections are the antidote to this poisonous system. Clean elections will enable people to run for office who aren’t beholden to anyone but their constituents. Only then will we have a government by the people and for the people.
Posted in General, Newsletter.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.