Letters
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
A blackout of election-related letters will be observed on Monday, Nov. 3, and on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4.
For more information or to send in a letter, e-mail
{mos_sb_discuss:4}
- Details
- Written by: Dante DeAmicis
On Friday, Oct. 24, Clearlake City Administrator Dale Neiman started the censorship machine rolling. At 11:45 a.m. he called PEG Station Manager Allen Markowski into his office to tell him he did not want my “Clearlake Community Forum (with Candidate Drop-in)” to be played again until he heard from the attorneys. Clearlake Mayor Curt Giambruno was present at this meeting.
And why should attorneys even be involved? It seems Mayor Giambruno caught the Clearlake Community Forum TV 8 broadcast on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and disagreed with at least one of the nine community spokespeople participating. This apparently was enough reason to go to the city administrator to have future broadcasts of this production banned. Neiman did what he could. The “wait for my attorneys” tactic was the equivalent of running the clock out since there was only one week left before the 72-hour election media blackout period.
TV 8 Manager Markowski pointed out the stalling tactic as well as the likelihood the action would be fought by me due to the time, money and other people involved. He restated the fact that cities have never lost a legal case over something that went over a public access channel but they have lost numerous censorship cases. This caused Neiman to do some risk assessment. He arranged for a phone conversation with the city attorney in two hours with Markowski listening in. Neiman’s only concern was risk to the city. The attorney’s response was that there was more risk in banning the video than from any likely broadcast problems.
That settled it. The “Clearlake Community Forum (with Candidate Drop-in)” was now “unbanned” as quickly as it was banned. But wait, there was still another excluded political event from TV 8. This was a traditional candidates’ event at the Calvary Church that was held on the same night as my forum. Giambruno went with most candidates to the Calvary Church. A church member video taped this event also. However, Giambruno discouraged the church at that time from submitting this video to TV 8.
This attitude of censorship exists in spite of my efforts to educate the City Council and the city administrator about the differences between a “type 3 non-public forum,” which assumes some government involvement, and a “type 2 public forum,” that can only be interfered with after going through a long and rigorous process, proving a “compelling public interest.” I provided packets of legal articles dealing with this issue to all City Council members and the city administrator so I don’t understand why this is a continuing issue.
By 5 p.m. that day Mayor Giambruno was asking Markowski for the phone number of the Calvary Church member who video taped the candidates’ event that he was in to see if the church was interested in putting that footage on TV 8. Having failed to fulfill his destiny as a public access censor, Giambruno was now going to reinvent himself as a TV 8 personality.
The issue sputtered to a close Saturday, with Clearlake Council member Joyce Overton roughly supporting the legal position through e-mails to the rest of the council.
Dante DeAmicis lives in Clearlake.
{mos_sb_discuss:4}
- Details
- Written by: Steve Devoto
I suggest that if you support transforming Middletown into a North Coast version of San Jose, then vote for Comstock. If not, support Susanne La Faver and her reasonable approach to growth.
Steve Devoto lives in Kelseyville.
{mos_sb_discuss:4}
- Details
- Written by: Becky Curry
The title of the mailer is “Voter Information Guide for Democrats, November 4 General Election.”
The mailer features the Democratic candidate for president, Sen. Barack Obama, Democratic Congressman Mike Thompson and Democratic State Sen. Wes Chesbro, candidate for State Assembly District 1, along with Jim Comstock, Lake County District 1 supervisor candidate.
I am kind of surprised that within six months time, voters here in Lake County are being subjected to the same unethical campaign tactics that occurred in June.
Our memories are not that short. In fact most of the text of this letter was written in June, in order to set the record straight during the primary.
I guess we need to keep a template on file, and trot it out, just changing names and dates every election cycle.
During the June primary season, voters who live in Lake County Supervisor District 5 were also targeted with two similar mailers, from the same Southern California slate mailer company.
District 5 supervisor Rob Brown paid to have his name placed on these June mailers in order to lead District 5 voters to the conclusion that he was supported by elected Democrats who represent Lake County in Sacramento and in Washington D.C.
If voters take the time to read the fine print on this most current mailer, they will learn that this is a paid slate mailer, meaning candidates and campaigns make payments to this company to add their names to the slate mailer. The mailer reads, "Appearance in this mailer does not necessarily imply endorsement by others appearing in this mailer, nor does it imply endorsement of or opposition to any issues set forth in this mailer." It also says the mailer was "not paid for or authorized by candidates not designated by an asterisk *." If voters continue to read the mailer, they will find that none of the Democratic candidates, who are endorsed by the Democratic Party, paid to be on this mailer. However, an asterisk * does appear by District 1 Candidate Jim Comstock's name.
He is implying wrongly, to an undiscerning eye, that he is endorsed by the Democratic Party and has the personal endorsements of the Democratic candidates and supports the positions of the ballot campaigns listed on the mailer.
At the most recent District 1 supervisor debate, held in Lower Lake on Oct. 22, it was reported that candidate Comstock publicly declared his support of the Republican presidential ticket. Voter registration records show that he is a registered Republican.
A political advertisement, paid for by the local Lake County GOP has appeared and continues to appear, in the Lake County Record-Bee and on the LakeCoNews.
Both advertisements include Mr. Comstock's name as the endorsed District 1 supervisorial candidate of the local Republican party.
If the Comstock campaign strategy is similar to Mr. Brown's, a second mailer will appear in District 1 post office boxes, this week, with pictures of FDR and JFK and Harry Truman and Jim Comstock.
The Democratic party holds a 13-point majority in Lake County as a whole, and also has the majority of voters in every county and city jurisdiction as well as in the unincorporated areas of the county.
Riding on the coattails of what any moderately sentient individual knows will be a huge Democratic wave at the polls next week, by claiming affiliation with Democratic party candidates, proves only one thing: Mr. Comstock will say or do anything to win. Including misrepresenting himself to voters and abandoning his core values.
It's not hard to change your party affiliation, if that is or was really the intention of either of these candidates.
A quick trip to any library, post office or even up to the courthouse to pick up and fill out a voter registration form is all that is necessary.
This same company put out a similar mailer in November of 2006 that featured our Democratic senator from California, Dianne Feinstein, and ballot recommendations opposing propositions 86 and 87, the oil excise tax and cigarette tax initiatives.
Sen. Feinstein firmly supported those initiatives and decried this misleading mailer and the sleazy tactics employed therein via a press release from her office. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20061104/ai_n16829506
The company that put out this mailer is called Voter Information Guide. It is owned by Larry E. Levine. It also has a private consulting business called: Larry Levine and Associates, located at 13701 Riverside Dr., Ste. 604, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, 818-906-8747. The company is listed on the American Association of Political Consultants membership roster.
Campaign expenditures and donations are public information. A political party or a candidate's campaign expenditures and donations are public record available to any citizen who requests them from the County Registrar of Voters.
I hope that this is the last time a representative of the Lake County Democratic party has to write a letter such as this, setting the record straight.
An informed electorate is critical in order to ensure that our democracy thrives. Vote on Nov. 4 and let your voice be heard.
Becky Curry is chair of the Lake County Democratic Central Committee. She lives in Kelseyville.
{mos_sb_discuss:4}
How to resolve AdBlock issue?