By John Stump
Editor Note: This complaint to California’s Fair Practices Commission questions the use of CityTV to record a rally held by Mayor Faulconer to defeat Assembly Bill 504 which would strengthen oversight of Civic San Diego’s land use decisions. SDFP has included a video of the rally and this link to the city’s multimedia policy.
Dear Madam / Sir,
I was disturbed on Saturday, May 9, between 4:30 and 5 p.m., when I was presented with a purely political campaign programm organized and presented against the pending Assembly Bill -AB 504 L. Gonzales, to make local government more accountable.
Mayor Faulkner and some ad hoc group called ‘Neighborhoods First” called for the defeat of Assembly bill 504. This political programming was presented as a stand alone program on the City of San Diego Public Access Channel 24 on the City’s contract cable franchisee Cox Television. I did not see any disclaimers or identification of the political committee sponsoring this programming. Nor was there any announced opportunity for opposing views.
I think this was an abuse of power, unfair, and unethical. Please refer this matter to the Attorney General, Ethics Commission and the bodies that oversee public TV and local government. In addition to fines, I think that opposing groups should be provided an opportunity to respond to this political statement using public funds.
I would like to be contacted concerning this complaint. I am fearful that there may be political retributions for making this complaint.
Thank you for your good work.
John Stump was an elected member of the first elected citizens City Heights Project Area Committee, board of the community based City Heights Redevelopment Agency, President of the City Heights CDC, State Bar Commissioner for Legal Services, and member of the Alumni Board of Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
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Looks like Mayor Sanders Faulconer’s Neighborhoods First is a name cribbed from a 1979 501(c)(3) financed by the Ford Foundation to aid impoverished neighbourhoods. Today, if you Google Neighborhoods First you’ll find it listed as LISC Neighborhoods First with an address at 4305 University Ave. The website shows a quite different picture than that in Mayor Sanders Faulconer’s 12-minute clown show. The picture from 2008, shows a group of vicinos in front of a struggle mural at K St. Market featuring Cesar Chavez. There were 25 of them, without pre-printed signboards and in work or street clothes. By coincidence, those gathered in support of Civic San Diego in that Encanto canyon also appeared to number 25, though, of course, they look like they just arrived from a Chamber of Commerce meeting.
Seems like the new one’s not the same organization. I doubt there is a Neighbourhood First today. The San Diego White Pages lists no phone number for the address on University Ave. Maybe a call to City Hall would clear all this up.
Bob- thank you for providing background info about the history of Neighborhoods First. Those of us who have been kicking around during the past decades and remember what you are alluding to are left shaking our collective heads.
We have entered the pre-printed era of spin.
Just keeps on getting better doesn’t it?
Now, it seems, we have the “Mayor” Milquetoast Channel…