Commission Accuses State Senate Candidate of 400 Illegal Mailings
The Fair Political Practices Commission has accused Republican state Senate candidate Don Knabe of sending out an illegal mailing to 400 disabled veterans in his unsuccessful 1988 bid to defeat Sen. Cecil N. Green (D-Norwalk), who represents western Orange County.
In the final weeks of the campaign, Knabe, a former Cerritos city councilman and chief deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana, sent out a letter by Sherman E. Roodzant, past national commander of American Disabled Veterans. The letter attacked Green for “callous misuse of the American flag” and “blatant disregard for America’s veterans.”
The letter indicated in small type that the mailing was paid for by Knabe’s campaign, but the law requires full identification of the sender on the envelope as well.
“We are surprised at the tenacity (of the Fair Political Practices Commission) over 400 envelopes,” said Knabe, who blamed the problem on a printer’s oversight. “It is really, as Chick Hearn would say, ‘ticky-tacky.’ ”
If the commission upholds the charge, Knabe could be fined up to $2,000.
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