Local News in Brief : Limits on Use of City Seal Favored
The Hawthorne City Council has given preliminary approval to an ordinance banning use of the city’s letterhead or seal on political campaign materials.
The ordinance, to be put to a final council vote Dec. 27, was drafted in response to an unauthorized use of the Hawthorne city seal during the Nov. 8 election.
In the hotly contested race between Hawthorne Councilman Chuck Bookhammer and Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd (D-Carson), Floyd sent voters a letter from Mayor Betty Ainsworth endorsing him. However, the letter was reprinted on stationery that included the Hawthorne city seal. Floyd also sent out endorsements by Lawndale and Gardena officials that, without permission, used those cities’ seals.
Residents and council members in all three cities objected, saying voters might misconstrue the materials as official endorsement of Floyd. Lawndale and Gardena have taken no action to ban such use of city letterheads or seals.
Karen Murai, a field deputy to Floyd, said a printer’s error led to the use of the city designations. In the heat of the campaign, she said, the letters were not reviewed by Floyd campaign officials before mailing.
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