Curt Pringle On Political Hinkiness At The League O' Cities
Posted by: Jubal | 03/11/2008 9:58 AM
If you haven't yet read Saturday's "Capitol Watchdog" column by the OC Register's Brian Joseph, then you ought to.
Brian delves into the twilight zone of how taxpayer-funded governmental associations like the League of Cities engage in campaign spending out of the public eye and on-the-clock.
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore has introduced legislation to force the League O' Cities and its kindred associations to disclose the sources of their political spending.
Yesterday evening, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle e-mail out Brian Joseph's article, accompanied by this intriguing and forceful commentary zeroing in on the League's political activities:
Brian delves into the twilight zone of how taxpayer-funded governmental associations like the League of Cities engage in campaign spending out of the public eye and on-the-clock.
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore has introduced legislation to force the League O' Cities and its kindred associations to disclose the sources of their political spending.
Yesterday evening, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle e-mail out Brian Joseph's article, accompanied by this intriguing and forceful commentary zeroing in on the League's political activities:
To all-Kudos to Curt. The more local elected officials who step forward and publicly call the League and its kindred to account on this issue, the better.
The article below appeared in the Orange County Register this past Saturday.
I believe it raises some very legitimate points. And I would like to have a clear statement from the League of Cities addressing these issues.
During the Prop 99 campaign, I had similar questions. But they were referred to the League's attorney. He contacted me, but I still was not satisfied by his defense of this funding scheme.
If you believe that this is a legal funding tactic, then one needs to explain how League employees work on political campaigns in a process funded by taxpayer dollars. During the Prop 99 campaign, I received a number of emails from League employee Ben Wong, providing campaign updates and asking me to solicit campaign funds for the Yes on Prop 99. These emails were sent by a League funded employee during office hours from his League email address. I believe his salary, the League office where he worked and his computer email, were all paid for by League dollars, and not by CityPAC funds.
I believe that there is a continual co-mingling of campaign and League resources. I do not want, in anyway, my city's League dues to pay for a political campaign. And my position is for all such campaigns, not just because in this instance and in Prop 99, I did not support the League position.
Therefore, I would like to ask you all, as local government represents from various cities throughout California, to ask these same questions of your League officers and representatives.
Sincerely,
Curt Pringle
Jubal, that is one of the best analyses I have read describing Sheriff Hutchens flawed CCW policy. She...
For those of us not in the loop, whom would we write a letter to and where would we send it?
I agree with Curt that league resources paid for by membership dues or income from resources (magazines) that are provided by dues not be used for political purposes.
However, it is strange that when Prop 1A was the issue we didn't seem to have a problem. Also for Measure "M" Renewal we had a lot of "synergy". Think Curt even lead some of these efforts. So it does get a little grey, because most of us agree that these two efforts were critical to the future of our cities.
As a co-author of the Measure M opposition and currently serving as the OC Director of Prop 98 I have followed both of these Ballot Measures and their funding sources. At this point I will simply leave it to the voters to raise the flag while our efforts will be dedicated to a valid property rights protection victory on June 5th. Vote YES on Prop 98.