BERKELEY CAMPAIGN CENTER
Platform: Election Fraud
Shortly before the end of Berkeley's 2002 mayoral election, one of the candidates, Tom Bates, was responsible for stealing and trashing approximately 1,000 copies of The Daily Californian, which carried an endorsement of his primary opponent.[1]
Bates ended up narrowly winning the election, and, while claiming responsibility for what had happened, was fined a mere $250 by the UC police. His tenure as mayor was not officially challenged.
Once again, in 2006, Tom Bates was elected through highly questionable means. This time, what happened was not just ethically bankrupt but also clearly illegal.
The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce PAC spent over $100,000 on several Berkeley campaigns, and a large percentage of that money went towards supporting Bates' re-election.[2] In doing so, the PAC illegally circumvented Berkeley's local election ordinance, which limits contributions to candidates to $250.
At the time, Runningwolf spoke out against this corruption of the electoral process, only to be met with silence from city council. 2016 marks the first year Bates has chosen not to run for mayor since being elected in 2002
SOLUTION:
While many of the other candidates are political allies of Bates and/or members of city council complicit in this fraud through their silence, Zachary Runningwolf stands out for his consistent, vocal, and decade-long opposition to these illegal and unethical corruptions of the voting process. A vote for Runningwolf is a vote to ensure the integrity of Berkeley's democracy.
As mayor, Runningwolf promises to implement legal measures to ensure this kind of abuse cannot take place again, and safeguard against the potential for fraud through electronic voting machines as well.
[1] http://www.berkeleycitizen.org/civic/civic16.htm
[2] http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2007-06-26/article/27377