Rob Wilson for State Assembly 8th District
News Release
U.C. Davis Doctoral Student Rob Wilson to Run for State Assembly—
Offers Proven, Forward-Looking, Sustainable Solutions to State Problems
Platform Includes a Cautionary Stand on Genetically Engineered Foods,
Restoring Trust in Government through Sweeping Campaign Finance Reforms
Rob Wilson, a 31-year-old doctoral student in mechanical engineering at U.C. Davis, will run for California State Assembly in the 8th District in the 2000 election.
Wilson says he is running for office with a third party—the Natural Law Party—to give thousands of voters in his district, including a majority of college students, who don’t vote, "a reason to vote" by offering an approach to state government that is "prevention-oriented, forward-looking, and sustainable."
"We have a crisis management approach to government in California that is mortgaging my generation’s future," Wilson says. "There are cost-effective ways to prevent crime, prevent sickness, prevent drug abuse, prevent environmental pollution—and introducing these innovative approaches into government will be my primary goal as a state legislator."
Wilson says that he will use the election season to promote greater public awareness and political dialogue over the issue of genetically engineered foods.
"Right now America’s food supply is being overtaken by the biotech industry. Over 60 percent of all foods contain genetically modified organisms and they sit untested and unlabeled on our grocery store shelves. Consumers have a right to know what they are eating and serving their families. As a mechanical engineer I am certainly pro-technology. However, these foods have never been subjected to long-term safety testing and I am strongly opposed to their hasty commercialization. I do not believe that the consumer should be the guinea pigs for this food experiment."
Wilson also says he supports sweeping campaign finance reforms that would eliminate PACs and soft money contributions from the election process.
"Voter turnout is the lowest in U.S. history," Wilson says. "And only 11% of students bothered to cast a vote in the 1998 election. This is a very dangerous trend. We need to restore trust in government, and for that we have to eliminate special interest control over our politics. And for that I support public sponsorship of campaigns."
According to Wilson, the Natural Law Party is the fastest growing new political party in the country, particularly on college campuses, where over 70,000 students registered with the Party in California alone during the 1996 election. In the 2000 election, the Natural Law Party will be on the ballot in all 50 states and plans to run 2000 candidates for state and federal office.
For more information on Rob Wilson’s campaign, please call 530-756-5099.