I just received this political mail piece today. What a totally gutless and chickenshit tactic. The ad doesn't endorse anyone, instead just anonymously tells you to vote for anyone BUT Jean Quan because of her ties to Dellums. At least have the decency to step up and take credit for it.
It's pretty clear this came from Don Perata's camp. The polls currently have him in first, Quan in second and Rebecca Kaplan in third. The only person who benefits from this ad is Perata since none of the other 7 mayoral candidates are in striking distance. Kaplan doesn't have the resources to do a direct mail piece like this nor would she target Jean Quan (she'd be better off going after Perata). Plus I have yet to see one negative ad come from her camp. She'd rather focus on the issues and come up with potential solutions to Oakland's problems - go figure. For the record, I'm not voting for Quan and I think Dellums was an ineffective mayor. My vote is for Kaplan because I think Don Perata is actually more like Dellums than Quan is. Maybe not ideologically but I think he'll be just as effective as Dellums was in his time as mayor. Plus is this the type of mayor you want leading your city?