Don't Vote 4 Kasperzak

Yes I will vote for Mike Kasperzak!

I voted for Mike Kasperzak already. Was pleased to do so.

We've been DELUGED by slick, PAC (a.k.a. dark-money) political mailers on behalf of Marc Berman. Two or three a day, crowding the mailbox to advocate "independently" for that candidate. Literally more mailings than for all the (many) other Assembly candidates combined. A lot of folks are spending a lot of their money trying to get Berman elected -- who, himself, has done what, so far? One term on Palo Alto City Council. A tiny fraction of the public-office experience of many of his competitors, yet he creates much more PAC attention.

An extreme ratio of dark-money mailings to public-office experience constitutes a crude but vivid "smell test" that Berman badly fails.

Our local Assembly race has been inundated with money from interest groups whose identity and motivation has been obscured. Specifically, I’m referring to the pro-Berman mailers that have been clogging my mailbox, also the anti-Vicki Veenker hit pieces from "Californians Allied for Patient Protection.”

Here is the California Secretary of State’s listing just for "late independent expenditures” benefiting Berman: Web Link

The Berman mailers (as well as pro-Berman Facebook advertising) have been funded mostly by "EdVoice,” The California Dental Association, and the California Association of Realtors. Most of these mailers very generally tout his dedication to "the environment” and to schools, but none of the mailers have actually revealed why those particular groups are supporting his candidacy.

In the case of the Veenker hit pieces, they come from "Californians Allied for Patient Protection.” Those mailers attack Veenker for not having previously held public office, but say nothing about the real reason why "Californians Allied for Patient Protection” would want to defeat her.

It’s a dirty election, when the actual motivation for spending many hundreds of thousands of dollars is obscured. After a little digging around, and watching the candidate interviews provided by the Voice/PA Weekly, I have some idea of why these organizations are spending so much on this race.

Regarding the anti-Veenker hit pieces, a letter published in this week’s Voice had this to say:

"Here is the reason this mailer was mailed out as I understand it. At a meeting with CAPP, she answered "never say never" when asked if she was in favor of keeping the cap on malpractice compensation where it is now — and where it's been for more than a decade. So even though she isn't proposing to change the MICRA legislation that is so sacrosanct to CAPP, that's not good enough for the group. It wants her to adopt a rigid position against any changes to the cap. I, for one, wouldn't want a representative who gave in to that sort of pressure.”

This malpractice compensation issue may also explain the California Dental Association’s $80,000 support for Berman.

Here is some information about "EdVoice”: Web Link As nearly as I can tell, they advocate for charter schools, and oppose CTA positions on teacher evaluation. Nothing on their pro-Berman mailers reveals the actual reason for their support (approximately $750,000). However, Veenker stated in her interview that she had not been willing to make a firm statement opposing the present teacher tenure standards. Perhaps that explains the EdVoice money for Berman.

In the interviews, Berman stated that he would not be willing to release the contents of the interest-group questionnaires that candidates filled out, although he would answer the interviewer’s question on any issue if asked. Candidates' questionnaire answers would have had a lot to do with interest groups’ support or opposition. Veenker said she would have no problem releasing the questionnaires.

Berman, Veenker, and Kasperzak are the only serious candidates in this race. I may not agree with every one of Veenker’s positions, but I’ll be voting for her. Berman's and Kasperzak’s negatives are huge, for me. I have voted for Mike in earlier council elections, but I’ve been watching his votes more closely for the last few years (almost invariably in support of big money), and also his positions in favor of BRT dedicated lanes and HSR, and will never make that mistake again.

And the California Association of Realtors...I assume it has to do with Berman's vision for development, or his position on rent control. Again, his answers on their questionnaire would tell us a lot, and of course the mailers don't mention the actual issues that motivate their support (over $160,000 on polling, "research," and mailers).

BTW, could the Voice change the font and un-bold it on this thread? It looks like we're ranting or something...(joke).

The people that voted for Mike, all six of them, probably thought they were voting for Michael Jordan or some other Mike - not Kasperzak. Oh well. No matter. No Mike in this race has a snowball's chance in hell of beating anyone except maybe SEA READY.