Council Backs Political Mailing ID

Concerned that a court ruling could mean a blizzard of anonymous political mailers in Los Angeles elections, the City Council this week voted to support a measure to require all mailers to identify the sender.

In addition, the council voted Tuesday to ask all candidates in the April 13 election to voluntarily abide by the state law against anonymous mailers, which was struck down by a state appeals court Jan. 29.

The court ruling, which went into effect Monday, “means that candidates are now free to send false and misleading mailers without an opponent or the public knowing from where the mailers came,” Councilwoman Laura Chick said.

Chick’s motion, approved by the council in a unanimous vote, asks the city attorney to draft an ordinance prohibiting anonymous mailers in city elections. The council also voted to seek state legislation this year to prohibit anonymous mailers and require candidates who send the mailers to identify themselves.