Over the transom comes a link to an open letter by Fullerton Recall candidate Matt Rowe, who has discovered that the Fullerton Recall has been … you will hardly believe this, I know … been hijacked for partisan political purposes!
No, really! Evidently, the Campaign Director of the Fullerton Recall, Chris Thompson, has sent out a letter to the people who signed the Fullerton Recall petitions out of their legitimate and understandable grief for the killing of Kelly Thomas. He has urged them to vote for the recall. Nothing wrong with that! After all, they signed the recall petitions, it makes sense for the recall campaign to be able to contact them.
But then, but then, but then ….
Chris Thompson continues:
On a personal note, while there are quality candidates to choose from in every race to appeal to the political values of all voters, in my opinion these candidates will best serve to most quickly improve the City of Fullerton:
- Greg Sebourn to replace Don Bankhead
- Barry Levinson to replace Pat McKinley
- Travis Kiger to replace F. Richard “Dick” Jones
Thanks so much to you for your support!
Chris Thompson
Campaign Director – The Fullerton Recall
You know what? As a candidate in the June 5 election, maybe I’d like to write the people who signed the Fullerton Recall Petition as well! I’ll bet that Matt Rowe would. Jane Rands, surely. Sharon Quirk-Silva, probably. Jay Chen, Paula Williams, Sean Paden — why not?
And do you know what else? So far as I can tell, each of us has as much right to use that mailing list for our campaigns as Chris Thompson has to use it for his personal independent expenditure on behalf of his trio of preFFFFered candidates.
I will be writing Chris Thompson by tomorrow to demand the immediate use of this list in electronic form. Apparently, it’s not a closely held asset of the Fullerton Recall, but something available to all campaigns. I’d LOVE to write Fullerton voters RIGHT AWAY about what may be happening to their city a week from today!
Matt Rowe is less interested in the “election law” side of things — I’m not even going to get into the implications here — and more interested in the feeling of betrayal. On his website, he writes:
Chris Thompson Hijacks Spirit of Recall
May 30, 2012 By MattChris Thompson, right-wing activist, Fullerton School Board Trustee, and Friends for Fullerton’s Future blogger, has sent out an email to people who have signed the Fullerton Recall petition (about 17,000 voters), where he urges them to turn out for the vote on June 5th in support of the Recall (good idea), then urges them to vote for his personal choices (bad form).
The recall effort was non-partisan, and it was established chiefly in order to seek justice for Kelly Thomas. I know, because I was there, involved from the very beginning. In order to gather 17,000 signatures for the Recall petition – far more than the 10,000 required – the recall had to appeal to all Fullerton voters, their sense of justice, decency, and community. Conservatives, Independents, and Progressives were all a part of this effort that is helping to bring justice for Kelly Thomas, accountability back to our police department and city council, and the opportunity for renewed progress in our city. Many people from across different Fullerton neighborhoods, economic means, and political leanings took part in speaking out at council meetings, protesting, spreading the word, and gathering signatures – so that we could have an open and fair election to put our city back on the right track.
It is terribly unfortunate that Chris Thompson chooses only to recognize his personal candidates in this mass email. By doing so, he has put an ideological and conservative imprimatur on an effort that was originally inclusive and non-partisan. Simultaneously, Thompson negates the contributions and hard work of others, who were involved in the success of the recall petition moving forward to an actual election. Please VOTE YES on the Fullerton Recall on June 5th, but also vote your own conscience. Chris Thompson already has a vote. Use yours wisely.
Respectfully,
Matt Rowe
Independent for Fullerton City Council
If I had worked as hard as Matt Rowe or Jane Rands — neither of whom I endorse as my first choice in their races, but both of whom I respect — did in working for the success of Fullerton Recall petition drive, I would probably be just as irritated and twice as angry as Rowe is here. Their own work is being used to defeat them, a possibility that was probably not even mentioned in the fine print when they signed up petition gatherers. (If Matt is surprised by it, I’m surprised, because I don’t find this at all surprising.)
This puts me into a punishing mood. What would I want to tell the recall voters?
