It’s hard to be a freethinking candidate for office

All of California’s problems are man-made, and they can all be fixed. Before that can happen, however, California’s political problems have to be fixed. That is what stands in the way of fixing everything else.

It’s not as if the voters haven’t tried. In 1911, voters adopted the initiative process to go around the political powers-that-be to make laws and amend the state constitution. The same voters approved the referendum process to undo laws passed by the Legislature, as well as the recall, a means of getting politicians out of office in the middle of their terms before they could do any more damage.

In 1974, in the wake of the Watergate scandal, California voters used the initiative process to pass the Political Reform Act, a stated attempt to break the hold of corruption, big-money special interest groups and entrenched incumbents, and to level the playing field for citizens who wanted to participate in the political process. It’s not doing that, but that’s another subject.

In 1990, voters approved Proposition 140 to require term limits, another initiative attempt to limit the formidable power of incumbency.

In 2008, voters adopted Proposition 11, an initiative creating a citizens’ commission to draw new district boundaries every ten years, replacing a system in which powerful politicians openly controlled the process and chose their voters.

In 2010, voters approved Proposition 14, which eliminated party primaries in every state or federal race except president of the United States at the top of the ballot and party central committee members at the bottom. The idea was to allow voters to nominate the candidates by having the top two vote-getters in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Is anything better in California? Or are we still stuck with a failing, incumbent-protecting power structure that outsiders can’t weaken or penetrate?

Judge for yourself, but if you’re ready to move on to a new way of thinking about politics, there’s good news on the June 7 ballot, which will be mailed to every active registered voter starting this week.

It is said that “the pendulum swings” in politics, but it’s not always explained exactly how or why. Perhaps only historians can see the precise point where things got so bad that non-politicians, against their own personal interests, decided they had

to run for public office to try to set things right.

Meet bestselling author, journalist, “pro-human” environmentalist and candidate for governor of California, Michael Shellenberger.

A former Democrat, he is one of millions of Californians now registered to vote as “No Party Preference.” He will be on your ballot.

Have you heard of him? If not, here’s what he’s offering the voters of California:

• A homelessness policy based on “shelter first, housing earned,” because promising an apartment in San Francisco or Venice

Beach to everyone who demands one is “ridiculous.” Also, a statewide “CalPsych” program to provide quality care for the mentally ill and those suffering from drug addiction, replacing an inefficient and wasteful system of separate programs in all 58 counties. And finally, a policy of “enforce the laws” against public camping.

• An energy and water policy of “abundance,” not scarcity, that adds nuclear power and desalination, along with water storage, to the state’s current mix in order to provide for the needs of California’s population without blackouts or water rationing.

If you want to know more, you’ll have to search for Michael Shellenberger online, catch him on a podcast

or TV interview, or find his bestselling books, “Apocalypse Never” and “San Fransicko.” It’s unlikely that an independent candidate’s campaign will be able to afford to stuff your mailbox with daily flyers or barrage your television screen with political ads.

That’s because, despite the voters’ actions to establish the initiative, referendum, recall, Political Reform Act, term limits, citizen redistricting and top-two primary, the two major political parties have structural advantages that are nearly impossible to defeat, although self-defeat is regularly practiced by one of them.

Political parties have special rights to raise more money from donors than

candidates can, and the parties can use their nonprofit mailing permit to send out campaign flyers for their endorsed candidates at a lower cost than that which is available to independent candidates. Parties can also send mail to their “members” outside the usual rules for other political mail.

Michael Shellenberger is a “No Party Preference” candidate, so there’s no party to raise money in big clumps, no non-profit mailing permit, no “members” list.

There’s only the fact that he has realistic solutions to California’s persistent problems, and that he has interrupted his life to endure the slings and arrows of politics in order to tell you about them.

I asked Shellenberger what was the most positive surprise about being a candidate in this race. He said it was the support from liberals, conservatives and moderates who all recognize that we need these policies. He also cited the interest from alternative media, including the wildly popular podcaster Joe Rogan and HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

The most negative surprise? Shellenberger said that although the L.A. Times has treated his campaign fairly and the Washington Post published a Q&A piece, he is disappointed that the San Francisco Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee have not covered his campaign at all. “I thought it was the role of the media to inform the public,” he said.

Yes, it is.

It’s not too late to register to vote at RegisterToVote.ca.gov, or right through Election Day at your county registrar’s office or any polling place. Remember, when you take your ballot out of your mailbox this week, that all the reforms in the world can’t change anything unless you vote.