June 2014 California Primary Election Voter Guide: Secretary of State
DUTIES OF OFFICE
- As the state's chief elections officer, oversees statewide elections and provides public access to campaign and lobbying financial information.
- Supports California business by registering and authenticating certain types of businesses and trademarks, regulating notaries public, and enabling secured creditors to protect their financial interests.
- Preserves California's history by acquiring, safeguarding, and sharing the state's historical treasures.
- Registers domestic partnerships and advance health care directives, and protects the addresses of domestic violence victims and certain others entitled to confidential addresses.
CANDIDATES
In the list below, italics designate a candidate who has accepted California's voluntary campaign spending limits and, therefore, has the option to purchase space for a candidate statement in the California voter guide. Some eligible candidates choose not to purchase space for a candidate statement.
RELATED: June 2014 Voter Guide
The expenditure limit for candidates running for Secretary of State in the June 3, 2014, Statewide Direct Primary Election is $5,444,000.
- Roy Allmond Republican
- Derek Cressman Democratic
- David Curtis Green
- Jeffrey H. Drobman Democratic
- Alex Padilla Democratic
- Pete Peterson Republican
- Dan Schnur No Party Preference
- Leland Yee Democratic
JEFFREY H. DROBMAN
Website: http://drjeffsoftware.com/candidates/drobman
Candidate statement: Make Voting more . . . Accessible, Convenient, Secure with Secure Online Internet Voting. Vote Anywhere, Anytime, on Any Device.
ROY ALLMOND
Website: www.runroyrun.org
Candidate statement: I ask you to vote for me, and I will make you proud. . . . with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, I pledge to you my Life, my Fortune, and my sacred Honor! Sincerely, Roy Allmond.
ALEXPADILLA
Website: www.alex-padilla.com
Candidate statement: Alex Padilla knows how to reach across party lines to get things done, working with both parties to pass more than 80 laws from improving education to protecting patients. He championed renewable energy, so by 2020, one-third of California's electricity will come from renewables. Firefighters, police officers, and nurses support Padilla because he's dedicated to keeping our communities safe, passing a law to prohibit felons from buying body armor. As Secretary of State, Alex Padilla will be just as effective. He'll help businesses create jobs. Businesses have waited months for approval from the Secretary of State to begin operations. Padilla will ensure new businesses can file online and begin operating within 5 business days. He'll modernize voting so we can vote when and where it's convenient. Padilla will inspire young people, visiting high schools throughout California to encourage 18-year-olds to register and vote. Padilla supports weekly reporting of campaign contributions, so voters know who is funding campaigns. Padilla will audit the Secretary of State's office to ensure taxpayer money is being spent wisely, efficiently, and getting results. He'll work to restore the Voting Rights Act so every citizen can vote without intimidation. The son of immigrants, Alex Padilla earned a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with an engineering degree. And Alex Padilla knows government doesn't have all the answers. That's why he is visiting all 58 California counties to meet with voters, local officials, and community leaders.
PETE PETERSON
Website: www.petesos.com
Candidate statement: I am running for Secretary of State to provide Californians with our first "Chief Engagement Officer," leading the fight to make California's government more responsive, more transparent, and more accountable to voters and small businesses. Experienced Leader: As the Executive Director of the Davenport Institute for Public Policy at Pepperdine University, I have travelled across this state training and consulting with local governments on using better processes and technology to improve California's civic engagement. Make Politicians Accountable: Sacramento has become a breeding ground for politicians who use their power to move up the political ladder instead of to solve problems. While I am not a politician, my unique résumé prepares me for this particular office. I will bring my background in civic engagement and private sector career in direct marketing to Sacramento to increase informed participation, while protecting the integrity of our ballot box. Get Jobs and Businesses Back: California has lost more jobs than any other state since the beginning of the recession. This is one of the toughest states to start or grow a small business. I will use my experience with technology to enable online business filing, implement a 48-hour max turnaround for business registration, and fight to reduce the outrageous Business Franchise Tax ("LLC Fee"). I will also survey businesses that leave the state annually and make that information public. Government works when it is accountable to its citizens. I humbly ask for your vote so I can deliver this change.
