Candidate Karina Alejo speaks out against attack ads

“I’m calling on all candidates in this race to run a positive and clean campaign,” said candidate Karina Cervantes Alejo.

Married political couple Luis and Karina Alejo held a press conference Friday afternnon. They said they’re standing up against what they’re calling false and misleading information about Karina, who’s running for the California State Assembly.

“When they can’t attack a candidate on substance they go and invent and fabricate falsehoods to blemish her record,” said Luis.

They say earlier this week mailers started landing in people’s mailboxes with language alleging that Karina neglects her job as Watsonville Vice Mayor and that she became mayor through a shady deal.

“She was voted in as mayor by the city council, seven unanimous votes,” said Watsonville city councilor Lowell Hurst.

“The assembly district should know that I have worked hard for them as a public servant in local government,” said Karina.

Karina claims the lies are being spread by special interest and wealthy elite groups who are funding her opponent, Anna Caballero.

“I don’t have anything to do with those mailers at all,” said Caballero.

Caballero told KION she is not being funded by those groups and that her campaign has received hundreds of contributions from people all over the district.

“What the Alejos ought to do is call them up and take them on for their campaign tactics because I will not go negative, I will stay positive,” said Caballero.

Political consultant and former Salinas city councilman Sergio Sanchez said this is the peak time where voters can still be courted and swayed.

“People they’re still trying to do their homework,” said Sanchez. “Obviously candidates are still out there canvassing and talking and calling and sending mail and commercials because they want to gain the support of voters.”

Sanchez says he consults on Karina’s campaign. He says attack ads can actually discourage voting.

“People have always seen negative campaigns as not tasteful and they stay away from it, said Sanchez. “I think this community has a history of not voting as much as they could or being registered to vote because of that.”

Political experts advise doing your homework and not believing everything you hear when it comes to choosing a candidate to vote for.