Corona Campaign Mailer Is Protested

Corona Councilman Jeff Bennett filed a complaint Tuesday with the state Fair Political Practices Commission over what he called a “hit piece” campaign mailer sent to city residents by an obscure Los Angeles political organization.

The glossy four-page mailer, which criticizes Bennett’s ethics, arrived in residents’ mailboxes last week alongside absentee ballots.

“It’s just tragic that politics has come to this,” said Bennett, who is running for a fourth term and brands the mailer as blatantly misleading. “It’s one thing if someone owns up to it. It’s a little disgusting not to have the courage to own up to it, to try and hide the money and deceive the public.”

The group that sent the mailer, Corona Citizens for Change, has ties to local developers.

The Corona City Council, once a congenial forum, has been beset by nasty political infighting this past year, with council members accusing one another of conflicts of interest, unethical voting and other wrongdoing.

In November, two incumbents and four challengers are facing off for two seats, and the incumbents are by no means safe.

The colorful campaign mailer notes that police and fire personnel do not support Bennett, and uses excerpts of newspaper articles to accuse him of “fiscal irresponsibility,” “votes for sale,” “embarrassment to Corona” and a “criminal past.”

It also contains stock pictures of a policeman and firefighter, which apparently led some Corona residents to think that the city’s police and fire departments sent the mailer and were campaigning against Bennett.

Though the city’s police and fire unions do not support Bennett’s reelection, union officials said they had no connection to the mailer.

“It does give the image that it’s from police and fire, and it’s definitely not. We didn’t sponsor that or approve that,” said Jim Auck, president of the Corona Police Officers Assn. “Our stand has always been to support the candidates that we’ve endorsed rather than detracting from those we don’t support. We don’t want to run a negative campaign.”

Small print on the mailer says that it was paid for by Corona Citizens for Change, a Los Angeles-based organization that is not registered with the city or state. Corona City Clerk Vicki Wasko received a “statement of organization” on Wednesday that says the group qualified as a “recipient committee” on Oct. 1, meaning it has raised or spent at least $1,000.

The only officer listed on the statement is treasurer Cary Davidson, who is a partner with Reed & Davidson, a law firm that specializes in politics and counts Edison International and the Building Industry Assn. of Southern California among its clients. Corona Citizens for Change’s address and suite are the same as that of the law firm. Davidson did not return calls seeking comment.

The group received financial support from Taxpayers for Good Government, which was formed in April and is largely funded by home builders. Frank Williams, treasurer for Taxpayers for Good Government and chief executive of a local BIA chapter, said the group donated roughly $16,000 to Corona Citizens for Change. He said the BIA was not connected to Taxpayers for Good Government, which he called a pro-business political action committee.

Though state election law requires extensive disclosure of campaign spending, the timing of the mailing allowed it to go unreported in the most recent disclosure period, covering January through September. It should be included in the next report, which is due Oct. 21, Wasko said.