Booklet (primary), 3 7/8"  x 8 1/2", 20 pages.

Why I am running for Governor.
by Evelle Younger

...From his statement -
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANDIDACY
February 1, 1978


During his unprecedented career of public service, Evelle Younger has received a total of 14,706,507 votes! He has never lost an election. In 1974, when running for reelection as Attorney General, he received 200,000 more votes than the present Governor.

In his Announcement of Candidacy, Ev Younger explained why he is running for Governor, why he believes he is qualified, and what is wrong with the incumbent. In addition, he discussed the major issues of the campaign.

EVELLE J. YOUNGER, SPECIAL AGENT, FBI. When Evelle Younger took the Nebraska Bar exam­ination at age 21 to become an attorney, he still was not old enough to become an FBI agent. But he didn't wait long. He became a G-man at the age of 22 – the youngest man in the FBI at that time. Later, his counter-espionage exploits were chron­icled in the film classic "The House on 42nd Street," starring Lloyd Nolan.

WORLD WAR II AND MARRIAGE. From the family album, here's what Mildred wrote about this photograph: "Unusual wedding party – Evelle forgot how many ushers he invited and never knew whether or not they all showed up. The expressions on their faces can be explained by the fact that the bachelor party immediately preceded the ceremony.

WORLD WAR II. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover wrote Younger that "the best interests of the country would be served by permitting the Federal Bureau of Investigation to retain your services." In reply, Younger waived any exemption from military service and wrote "I am unmarried, have no dependents, and I am of 'field age' as far as the Army is concerned. Now that war has been declar­ed, I do not feel that I can resign my commission in order to remain here at the Bureau in what is admittedly an enviable position." He served in China, Burma, and in India during World War II and was recalled to service during the Korean conflict.

A MAJOR RETURNS HOME: Now a United States Air Force Major, Evelle Younger returned home to Mildred and his young son, Eric. He was about to begin a brilliant career of public service.

PROUD FATHER: Evelle's dalmation produced 14 puppies. But that wasn't the only thing happen­ing in Evelle Younger's life. Following World War II, he passed the California Bar examination. He then served as a Deputy Los Angeles City Attorney (Criminal Division), and later as Pasadena's City Prosecutor.

A CALM MOMENT. Between his private law prac­tice, and being an instructor in criminal law at Southwestern University Law School, there wasn't too much time for quiet family photographs like this one.

THE OTHER YOUNGER: Mildred Younger is no stranger to public life. She campaigned for State Senator for Los Angeles County (shown in photo with son, Eric) and narrowly lost the election. A former debating champion, Mildred had been named most outstanding woman graduate of the University of Southern California (not to mention magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa). A one-time newspaper writer, Mildred later earned an Emmy nomination for radio and television commentary. Long active in the Republican Party, Mildred Younger has served as a leader or board member of many civic, charitable, and philanthropic organizations.

HIGH IN THE SADDLE. Not exactly frontier justice, but Evelle Younger's five years as a Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge won him recog­nition and praise.

DYNAMIC DUO. His popularity led voters to elect Evelle Younger as Judge of the Superior Court. With Mildred at his side, Ev receives the good news. In his new position, Evelle Younger authored many legal articles, and he became chairman of the Ameri­can Bar Association's Criminal Law Section.

STRAIGHT MAN. Is Evelle Younger too serious? Not so, replies Ev, who has devoted a lifetime to public service ... and dealing with serious problems. "You can't be flippant," he says, when dealing with rape, robbery, and murder, or issues like tax reform and the energy crisis. Ev likes to enjoy himself, but he takes his job very seriously. As for his sense of humor, one need only look at Ev and Mildred as they prepared for a costume party.

TWO STARS. He entered the Nebraska National Guard as a private. During World War II, he rose to Air Force Major. And, following the Korean conflict and continued service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, he became a Major General.

