I received the following mailer today endorsing a whole raft of Democrats, but then urging me to vote yes on Prop 14 and 16 from
Californians Vote Green
555 S. Flower St. Ste. 4210
Los Angeles CA 90071
This appears to be a mailbox place for lots of front groups. This committee’s funding information doesn’t appear online yet. Anyone wanna bet PG&E is behind this? Appearance is authorized by each candidate?! This means Hahn, Nava, Jones, Romero, and Brown paid to go out on a mailer to endorse Prop 16? This is not the same as a real independent group making endorsements that have nothing to do with each other. They created this group and let Prop 16 on board.
Please remind your friends that Proposition 16 has NOTHING to do with “green” and everything to do with exposing even more Californians to Enron “death stars.”
UPDATE: I found this committee’s funding information. [PDF]
This org received $40,000 from Dave Jones, $40,000 from Gloria Romero, $40,000 from Pedro Nava, and smaller amounts from various local communities as of 3/17/2010. No one endorsing any of the Propositions is in the information I could find.
It’s not all that hard to game the filing system to make it difficult for things to be found out right away. I think these candidates have some ‘splainin’ to do.
So far my research for the person mentioned on the PDF above has this other website: http://www.davidgouldcompany.com/
But whoever they are, they’re the “Californians Vote Green” and I don’t see anything on this site that talks about environmental causes.
In fact, from the website that says “Californians Vote Green,” http://californiansvotegreen.com/
It says “If you are interested in purchasing placement, please send us a list of candidates and measures that you will be running in the June primary . . .” there is no mention of any green or environmental causes and this particular site says nothing as to who this group is.
I think we need more truthful disclosures on mailers like this. For now, it says “Appearance in this mailer does not necessarily imply endorsement of other appearing in this mailer, nor does it imply endorsement of, or opposition to,any issues set forth in this mailer. Appearance is paid and authorized by each candidate and ballot measure which is designated by a *.”
So that means that not only are the campaigns of Hahn, Nava, Jones and Romero paid to appear on this flier but also the Yes on Prop 14, 16, and 17 as well. Perhaps the document found only complies with people and not propositions (can that be disclosed? It should).
http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/M…
This is the link to his two listings that have NOTHING under either. Was he running for something? One is a candidate account; other, a donor.
As far as Californians Vote Green, there are NO FILINGS with the Secretary of State, so I question whether these contributions you say are FROM these candidates are true. What is the SOURCE of these numbers?
Every year we go through these SLEEZY SLATE MAILERS that corporations bankroll to get their way with the gullible swing voters.
I went to their website and found two names: rtaylor (RICK??) and pauljoseph. So, someone can start tracking them down.
Is a professional campaign treasurer in LA.
Typical Slate Mailer, funded by a slate mail organization, which sells space to candidates, many of whom get taken when they don’t realize that their names will be used to greenwash initiatives that they oppose.
Parke Skelton, consultant for Nava and Jones, never should have allowed his candidates to appear on this.
Attorney At Arms
Californians Vote Green is yet one more in a growing list of “Astroturf” organizations attempting to greenwash environmentally destructive laws and initiatives. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Yes, these candidates sure have some explaining to do! I’m shocked to see Dave Jones’ name on the flyer!
Californians Vote Green is as “green” as the Latino Water Coalition and the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, agribusiness-funded Astroturf Groups lobbying to build a peripheral canal and new dams to export more water from the imperiled California Delta.
Seriously, what the f*ck?
Bullshit slate cards have been around for decades. Every year people pay money to be on these things and the biggest spenders are the ballot initiatives. I’m not sure why this is a shock. This happens ALL THE TIME. Why are you all so surprised?
Candidates have to be choosy who they spend their money with. And frankly, they’d be better off spending money on online advertising or cable tv, instead of crappy mailers for phony groups that pimp the corporate agenda of 16 and 17.
David Gould is a professional Treasurer. The slate mailer in question was produced by Rick Taylor a Los Angeles City Lobbyist who sometimes works as a political consultant.