An interesting piece of journalism in the Union Tribune about the shadowy firm that is financing the propaganda behind Dalager and Gaspar's misleading election mailers.
Read: Firm involved in Encinitas mailers was fined in past
The above flyer is filled with shameless lies, like that Barth does not support building the Hall Park. She does support a community park, she just wants an actual financial plan for paying for it unlike Dalager and Gaspar who seem to think magical unicorns are going to ride down on rainbows and build the park for us for free.
The most shameless part of the flyer is Barth's city credit card bill. From the article,
It says Barth also spent more than $9,000 on a city credit card, whereas Dalager in his term spent $81. Barth’s supporters roundly criticized the mailer as highly misleading. Barth said the $9,000 was spent on council-authorized trips to meetings where she represented Encinitas. She also said she does not request city reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses or per diem.
image from SignOnSanDiego.com
Sounds like Gaspar is more crooked than Danny!
ReplyDeleteDo we need to reverse which one we call the crook and which one we call the airhead?
It might be that Dalager uses credit cards from developers and other interested parties for his expenses.
ReplyDeleteWhen ever you get a mailer, Google the address and the name of the organization sending it in two different searches. You will be amazed at the intertwined organizations that are set up to make money by deceiving the public up to the limits of the law and, according to the UT, beyond.
ReplyDeleteThe new 460 forms are posted on the City site. Gaspar has spent almost twice as much as the next candidate [Dalager], almost three times as much as Barth, and roughly four times as much as Kranz. It is easier to do this when Sempra Energy kicks in to your campaign. This is the first time I can remember them donating to an Encinitas election. One might also wonder why the San Diego Apartment Associates would have an interest in Encinitas politics. But then again every aspect of Gaspar's campaign is suspect, from her donations to the organizations she choose to source mailers from, to her relation to Scott&Cronin. She pays them for something - her offices are directly above theirs and their employees sign her forms and act as her treasurer, but never to my knowledge has she ever talked about their role in campaign. Don't you wonder why?
Gaspar is AWOL....she didn't attend the last two council meetings and hasn't been seen since the last forum.
ReplyDeleteShe is probably talking to her lawyer right now.
2:16,
ReplyDeleteI doubt she's talking to her lawyer.
I bet she thinks she can phone it in and win without doing anything because the dirty money mailers and campaign signs will do it for her.
So, this allow a candidate to completely bypass the $250 limit on individual campaign contributions, by having someone contribute to a 3rd party organization which then renders services for the candidate? Sounds like money laundering to me.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the $18 charge for?
ReplyDeleteThis is a hypothetical example from the FPPC website. It may be appropriate to this situation...
ReplyDeleteThe Weston Chamber of
Commerce produces and mails a
one-page flyer urging voters to vote for supervisor candidate Stan Smith and against two ballot measures. Half of the flyer is devoted to supporting Smith and the other half equally opposes the measures. The
Chamber coordinates the mailing with
candidate Smith, but does not coordinate with any committee set up to oppose the two measures. The total cost of producing and mailing the flyer is $3,000. Smith has
received a nonmonetary contribution valued at $1,500, and the Chamber has made an independent expenditure of $750 apiece opposing the two ballot measures.
I mean $81
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't count on the FPPC for the general issue of independent expenditures. Those are pretty clearly legal as long as there's no co-ordination with the campaign (hence Gaspar's denial of having anything to do with the mailer she paid for).
ReplyDeleteBut these front groups and shady benefactors obviously have other issues that may trouble the FPPC.
Jane Blair is a former patient of Gaspar Physical Therapy, was seen in the Gaspar booth at Octoberfest, and carried on a long conversation at the ETA booth objecting to its grading of Gaspar - and yet there is no "coordination"? Couldn't the FPPC depose Blair and Gaspar to clear this up? There certainly is the appearance of possible impropriety.
ReplyDeleteI've just received the 3rd slate mailer paid for by Dalager and Gaspar. The 3 organizations are:
ReplyDelete1) The Voter Information Guide
2) The Council of Women Voters, and
3) The Coalition for Senior Citizen Security
All 3 mailers suggest they are supporting the Democratic party and progressive state initiatives. They endorse Jerry Brown for governor, Barbara Boxer for senator, and Prop. 19, the marijuana legalization initiative. One even includes critical remarks about Meg Whitman. And lo and behold, they also contain endorsements of Dalager and Gaspar, with asterisks indicating both candidates helped pay for the flier. This is the height of cynicism. Dalager and Gaspar are willing to totally contradict their basic principles and beliefs, relying on voter ignorance to get a few more votes. All three mailers include a phrase such as "take this with you to the polls" - in other words, if you're in a rush and just want to know how Democrats and progressives are voting, just take this with you and fill in the dots accordingly.
This is an blatant attempt to overwhelm the voter with misinformation. It is an overt threat to democracy, and a perversion of free speech. We need to bring this to light, expose it, bring it forward for all to see. We can't let people win an election this way. This is a travesty.
Unfortunately, this has been happening and used by both parties for years and it's very legal.
ReplyDeleteWith the Supreme Courts recent decision - it'll only get worst!
Although, I have mixed feelings regarding the EUSD school district's Prop. P Bond, I find it unexcusable that they would use tax dollars to mail a Prop. P support piece.
ReplyDeleteHow do they get away with this use of taxpayers money on an election issue?
This would be like the city paying for candidate campaign literature.
This is just despicable. Posting as Tony and inviting people to click and watch a highly edited attack video. Again, another attempt to make up for a lack of substance with bluster, trickery and name-calling. What is it about you folks? Don't you understand the concept of fair play and decency? Is it always win at all costs? Lie, cheat and demean your way to the top? Makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteProp P support mailers are being sent out by the Committee for Encinitas Schools, the campaign committee for the bond...no school district money is being used...can't by law
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor claims that he has only charged $81.00 to his city credit card in the last four years. Since this credit card is to be used for city business one has to wonder what exactly has he been doing? I also wonder if this amount includes charges that he has placed on his own credit card then reimbursed through expense reports. Teresa Barth has been working hard for our community. City Council meetings have a section where the Council members give a report on their activities for the week. Jerome Stocks, James Bond and Dan Dalager always have very short reports if anything at all. Teresa Barth always has a long list of seminars, committee meetings, board meetings and other activities where she has participated as does Maggie Houlihan. It still amazes me that these two Council members continue to work hard for us despite having to share the desk with Stocks, Bond and Dalager.
ReplyDelete