Mariko Yamada, Democrat for State Assembly

See the letters from West Sac Residents to California Democratic Party

Sacramento – In a year where most Democrats a Sacramentans re learning for the first time about the ability of super delegates to potentially override the choice of the voters in a tight Presidential Primary, Democratic voters across Yolo and Solano counties are getting their own taste of an internal endorsement process that is susceptible to big money influence and misleading tactics.

More than two months before the election, 8th Assembly District party representatives gathered in Sacramento to cast votes on whether or not the party should endorse one Democratic candidate over another in the contested primary. Only 93 of the district’s 87,451 registered Democrats participated behind closed doors.

Similar to Super Delegates these Democrats were either elected officials, their designees, or members of the Solano or Yolo county Democratic Central Committees. In addition, in a nod to the importance of sustaining local Democratic clubs, each club president is allowed to appoint one additional delegate for every 20 dues paying members of his or her club.

It is here that Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, a candidate backed by West Sacramento land developers and corporate interests from outside the region, and who declined voluntary spending limits while boasting of his prolific fundraising, expended significant financial resources to stack the vote in his favor.

Without a robust Democratic club in West Sacramento, Cabaldon used phone bankers from his Assembly campaign to call registered Democrats in West Sacramento and ask if they would like to be more involved in their local party. The callers did not identify themselves as working or volunteering for the Cabaldon campaign, but if the voter said “yes”, Cabaldon paid their club membership dues with a check from his former mayoral campaign account. By using funds from his mayoral account, the expenditure will not be seen on his campaign finance filings for the Assembly.

Amassing an acceptance list of over 700 West Sacramentans, allowed West Sacramento club president Afrack Vargas, a Cabaldon supporter, to send 38 delegates from his club – now by-far the largest in the region – to the endorsement caucus, even though there has never been a meeting of the club to receive them into membership, as required by the Club By-laws. This block of votes secured Cabaldon 70.9% of the endorsement vote, paving the way for donations from the state party that are not restricted to campaign finance law limits.
Cabaldon’s opponent, Yolo County Supervisor Mariko Yamada has filed a challenge with party officials that will be heard at this weekend’s California Democratic Party convention in San Jose.

“I have long been a champion for authentic grassroots organizing and I have no objection to an honest victory,” said Yamada. “However, I cannot be silent about the astonishing growth in a club controlled and paid for by my opponent. These kinds of tactics mock the very values of the Democratic Party.”

“I am surprised and appalled,” said Joyce Miller, a long time member of the West Sacramento Democratic Club, and a supporter of Yamada. “We’ve never had a meeting in 2008, and the last time we got together was at a Christmas Party. I pay dues, and so do some others, but not 700 people. It’s hard enough to get people involved, but when you resort to things like this they’ll just stay away”

Similar sentiment is growing as Cabaldon’s phony membership list begins to circulate around West Sacramento. A group of West Sacramento Democrats, some of whom appear on the membership roster but did not know their names were being used by the Cabaldon campaign to qualify delegates, have begun circulating affidavits to other alleged members that read, “Despite my name appearing on a membership roster submitted to the California Democratic Party, I am not a member of the West Sacramento Democratic Club, nor have I attended a meeting of the club within the last year, or at any time expressly authorized payment of club dues on my behalf by Mayor Christopher Cabaldon or any of his representatives.”

For her part, Yamada says she’s more determined than ever to step up her efforts to get her message out to voters. A self-described grassroots Democrat, and a trained social worker, Yamada has already walked thousands of households in Solano County, where 60 percent of the Democratic electorate in the 8th AD lives. “We always expected a funding disadvantage, but knew we were competitive because of our positive message and interest in the problems of the working families of this district. And from what I’ve learned walking, let me tell you, working people don’t have time for, nor an interest in, these types of shenanigans.”

California’s, 8th Assembly District is comprised of portions of Solano and Yolo counties and the cities of Benicia, Davis, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland. The Democratic primary will be on June 3rd, 2008. The winner of the Democratic primary will then move on to the general election in November.

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