I’m consistent in my belief that Fullerton needs to recall McKinley and take away the majority that led (and misled) the City. Either Chaffee or Rowe will be able to form a de facto majority on this issue with Quirk-Silva and Whitaker to take whatever steps have needed to be taken, but which the Council majority has blocked. (Levinson doesn’t seem likely to compete — except, perhaps, by underhanded tactics like this. But that can be fixed — and libertarian conservatives have an “ethical” protest vote available in Sean Paden.)
I’ve always been leery of getting rid of Bankhead; it’s unnecessary once McKinley is out, because once out of the majority he’s just going to have to suffer in politically impotent silence. He may be ineffectual and past his sell-by date, but so long as he can’t do damage as part of a Council majority, there’s not much harm in letting him stay for a couple of extra years. He doesn’t deserve it, but he has a long-term perspective that could be a useful minority viewpoint on the Council. (And, if he quits, expect whichever of Chaffee or Rowe doesn’t win to replace him.)
Now, though, I’m wondering if it’s also worth voting against the recall of Dick Jones. He’s going to be out in the next election anyway; he can’t be enjoying the job much now, and once out of the majority I doubt if he’ll even run. There are people better situated within his branch of the party to compete with less baggage. Jones deserves to be recalled — but look at all that money that Bushala is putting into his race! Plus, now, there’s this “capitalizing on people’s humanitarian response to tragedy” letter. I do not like this.
I’m still with “recall McKinley, retain Bankhead, and unsure about Jones” for now. What might change my mind? Well, let’s see whether Kiger, Levinson, and Sebourn condemn Chris Thompson for hijacking the spirit of the Recall effort for his own political ends. Gentlemen? I expect that you’ll have read this….
Consider the source–Chris Thompson, who as School Board Trustee referrred to his own teachers as union thugs, and who was behind most of the half-truths and hype in the recall. There’s a passage from the Book of Proverbs that should serve as a warning to Chris and Tony:
Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.
Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. …
If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
“.. a warning to Chris and Tony:”
I am sure that Chris and Tony are shaking in their boots with that warning – dipwad.
I am confident that they are not. That doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be concerned. I don’t know yet myself. I don’t need to know — yet.
But I will find out whether that electronic mailing list is meant for anyone — or just for some people. That’s the first step.
Dipwad? You’d think with all the money Tony’s spent he could afford a shill with a larger vocabulary.
What is the basis of your demand for this list from Chris Diamond?
If the list is available to all campaigns, go get your own damn list. Thompson is not requied to give it to you.
I don’t have access to the petitions, skally. The petitions were, I presume, turned over to the Registrar of Voters — after, I expect, being photocopied by the Fullerton Recall (probably legitimately, but I don’t actually know that) for just this purpose — and the copies would have been retained within the Fullerton Recall office. And man, there must have been one hell of a lot of keyboarding to create the electronic database used for this bulk mailing. That’s expensive! I presume that it must be listed on an expense form somewhere.
I don’t begrudge the Fullerton Recall having the right to contact its voters for a GOTV campaign — even though as activists their voters probably already knew that the election was coming up. What was *new* to recipients of this letter was the endorsement from Fullerton School Board Trustee Chris Thompson of three candidates by name — pretty much as good of an advertisement for them as one can get.
I would say that that’s about 90% of the political value of the letter — and so 90% of the cost of production of this letter (including all of the back-end data entry work) should be chalked up as support for these candidates — and should probably already be listed in expense forms as late independent expenditures. (That’s what journalists and voters can look at to see how much special interests are spending on others’ campaigns.) Is it listed? I don’t yet know.
I’m putting aside issues of coordination of campaigns for now; that will take some research. But, clearly, this is very much of a coordinated effort for both the recall and for the three FFFF candidates.
The Fullerton Recall organization is actually a PAC, controlled by but distinct from Tony Bushala. From the fullertonrecall.com website, “About Us” page:
This committee appears on Tony’s page describing his donations. I don’t know what restrictions there are on the PAC, and particular against the PAC coordinating its expenditures races other than the Fullerton Recall (such as the three council races in question), or with with other independent expenditures — but I know people who will know, or who will know people who will know.
