Ash Kalra vs. Madison Nguyen

The California State Assembly race for D27 is getting intense between the two main candidates - former San Jose Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and City Councilmember Ash Kalra.

Nguyen and Ash both have raised the maximum limit of $550,000 for their respective campaign.  But Nguyen with the huge support from PACs is raising a concern of out-of-state special interest groups trying to influence the race.  It is unusual to have this much money pouring into a primary for a state assembly seat.   Just for comparison,  two years ago, the Republican Party and PACs spent $3 million for the whole state senatorial race to support Janet Nguyen and her campaign against Jose Solorio.  And it was considered to be a crucial race for the Republican Party to prevent the Democratic Party of an absolute majority in the State Senate.

So far local PACs have spent about $400,000 to support Kalra while special interest groups have put it over $1.7 million to support Nguyen.


Here is a press release by Ash Kalra's campaign.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 31, 2016

CONTACT: Michael Terris

(415) 308-0867

Out-of-State and Billionaire Special Interest Groups Spend $1.7 Million to Buy a Seat in the California State Assembly

San Jose, CA — So-called school reform special interest groups funded by out-of-state and Republican billionaires have waged war on City Councilmember Ash Kalra. By putting in over $1.7 million into trying to get Madison Nguyen elected, they are hoping to buy a majority for privatizing public schools in the California State Assembly.

"There are seven candidates running, but I am the only one under attack from these billionaire special interests because they know they can never buy my vote," responded Ash Kalra, San Jose City Councilmember and a leading candidate for California State Assembly. “I am proud to have the support of thousands of teachers, nurses and school employees who are standing up for the integrity of our public schools.”

Kalra is also taking hits from the California Apartment Association funded by wealthy real estate developers because he has consistently fought them to bring more affordable housing options to San Jose. Both the so-called school reform and developer special interests are using false and misleading statistics to try to fool voters into opposing Ash Kalra.

A recent San Jose Mercury News article highlighted the misleading statistics being used to attack Kalra. They falsely accuse Kalra of having a low attendance record, when the real statistics show that he has a 97.4% attendance record, which actually bests his opponent’s own record in City Hall.

“The voters of the 27th Assembly District are too smart not to see through this blatant attempt to buy this election,” said San Jose Teachers Association President Jennifer Thomas. “San Jose teachers are 100% behind Ash Kalra for Assembly because we know he will stand up to out-of-state billionaires who wants to buy this election and privatize our public schools.”

Diep Lan and His Campaign for D4 City Council

This is an interesting turn of event.  The race will be closer than it will be with the support of Kansen Chu for Lan Diep. __________________________________ Dear Friends: I have done my best not to bombard you with fundraising emails this election cycle, but I really need your help right now. With only seven days left before Election Day, I hope to send out one last mailer to voters reminding them to vote for me. There are about 40,000 registered voters in District 4 and as you can imagine, the cost of printing and postage to mail to just a fraction of them costs a significant amount money. If you haven't already contributed $600,please give what you can up to the $600 limit. This final mailer will be important to help voters understand what's at stake in this election. This past May 24th, a representative from Google Fiber came to make a presentation before the San Jose City Council. As you may know, Google Fiber is an internet service that provides connection speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second. This service is currently only available in five cities across America, and every major city, including San Jose, has been vying to become the next Google Fiber city. Given time to question the Google Fiber representative, this is what my opponent, Councilman Manh Nguyen, asked: "How competitive is your company compared to internet companies like Comcast and AT&T?" "Is Google Fiber cheaper than Comcast and AT&T?" "How cheaper?" "Will Google Fiber be faster than Comcast and AT&T?" "Between Google Fiber, Comcast, and AT&T, which company provides the best service?" "By approving this project, do we provide any special treatment to Google?" "So what kind of the benefit that this project will bring to the people in San Jose? Both in terms of pricing and in terms of the internet?" "And what type of benefit that Google Fiber get from this project?" As the capital of the Silicon Valley, San Jose should have elected officials who know enough about trends in technology that they don't have to ask basic questions like "what kind of benefit" lighting fast internet like Google Fiber would bring to San Jose. But unfortunately, what the Mercury News editorial board says about Manh Nguyen is true: "Nguyen has not impressed in office, although he has stood with Liccardo on key votes. He comes to meetings ill-prepared and asks questions that already have been answered." Personally, I believe we deserve more than a councilman who comes to meetings ill-prepared and asks questions that have already been answered either because he does not understand what has been discussed, or because he is not paying attention. I believe north San Jose can do better than a councilman who prefers part-time staff because he expects his employees to have time to campaign for him. District 4 can do better than a councilman who has been accused of using his council staff to campaign for him on city time and who just recently has been caught bundling official city literature with his own reelection material. I know that I am more qualified than Manh Nguyen to represent our community on the City Council, and I hope that you agree. But there are a lot of voters out there not paying attention this primary season and with Election Day only a week away, I need your help getting their attention. Please help me fund one last mailer by making a contribution in any amount - $10, $25, $50, $100 or more - up to the $600 contribution limit. Even if you've already contributed but are within the $600 cap, please give again. Any amount will be appreciated. With your help, I hope to have good news to report back in a week's time. With gratitude, P.S. I'm really serious this time. How much money I raise will determine my endgame for this election. Please give what you can up to the $600 limit!

Copyright © 2016 Lan Diep for San José, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you chose to receive emails from the Lan Diep for San José City Council Campaign. Our mailing address is: Lan Diep for San José 1750 Lundy Ave., #611084 San José, CA 95161