PREPARING TO VOTE. In 1968, following his first term as Los Angeles County District Attorney, Evelle Younger sought reelection. The results – Ev Younger received more votes than anyone in the history of Los Angeles County.

FOUR YOUNGER GENERATIONS. Grandson David Harry is introduced to Grandfather – Evelle, Great-Grandfather – Harry, and Father – Eric, who is now a Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge.

REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP. Evelle Younger has worked closely with Republican leaders like Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. But, in every election, he has also received substantial support from Demo­crats and independent voters.

A REAL PERSON, NOT AN IMAGE.
Evelle Younger has worked all his life, and worked hard, for good government. He is a talented manager and a tough administrator. His integrity is beyond reproach. He understands our state's problems, and he shares the concerns of its people. Evelle Younger has a bold vision for California – for a renewed greatness for our state – a dream of rising expecta­tions, the accomplishments of creativity and innova­tion, and the reality of economic growth and jobs. No wonder he has been so strongly supported by small business, agriculture, and labor. At a time when we need purpose and direction for the 1980s, no one is better prepared to assume the high office of Governor of California. Evelle Younger – his time has come.
 
1968
Ev Younger reelected District Attorney with largest vote ever given to a candidate in Los Angeles County.
 
1970
Ev Younger elected first Republican Attorney General since 1947.
 
1974
Ev Younger reelected Attorney General and received more votes than any Republican in the United States.
 
1978
With your help, Ev Younger will become California's thirty-fifth Governor.
 
YOUNGER CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
3550 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90010
(213) 383-3700
Charles G. Bakaly, Jr., Campaign Chairman. George Rhodes, Treasurer.



I am a candidate for the Office of Governor of California.

I am running, not to prepare for some other political adventure; not because I am on an ego trip; and not because I have nothing to lose by running (because I do).

When I ran for Attorney General, I sought broader and more challenging responsibilities in my chosen field. This is an exciting, fulfilling job, the second most important position in the nation's Number One state. I am proud that I helped make it the generally acknowledged top public law office in the United States.

I'm proud of the generous support I've received from the voters in the more than twenty years I've held major public office; and I am particularly proud that when I ran for reelection as Attorney General in 1974, I received more votes than Jerry Brown and more votes than any other Republican candidate in the United States that year.

It was, in fact, that clear expression of Repub­lican, Democrat, and Independent voter support which convinced me that the people of California believe in what I've accomplished, and have con­fidence in my years of public service to them as
a Municipal and Superior Court judge, District Attorney, and Attorney General.

Many have asked why I would give up certain reelection as Attorney General to run against an entrenched incumbent. It's quite simple: I am run­ning for Governor because the incumbent has done a bad job, and the people of California cannot afford four more years of his mismanagement, or perhaps I should say, his non-management.

I believe Jerry Brown can be defeated and, that of all potential Republican candidates, I have the broadest base of voter support and the best chance to win. I am an underdog at the moment; but I've been there before. With your help and the help of thousands of other effective supporters through­out the state, I expect to win the nomination in June and the election in November.

The same polls which show the incumbent with a high popularity rating show that the people dis­agree with him on almost every significant issue. They are responding to what he says, not to what he does. We must get them to vote the way they think. We must get them to ignore rhetoric and examine performance, or rather lack of perfor­mance. He is vulnerable on many counts.

The incumbent has failed as a leader and as a manager. Instead of developing solutions to prob­lems, he says you can't get there from here so "lower your expectations" or move into outer space. That's not good enough. Californians want and deserve more efficient, but not more expen­sive, government; more effective leadership, not less. We must encourage the voters to raise their expec­tations by electing a new Governor.

His appointments to many top positions in state government have been outrageous. The Health and Welfare Agency is in shambles. He appointed as Secretary to head that department (with a budget larger that that of all but four states of the union) an amateur with no administrative experience and with absolutely no expertise in the public health field. One of his appointments to the Energy Commission was so irresponsible that a Senator from the Governor's own party said it "makes a mockery of the Governor's position that he wants to improve the business climate of this state."