The portion of this letter that goes beyond the stated purpose of the organization into providing critical aid to three campaigns either was authorized by the PAC or was Chris Thompson acting on his own. If it was Chris Thompson’s own endorsement of these three candidates, he was using a list that did not belong to him, obtained by labor that was not paid for by him to provide significant resources to three other campaigns. Is there a problem here? Potentially, I’d think, several of them.
If his inclusion of these names was itself an act authorized by the PAC, then I would think that the PAC would list it as a contribution. I haven’t checked; I don’t usually go to that part of the CalAccess website. a list another other than another name for Tony Bushala. Presuming that the PAC had the right to photocopy and keyboard the records into a database for a mailer in the first place — which I will of course verify — that’s a major asset of the organization; I’m not sure if there are limitations on how it can be used after the recall is over, but I’m pretty confident that there are limits to which it can be used beforehand.
As its Campaign Director (and it looks to me like he’s the de facto Executive Director), Thompson probably furthermore has some responsibility to the organization — both to keep it from acting beyond its charter and to not convert his assets for his own personal gain. And Kiger is, for heaven’s sake, a “key strategic adviser” to the PAC, which makes things look even worse for him as the beneficiary of the PAC’s de facto ad for him.
I presume that Tony, and Chris, and Travis, etc., will deny that any of this is even sleazy — but it is sleazy. As Matt Rowe says, it was a hijacking of the recall — people signing were not told “sign this and we’ll write and tell you who to vote for a week before the recall — and by the way it will be our guys, but not some of the people that you’re working with to circulate petitions — and use your information on these petitions as a mailing list for whatever else we choose.”
I presume that Tony, and Chris, and Travis, etc., will simply scoff at the idea that there could be any violation of campaign finance law here. All I can say is that when I look at them, I don’t think “now there’s people who would be immune to hubris.”
We’ll see. And we will, indeed, see.
This is only a draft; I’m not sending it yet, but I’d be happy to hear people’s constructive feedback. I’m so excited about the prospect of reaching these likely voters!
—————
Any comments or suggestions?
Gee, are you surprised this happened? I’ve always been of the opinion that Tony Bushala was whipping up public anger over the Kelly Thomas death with the underlying motive of getting his own trio of clowns elected to the Fullerton City Council. I mean, anybody who bothers to look at who bankrolled the signature gathering campaign–much less the whole bloody recall–will see Bushala pretty much paid for it lock, stock, and barrel. And I’m not the least bit shocked that Chris Thompson, one his cronies, pulled this stunt. Lest ye forget the old adage that he who pays the piper calls the tune?
Now if Bushala succeeds in installing his own gang of thieves on that body, will anything change in respect to how their police patrols the community? I doubt it. Since most of the rights and privileges cops have are enshrined in state law, the council will have little if power to control them aside from tinkering with a few things here and there. At most, they could disband the department and have the Orange County Sheriff’s Department perform the same duties. And although that might save the municipality money, they just switch to a law enforcement agency that has an equally brutish reputation.
I’m not happy about what happened to Thomas, but I am glad to see that his death has raised awareness that police brutality is a real problem here in Orange County. But if I lived in Fullerton, I would vote a solid *NO* on the recall because I’m sick and tired of wealthy businessmen hijacking the recall process to advance their own economic interests. Does that mean I support the buffoons who are currently serving on the Fullerton City Council? No, I don’t. But I just don’t believe that getting rid of one gang of thieves and replacing them with another solves much of anything.
No, I am not surprised about this; hence the “shocked, shocked” reference in the title.
I would recall McKinley and deprive the ruling coalition of their majority. I probably would not recall Bankhead due to the concerns you raise. I’d like to recall Jones, who did a terrible job in the wake of the killing, but not at the price of Kiger becoming a third vote to sack the city. And I agree about the problem of police brutality.
