Tag: Election Fraud

In general, activists’ response led to deeper discussion of the issues but we need ALL members to respond to these action requests if we are to impact policy and decisions!

Four Berkeley Fair Campaign Committee members – appointed by TUFF Slate endorsers from the City Council – voted for a slap on the wrist. A dozen citizens made public comment asking for a real investigation and meaningful penalties. The commission also got four letters from BTU members, but voted 4-3 to approve the settlement agreement with low fines and no formal investigation of the faux tenant slate, and no investigation of the nearly $50,000 they accepted from landlords and property management firms. At least our public pressure led to them taking out the part of the agreement that said Rent Board Commissioner Judy Hunt and the other candidates didn’t do it on purpose! It would have been shameful to make such a declaration when there was no investigation or hearing.

There is still an ongoing investigation of the violations at the state level.

Berkeley Daily Planet:
http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2013-05-17/article/41082?headline=The-Berkeley-Fair-Campaign-Practices-Commission-Hears-TUFF-Charges–By-Dave-Blake

Contra Costa Times (link doesn’t work on phones, only computers):
http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_23269400/berkeley-landlord-group-fined-violating-election-laws

Berkeleyside:
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/05/20/landlord-backed-group-fined-for-campaign-violations/

Tonight the Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets (7 pm, North Berkeley Senior Center) to consider the stipulation offered by members of Tenants United for Fairness (TUFF)—a slate that ran for Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board in the November election—and the landlords who illegally funded their campaign.

The proposed stipulation would fine the TUFF slate members $300 each, and their backers under $3000 total.

In comparison, at the same meeting the people who raised money to defeat the street-sitting prohibiting Measure S and who failed to properly report $500 in late contributions in a timely manner are proposed to pay a penalty of that amount—$500, the amount they received. Nothing illegal about the contributions, they’re just paying the amount of the contribution for failing to report it on time.

TUFF raised and spent over $50,000 from landlords, over $30,000 from one PAC alone. Berkeley has a $250 per candidate donation limit and bars business donations, the vast bulk of those donations.

Read the entire article here:

http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2013-05-13/article/41068?headline=Berkeley-s-Fair-Campaign-Practices-Commission-Meets-Tonight-To-Consider-Light-Penalties-for-Flagrant-Election-Law-Evaders-News-Analysis—By-Dave-Blake-and-Dean-Metzger