The Governor has presided over record increases in California's budget and taxes. The direct tax increases, amounting to hundreds of millions, include various payroll and other specific taxes. The indirect tax increases. amounting to billions of dollars, have been caused by mismanagement and inflation, pushing individuals into higher and higher tax brackets. The administration knew what was happening – and either couldn't be bothered or wanted the windfall, or both.

Large numbers of Californians, particularly the elderly living on fixed incomes, are being driven from their homes by catastrophic property taxes.

Government regulations, added to already high building costs, are pushing the price of homes out of sight and creating a housing shortage that will soon rank as a major disaster.

Despite glowing reports rolling off the adminis­tration's mimeograph machines, the fact is, busi­nesses looking for places to locate are skeptical of California's economic climate, and our unem­ployment rate stays above national average. Seven hundred thousand Californians who want to work don't have jobs.

The incumbent has changed his position time and again. He was against removing the inventory tax; now he is for removing it. He was for the unitary tax; now he is against it. He was for the 160-acre limit on farms; now he is against it.

We deserve better than government by vacillation. The Chief Executive of this state cannot make decisions by whim. He and his administration have consistently been at odds with the will of the people. But the headlines are calculated confusion, baffling on purpose, Jerry-in-blunderland.

In the war on crime the incumbent has become a conscientious objector. In spite of the fact that violent crime has virtually doubled in the last ten years, the Governor's appointments to the Youth Authority have reduced the sentences of dangerous young criminals by 15 percent. With 75 percent of our people demanding that capital punishment be restored, the Governor vetoed the death penalty bill.

Between six and nine hundred million dollars, taken from taxpayers to build roads in California, have been withheld, depriving our citizens of con­struction jobs as well as improved highways. Indi­cations are that these dollars will be poured into the economy during the Governor's campaign for reelection.

The administration in Sacramento is doing its best to reduce California agriculture – one of the great wonders of the world – to a medieval feudal system in which every farmer becomes a serf, subject to the appointed lords of the agricultural labor relations board. The incumbent supported Proposition 14, a special interest ballot proposition to further cripple our agricultural sector, and nearly five million Californians rejected his position, providing an overwhelming margin of defeat for
his viewpoint.

He and his administration are committed against the efficient use of nuclear power to meet our energy needs even though our people rejected the anti-nuclear Proposition 15 last year by a 2-1 margin.

Our Governor is preoccupied. He would rather run in a Presidential primary than run our great state. He would sooner go to Tokyo than to Tulare; London that Lawndale. He would rather talk about the outer limit of some far-off galaxy than the one-hundred sixty acre limit in Imperial County.

Our people don't want a Governor who can't keep his mind on the job. If he's so desperate to become President that he doesn't want California's problems to interfere with his campaigning, then we should oblige him and relieve him of his present job.

Government is not a game.

You don't escape responsibility by going into orbit!
 
Our people don't want zero growth – they want jobs.

They don't want bureaucrats who meditate endlessly. They want decisions.

They don't want mysticism – they want maturity Steady performance – not reaction to crisis. Not rhetoric, but reality.

Taxes are so high our people can't afford to go on his trip to outer space.
They want leadership to solve our problems – right here on earth, now.

But whether we speak of the old Brown – the man whose inaction has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, or the new Brown, the political oppor­tunist who like a chameleon is ever ready to change his colors, neither is a leader whom we can afford any longer.

I will offer leadership. I will conduct a campaign based on the issues. I won't try to "out-cute" the incumbent by eating exotic sandwiches or putting my mattress on the floor. Neither will I try to be the most entertaining of all Republican candidates. While others get laughs, I will talk about people's problems. I seek not to amuse the citizens, but to gain their confidence and respect. If I'm serious while I'm working, and that's about eighteen hours a day, it's because it's hard to be flippant when dealing with taxes, inflation, energy, and violent crime.