There are other options other than the three now on city council and Bushala’s 3 stooges. A strong, intelligent Independent and a Green Party candidate that would be a good fit for Fullerton.
Independent = Matt Rowe
Green Party = Jane Rands
I think you tell it like it is Greg. I wish you were running for City Council in Fullerton. I sent my absentee ballot and I voted for you. Though I think what happened in Fullerton was tragic, I still think the officers are not guilty of any wrong doing. I hope if it goes to trail, more things will come out that no one knows about. I am saddened that more officers have not come out in support for these guys. I guess everyone has to look out for themselves. They are still human and have lives and families. The job they do is not easy, though lot of people think it is. I just wish that Kelly Thomas should of done what he was told. I wouldn’t be on this blog.
Thanks for your vote. I’m a bit harsher than you are on the police. I think that Jay Cicinelli committed a crime and that Ramos and Wolfe were enforcing an immoral policy — but the policy was not their call. I also think that Kelly did enough of what he was told that they should have taken the small risk of letting him situate himself properly so that he could get in the face-down, hands-behind position before Cicinelli showed up. I agree that it was tragic.
4 votes in our house for bob duff
sorry bob huff
I’m really trying to avoid negative campaigning, so please don’t call him “sorry Bob Huff.”
“Any comments or suggestions?”………. Hmmmmm
It sucks!
Diamond: “I presume that Tony, and Chris, and Travis, etc., will deny that any of this is even sleazy — but it is sleazy.”
Definition of politics: sleazy
Definition of sleazy: politics
Yup, it all cross-checks, get over it.
1. Fullerton is, basically, a conservative town.
2. The three limp-dicks will be replaced by conservatives.
What did you expect?
You and Dan C. are the extreme partisans in this instance.
“I also think that Kelly did enough of what he was told that they should have taken the small risk of letting him situate himself properly so that he could get in the face-down, hands-behind position before Cicinelli showed up.”…….. Hmmmmmm
Imagine how many human lives could have been saved if they would do same before the KGB, Stasi, Mossad, SAPD13, Gestapo, etc. showed up.
*Political Opportunism is so NOT attractive! But it is all part of the process of getting rid of the bad folks. Happy Recall to all………..
So…who will be the New King of Fullerton?
Let’s just hope they keep the Fullerton Indians Stadium after it is all over. OK…we forget what the name of the Stadium is…help us out here. Since Ron graduated from high school in that stadium..it has a certain affection for us. Walter Knott gave the Commencement address…as we recall….no pun intended.
All assembled appear to be agreed (in your own ways) that the letter is in proper form, so — with a few edits I’ve made since, out it goes.
Kudos to Chris Thompson and Tony Bushala! I am sure if they were pushing candidates that Diamond and Chmielewski supported neither blog would be having this conniption fit.
In response to those claiming that Tony used the Kelly Thomas murder, let me remind you that if it weren’t for the efforts of Tony and FFFF it would’ve been swept under the rug. It was Tony and company that got the ball rolling and created the fire storm that the others helped fan.
I honestly believe were it not for Tony and company Ramos and Cicinelli would be on patrol today rather than awaiting trial.
“In response to those claiming that Tony used the Kelly Thomas murder, let me remind you that if it weren’t for the efforts of Tony and FFFF it would’ve been swept under the rug. It was Tony and company that got the ball rolling and created the fire storm that the others helped fan.
I honestly believe were it not for Tony and company Ramos and Cicinelli would be on patrol today rather than awaiting trial.”
I believe it is this way as well and not that Tony started the recall to buy/control the city by capitalizing on Kelly’s death. I don’t think Kelly chose to die, but rather a bunch of cops killed Kelly. If they hadn’t, then this recall wouldn’t have taken off. Man, it is so asinine to think Tony would pay for a recall when he could just spend his money on an election that just comes. This is a statement more than a capitalization.
I have always credited Tony with being the motivating force (along with Ron Thomas) in obtaining justice for Kelly Thomas. I continue to salute that. This is, of course, not about that. It’s about using the resources of the PAC sponsoring the recall campaign to promote legally unrelated campaigns.
