Guest Commentary written by
Reuven Taff
Reuven Taff is past president of the Sacramento Board of Rabbis and serves as rabbi emeritus of Mosaic Law Congregation in Sacramento.
Recently I received in the mail California’s Official Voter Information Guide. Before every election California’s Secretary of State mails voters an official guide explaining ballot measures and introducing candidates for statewide office. Most Californians assume the information inside meets at least some minimal standard of decency and truth.
Apparently not.
In the most recent guide, a gubernatorial candidate submitted a statement packed with antisemitic conspiracy theories, lies about 9/11, demonization of Israel and rhetoric portraying Jews as manipulative, murderous and subhuman.
The candidate’s statement was not merely controversial or offensive; it repeated some of the oldest antisemitic tropes, including “Planes did NOT destroy towers. Israel did” and “3,000 murdered to create new ‘Pearl Harbor’ to justify fighting wars for Israel.”
And the state of California printed it. Packaged it. Stamped it with the seal of an official government publication. Then mailed it to millions of voters at taxpayer expense.
Candidate statements are subject to only two restrictions: a 250-word limit and they must make no reference to opponents. They are otherwise printed verbatim, without editing for grammar, spelling or content.
In fact, among all the candidates who submitted statements for the voter guide, only this candidate’s statement carried a disclaimer: “The views and opinions expressed by the candidates are their own and do not represent the views and opinions of the Secretary of State’s office.”
That makes it clear that the office recognized the extraordinary and inflammatory nature of the material.
When I first read the statement, I was stunned. How could this possibly have passed through the office of California Secretary of State Shirley Weber without anyone stopping and saying this should never appear in an official state voter guide?
So I wrote to Dr. Weber asking what review process exists for candidate statements, whether there are standards beyond word count and formatting, and if anyone evaluates demonstrably false or hateful material before it is mailed statewide.
Days later came the response: a copy of Dr. Weber’s letter to Ron Galperin of the American Jewish Committee, who had raised many of the same concerns.
Weber’s letter reads less like courageous leadership and more like legal damage control. It relied on procedural explanations and bureaucratic rationalizations while avoiding the larger issue.
The Secretary of State’s office claims current law leaves little room to reject candidate statements. Perhaps that is true. But leadership is not measured only by what the law permits. Leadership requires the judgment to recognize right from wrong — and the courage to draw a line.
Even more troubling was Weber’s claim that the public had an opportunity to challenge the statement during a brief review period before publication. That argument falls apart under common sense. Ordinary Californians do not spend their days monitoring election review windows and legal notices. By the time many people became aware of the statement, the voter guides had already been mailed.
Some will argue this was merely the ranting of a fringe candidate with no realistic chance of being elected. But that misses the point. The issue is not the candidate’s political viability. Rather, it is the state of California’s decision to package and distribute hate-filled material under the banner of an official government publication.
Antisemitism has surged across California and throughout the country. Jewish students are harassed on campuses. Jewish businesses and organizations are targeted. Synagogues like mine — and others throughout the country — now require armed security.
Yet when antisemitic conspiracy theories appeared in an official state publication, California’s response amounted to “Our hands were tied.”
That response should alarm every Californian — Jewish or not.
Freedom of speech is not an excuse for government moral blindness. And protecting the First Amendment must not mean the state becomes a delivery system for hate-filled rhetoric.
Weber has indicated that her office and state lawmakers are discussing possible reforms. If so, those efforts should be pursued immediately and publicly.
Because what happened here was not merely a bureaucratic failure. It was a moral one.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Secretary of State Shirley Weber told Calmatters she condemns antisemitism but must uphold free speech rights and a state law that doesn’t allow her to reject candidate statements based on their content.
The candidate, Don Grundmann, a retired chiropractor who lives in Santa Clara County, told CalMatters he stands by his statement. He is registered as having no qualified party preference.