I will run on my record and my specific proposals relating to problems affecting all Californians. I have served at the city, county, and state level. I am proud of the fact that for over twenty years voters have been examining that record and expressing their approval in no uncertain terms.

I will do more than criticize the incumbent for his failures. I will offer my own specific proposals relating to California's major problems.

I have recently proposed a tax reform and property tax relief program which would involve (1) the return of the nearly $3 billion surplus to the taxpayers who were overtaxed. It is not the government's money. It's the people's money, and it should be returned to its rightful owners; (2) tripling or quadrupling the homeowner's tax exemption; (3) limiting the increase in the state budget to an amount no greater than necessary to allow for population increase and inflation; (4) and, a curtailment program.

I have recently announced a proposed legislative program to improve the business climate and create jobs and another to get government off the back of the farmer.

I have for years submitted bills to the legislature to achieve desperately needed court reform, and I will lead the fight again this year.

We have developed and recently announced the Attorney General's Violent Offender Legislative package (co-sponsored by the California Peace Officers Association) which would (1) send habitual violent offenders to prison for at least fifteen years; (2) increase sentences for violent crimes; (3) reform the bail system and permit detention of demonstrably dangerous criminals pending trial; and, (4) prohibit sending criminals eighteen years and older to the Youth Authority.

I shall propose a health and welfare program that will "raise expectations" of the socio-economically disadvantaged of our state. The cornerstone of that program will be the staffing of the Health and Welfare Department with people of proven ability and administrative skill.

I look for the return of competency to the Health and Welfare Department to be accompanied by greatly improved services to recipients and appreciable monetary savings to taxpayers.

I will discuss these and other proposals in detail as the campaign progresses.

Above all else, I will make clear in this campaign that, as Governor, I intend to limit the growth of state and local government. This will be my single most important goal; it will stand as my single most important accomplishment. It will make possible a permanent and lasting reform of our tax structure, including limitation of property taxes. As Governor, I can offer no greater legacy to the people of California.

As Attorney General, I have seen firsthand the excesses of government interference, because the state has called upon my office, as its law firm, to enforce these regulations. Yet, one cannot serve the master in Sacramento, without questioning the wisdom of the master's edicts.

Never again should any Attorney General have to enforce so many rules and regulations that fly in the face of common sense. Never again should any Attorney General be required to implement legis­lation which hurts, rather than helps, our society.

There is only one real, lasting way in which I can truly affect the course of public policy. I must seek to assume the position of leadership in our state which directly shapes that policy. As Governor, I can directly influence public policy to liberate the productive forces within our state, so that we can insure a free, prosperous, and growing economy.

Thus, the choice in November will be clear. On the one hand, the incumbent offers at least two more years of non-management, and another Presidential fishing trip. I offer effective leadership, competent management and solid administration. The incum­bent will offer appointees who are unable or unwill­ing to act in behalf of all of the people of the state. I pledge to appoint only the most qualified men and women to high posts in government. The incumbent offers four more years of more of the same, limiting everything in our society from developing and realizing its potential; everything except government, which would continue to grow unabated.

When I was a boy growing up on a Nebraska farm, the idea of living in California, much less being elected to high public offices, was just a dream that I'm sure many young people in America have. But I had the good sense to fall in love with, and marry, a girl born and raised in California who had no intention of living anywhere else. When I returned from overseas, we settled in Los Angeles, and I don't recall even discussing where we would live.

Since those early years, I've had the privilege of traveling to every area of California, and getting to know the people in all the diverse areas of this greatest of all states. They represent every ethnic group and culture, and express an individuality as diverse as the areas in which they live, work, and raise their families.

Our people are sound; they want and are willing to work for the good life this promised land can so abundantly provide. I've seen them and talked to them in the great valleys of Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Imperial; in the burgeoning metro­politan areas of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco; in the coastal and inland areas, north and south. And while I've come to love all of these differing parts of this state, my greatest interest and concern is to serve the 22 million people who, in concert with God's magnificent design, make California the greatest place to live in the world.