DAN SCHNUR
Website: www.4schnur.com
Candidate statement: When I arrived in Sacramento four years ago to serve as Chairman of California's Fair Political Practices Commission, I was appalled by what I saw there. Campaign fundraising was out of control. Legislators would shake down special interest donors for campaign contributions and then race back to the Capitol to vote on legislation benefiting those same interests. Sacramento has become a corrupt political culture in which one state senator is under FBI investigation for bribery and another stands convicted on eight felony counts of voter fraud and perjury. Both Democrats and Republicans refuse to clean up this mess. As your nonpartisan Secretary of State, I will stand up to both parties and fight to ban all fundraising by politicians during legislative session while voting on bills that affect you and your families. I'll force lawmakers to do the job they were elected to do—representing your interests—before they can raise money for their next campaigns. The umpire shouldn't wear a Dodgers or a Giants jersey, and our chief elections officer shouldn't belong to either political party. That's why I'm running as an independent nonpartisan candidate for Secretary of State—because politics is too important to be left to the politicians. Join me in the fight to pass tough new anti-corruption laws, require stronger rules for campaign fundraising disclosure and transparency, increase civics education in our schools, and make it easier for hardworking Californians to open small businesses and create jobs. Together, we can make politics work again.
DAVIDCURTIS
Website: www.votedavidcurtis.org
Candidate statement: Get money out of politics with public campaign financing. Political debates must include all candidates. End the top-two primary. Establish proportional representation within multi-seat districts. Restore our civil liberties. End surveillance and data mining. Businesses must improve our environment and pay living wages. Label GMOs, legalize cannabis, close nuclear plants, ban fracking, and divest from fossil fuels. Vote David Curtis.
DEREK CRESSMAN
Website: www.derekcressman.com
Candidate statement: I'm running for Secretary of State to make sure your vote counts for California. The voices of the people should not be drowned out by corporations or billionaires. When secretive, out-of-state groups funneled $11 million into California's 2012 elections, I blew the whistle and got record fines for two front groups in the Koch Brothers' big money political network. We've got to get corporate money out of politics, not just reschedule fundraisers. After 19 years working professionally at nonpartisan good government organizations like Common Cause, I have more management and election policy experience than any other candidate. I'll push to overturn Supreme Court rulings saying that money is free speech and that corporations have constitutional rights. Corporations aren't people. They don't breathe our air or send kids to school—and I'll keep them from meddling in our elections. As a national reform leader at Common Cause, I crafted ballot measures passed by over 3 out of 4 voters in Los Angeles and San Francisco calling for Congress to reverse Citizens United and ban corporate campaign spending. I've been the tough watchdog California voters need to stand up to special interests, expose SuperPACs, and protect the integrity of our elections. As Secretary, I'll upgrade this Voter Information Guide to a digital format with online videos from every candidate and rapid disclosure of campaign contributions. I'll complete Secretary Bowen's work to modernize our voter registration and business registration systems. Please vote Derek Cressman for Secretary of State.
LELAND YEE
Website: www.itsyourcalifornia.org
Candidate statement: There are states passing laws today to make it harder to vote. California was once a place like that. But Californians moved our state from a place of exclusion to one of inclusion. I wrote the law that gave 911,145 more Californians access to our democracy by registering to vote online. It's your California. Itsyourcalifornia.org is our movement to register a million more Californians. The itsyourcalifornia.org app turns your smartphone into a voter registration site to empower your friends, classmates, and families. You can download the app by visiting itsyourcalifornia.org. By taking personal responsibility and doing our part, we are making California a better place. When Sarah Palin was paid to speak at California State University, I uncovered where the money came from and authored a law to stop government agencies from hiding how they spend your tax dollars. It's your California. I fought to end tuition discrimination against immigrant college students so these DREAMers can pursue the American Dream. It's your California. Together we won the struggle for marriage equality. It's your California. I'm proud of my 100% Planned Parenthood record; my pro-environment record; and my common sense law enforcement record. And we succeeded in finally raising the disgracefully low minimum wage. We have much more to do. Under the Constitution, the Secretary of State's job is to empower Californians to govern California, to guarantee fair elections, expose special interests, and prevent corruption. I am the Democrat who will represent everyone. I hope to be your Secretary of State.