Rowe focuses on the ethical issues; I’m more intetested in the legal issues. If you can’t appreciate either of them, that’s unfortunate, but at least don’t try to change the subject.
Had I been friends with Tony and Chris and known about this coordinated use of PAC resources for legally unrelated campaigns, I would have pulled them aside, asked whether they were sure that it was legal, and probably would have asked something along the lines of “are you out of your minds?” If I found out only after I saw that they were supporting candidated I liked, I would have the same concerns — but I’d Probably leave something like an FPPC complaint to others.
“I honestly believe were it not for Tony and company Ramos and Cicinelli would be on patrol today rather than awaiting trial.”………. Hmmmmmm
I honestly believe were it not for SAPD13’s Chief Paul Walters and you Mr. Mill, Susie Young Kim a mother wouldn’t be shot to death in front of her crying 18 mo. old daughter execution Syrian stile…. you pigs.
No Stanley, Susie Young Kim wouldn’t have been killed if she hadn’t tried to run over a Santa Ana police officer with her car and if she hadn’t taken numerous police agencies on a dangerous and wild car chase with her young child in the car.
That is a lie and you know that!….. Mr. Mill
Study the ballistic and the court evidence!
The COP was never in any danger because he was shooting from side after the car passed him at 15 M/H.
However, he wanted to have tattoo of the smoking gun on his shoulder as a SAPD13 COP……. so he got one.
Now he is a part of the SAPD subculture same as you Mr. Commissioner taking a picture with yellow cowardly SAPD Chief Paul Walters who is spiking his pension by holding two jobs – SAPD Chief and Manager of Santa Ana.
One day it will be prosecuted!
I am giving you, Walters and Pulido till 2016 before it will all get any catalytic attention.
An early lunch Sean? You sure take a lot of breaks at work.
Are you on a break Sean? It’s 9:17 and a little early in the workday to be commenting on the blogs
What is “Syrian Stile”?
Did you mean “style”?
Poor Stanley can’t even spell.
How are we supposed to take your babble seriously? The ignorance you display is second to none! Good job Stanley!
That’s an educator’s defense of the killing of Susie Young Kim? To point out that the Czech immigrant who still remembers and cares about it doesn’t spell well? Weak, Educator.
And misspelling is not the same as ignorance. Sad you don’t know that. Now THAT’S ignorant.
+1
I agree. Blind pig has found truffle.
“How are we supposed to take your babble seriously?”……… Hmmmmm
Don’t!
However, my ESL message may come to you boomerang way properly spelled one day.
I wonder, how many dissidents were sitting in a gulag and weer regretting their lack of linguistic skills for their demise.
Oh’ well only in the liberal-progressive-usa.
*:Let’s try the case today! Why wait for “Due Process”. Let’s all jump up and down and scream at the top of our lungs! Guilty! Guilty! Gulity! Thank you Dr. Robespierre…we have been wondering who needs ot try out our brand new guillotine.
You guys suck! Of course, we mean that in the traditional sense of the word. Good grief…we have never seen the like of it. When Stanley has the only sane comments..you really have to wonder.
OK, we are very forgiving. Jump up and down and do the dance……..it is all so entertaining. Are you accomplishing much? Very doubtful. Trying to free the disabled cops? You are doing a wonderful job….with hand me downs of course!
As per usual, no te entiendo.
Can you try saying what you have to say, in English?
Is “narm” an English word? That’s all I hear.
Quick justice and the ten story solution.
Whew, Mr. Diamond, looks like this to be resolved.
http://www.fullertonsfuture.org/2012/apology-from-chris-thompson/#comment-107753
I was hoping for this or else.. well, forget about being shocked or surprised. I would have been disappointed. And maybe what I have been saying about Tony and team that the recall wasn’t for personal gain was all wrong. From what Mr. Thompson wrote, this recall campaign just became not fair which I thought it was. Just seeing two blogs on on this issue on FFFF, makes me believe that Mr. Thompson acted alone on this. Tony wasn’t pulling on his strings.
