Press Release JHD-1
For immediate release.

Candidate Jeff Drobman Issues Statement on Arrest of Opponent Sen. Leland Yee.

March 27, 2014, Westlake Village, CA. It is a sad day for all of California when one of our seemingly finest sons, state Senator Leland Yee, is exposed as having fallen prey to the sirens of campaign fundraising, and is arrested like a common thief for his shady dealings and outright corruption.  I view this as both a personal tragedy for Sen. Yee, effectively ending his many years of public service, and as yet another political tragedy for California.

The behind the scenes scenarios tell a tale of a longstanding and ever increasing reliance on shady and illegal dealings in order to raise the huge sums of campaign funds needed these days to win a political race.

This kind of campaign corruption is both insidious and institutional -- much like the use of steroids in sports:  everyone does it, so I have to do it too to compete.

The media only serve to entrench this institutional corruption by their continued reporting on candidates and their "viability", while allocating column inches of print, based solely on funds raised -- ignoring ideas and issues.

Seems California is willing to accept having only felons or fools as candidates for office nowadays.

It is past time for a change.

There needs to be lower limits on both campaign contributions and spending.  Even now, spending limits are only voluntary, and are way too high.  This gives rise to an unfair advantage of the wealthy, who can fund their own campaigns, and to long-time office holders who roll over their campaign funds from election to election.  This in effect shuts out all but the most well-healed challengers, and causes California to lose out on many highly qualified candidates.

I am, in my campaign for Secretary of State, declaring a "clean" campaign:  I am not accepting any donations whatsoever.  Instead, I choose to conduct my campaign as grassroots using social media.  I am attempting to set a new bar for how far a campaign can go without spending money.

How high this bar goes will be a direct reflection of how all the media react and treat this noble goal.  After all, isn't it time for some nobility around us?

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Jeff Drobman
Candidate for CA Secretary of State
818-590-1603