Mariko Yamada, Democrat for State Assembly

Cabaldon Supporter’s Ads Knowingly Misstate Fact and Distort Yamada’s Record

Vacaville – Friends of Yamada 2008 retained attorney Chad Carlock today to issue a notice of slanderous political advertising to Comcast Spotlight over the airing of intentionally malicious political attack ads produced and purchased by the independent expenditure committee “Democrats Against Government Waste Independent Expenditure Committee major funding provided by EdVoice Independent Expenditure Committee” (attached).

Christopher Cabaldon, Yamada opponent in the 8th Assembly District’s Democratic Primary, stepped down as President and CEO of EdVoice just a few months ago in order to orchestrate his run for Assembly. EdVoice has since created multiple independent expenditure committees attacking Yamada and supporting Cabaldon.

Carlock requested that Comcast Spotlight, the advertising arm of Comcast service in both Solano and Yolo counties, pull the ads immediately due to the slanderous content.

The Yamada Campaign is releasing public documents that prove EdVoice’s assertion that Mariko Yamada voted herself two pay raises while on the Board of Supervisors to be false. The pay of Yolo Supervisors is set at a rate of one-third of a Superior Court Judge’s salary by county ordinance. It is the State of California that sets judicial pay each fiscal year. In tough economic times, including 2004 and again this year, Yamada has refused automatic pay raises that come about when the state raises judicial pay as indicated by letters to the Yolo County Administrative Officer and Yolo County Auditor- Controller (attached).

While the Yolo Board of Supervisors did discuss raising the Supervisorial pay formula to 41 percent of a judge’s salary, that discussion was tabled on December 12, 2006 as reflected in the minutes from that day’s Board meeting (attached). The formula has never since been revisited by the Board of Supervisors.

The advertising is part of a $91,000 expenditure by EdVoice in the last week of the campaign, and has been accompanied by a series of similarly misleading “push polls” received by voters on Thursday March 22nd, and Friday March 23rd. Two attack pieces of direct mail have also contained the same false statements about the pay raise.