“I regret only that I did not have more notice of such an opportunity so that I could plan to take better advantage of it.” – Greg Diamond
well atleast you are honest about taking advantage of this situation. Why do you deserve the list like the other candidates? I don’t get it.
You can’t unring a bell. The damage is done. The closest you can get to it is to give everyone else access to the same list controlled by the PAC.
I’m an attorney as well as a candidate and I am demanding my rights. That’s what attorneys do. It doesn’t have to make sense to you; attorneys will understand it. In this case, I am not entitled to make demands for any other candidate. (If I could, I would.)
My bottom line remains: everyone must recall McKinley. We can debate about the rest.
Well, good for you. I was expecting some answer from an election rules/laws that gives you this right. I can understand Matt Rowe if he demanded it. He helped build that list. But what about you? Instead, you pretty much are telling me, you can do it by reason you don’t care if people(non candidates/non attorneys) can’t understand it and that other people like you can. Nice, I am beginning to see why some people from FFFF
call you pompous.
It’s simple:
If the list is private property of the recall PAC, Chris Thompson had no right to use it for his own independent expenditure on behalf of the three FFFF candidates.
If the list is not private property of the recall PAC, then Matt Rowe — or Glenn Georgieff — or I — have the same right to use it as anyone else. I’d like to reach those voters, after all. So I’m demanding it.
Without a demand, I may have no basis for a complaint. That’s why I demand it.
“Without a demand, I may have no basis for a complaint.”
Your demand should state the basis of your complaint. You should say why you have a right to the list.
Without a stated basis to back up your demand – all you have is a baseless demand.
I have a right to the list because the PAC is apparently making the list available to promote campaigns other than the recall itself, and my campaign (covering the City of Fullerton) is equal to those of Kiger, Levinson, and Sebourn in that respect.
Let’s see what the FPPC has to say about it, shall we?
“.. I am demanding my rights. That’s what attorneys do. It doesn’t have to make sense to you; attorneys will understand it.”
Mr. Diamond – That does sound pompous.
Law is like that sometimes.
rumor has it that schroeder and greer have been hired
this must be getting serious
Seriously, hired for what, Willie? To defend the 3 bald tires being recalled? Tell us! Before it was Ackerman and Ellis.
Diamond says: “Let’s see what the FPPC has to say about it, shall we?”
The FPPC does not have the power to make things right by taking from one to give to another.
I never said that they did. The FPPC would not order a remedy like that; even if they did, it would be too late to implement it anyway.
I’ve given the Recall committee PAC the chance to mitigate the effects of Thompson’s bad act. They have apparently chosen not to mitigate it. Duly noted and recorded.
The Czech immigrant should deport himself.
“The Czech immigrant should deport himself”……….. Hmmmmm
Thinking about it.. trust me.
This country belongs to the moron mongoloids.
The term “DEMAND’ is standard lawyer lingo. You can “demand” all you want but no one has to comply until they get a court order. The ” demand” is where things start.
Even though I don’t agree with Greg Diamond on most things I do agree with him on this as well as if Thompson used this list others should have the same opportunity. Like Greg says though, “Once you ring the bell you can’t unring it” The damage has been done. Even to give other candidates the list now it is almost useless because the election is this Tuesday coming up.
Even though Chris Thompson “apologized” it is too little too late. To me, because of the timing and the wording, it appears to be by design rather than a mistake. Thompson probably thinking “whats the worst that could happen? If someone calls me out on it I’ll apologize for my short sited “mistake” and life will go on. I’ll probably have a few people tell me what a great guy I am because of my apology.”
With his “endorsement ” going out I am sure he cleared it with the three candidates he supports as well as Tony Bushala. If he didn’t clear it with his candidates he should have but if not then they don’t have enough control over their own campaign. With that being said it makes me wonder if Thompson’s and Bushala’s team is just the 2.0 version of what Fullerton has now but with just different coaches and managers? I never saw where any of his three picks said that they thought it wrong of Thompson to do this. Makes me wonder.