Measure J Committee Fraudulent Election Mailer Sham

'Californians Vote Green' Fake Grassroots Group

School District, BEST Wallows In Sleazy Election Ploy

Who could have guessed the politics surrounding a school rebuilding effort in Emeryville could stoop this low?

The Measure J committee known as Building Emeryville Schools Together (BEST) and also by extension the school district, has partnered with a Los Angeles political consulting firm that is masquerading as a legitimate grassroots political organization and has been roundly criticized for deceiving voters state-wide in a bogus 'pay for endorsement' scheme.

Pay To Play

The firm, Californians Vote Green is a for-profit outfit that will print endorsement slates for presumably any politician or proposition, for a price.  Thousands of Emeryville voters received an election mailer endorsing Measure J and other propositions and candidates over the weekend, seemingly from the Green Party but was in actuality just paid advertisements.  Even Republican Attorney General hopeful Steve Cooley has paid the firm and shares the "green" slate with Measure J.

The small print on the mailer informs voters Californians Vote  Green is not associated with any political party organization and that Emeryville's Measure J along with the other propositions and politicians on the slate paid money to appear in the mailer.

The real Green Party has said NO to Measure J, ironically because of what they called its phony grassroots nature.

A primary function of this group is to help its political clients build a (phony) green image with voters, an election tactic sometimes called 'green washing'.

Californians Vote Green has been around since at least last election cycle when they took $40,000 from PG&E in June to help them green wash their Proposition 16 campaign, the notorious $50 million losing  campaign to make it virtually impossible for local communities to set up competing power companies.

Our Emery School District and BEST, the committee for Measure J has thrown their lot in with a company engaging in voter fraud.  The Marin Independent Journal said of the company, "Californians Vote Green is simply a political consulting operation in Southern California, profiting on deceptive mail, with no ties at all to any green groups".

Emeryville council member Jennifer West, a supporter of Measure J seemed discouraged by the fake slate; she said of the weekend mailer blitz, "Measure J makes sense on its own merits and we don't need to play political games like this...like paid political advertising on questionable slate cards".

Emeryville School Board member Josh Simon didn't return calls for this story but Berkeley School Board member and Green Party representative John Selawsky expressed annoyance at the mailer.  He said, "This slate card doesn't represent the Green Party and I would warn voters to be wary of slate cards in general unless they come from a known local organization.  They're not endorsements, they just represent who's paid money to get their names on the things".    He added, "This phony slate card politicking is corrosive to  the democratic process".

It is unknown how much BEST paid Californians Vote Green to appear on the slate and calls to BEST political operative John Gooding were not returned.

Corporate Interests Back Measure J

Measure J Backed By Corporate, Construction Interests

The campaign for Measure J is almost exclusively backed by corporations hoping to feed at the public trough and cash in to the tune of millions of dollars if the $95 million bond is passed the Tattler has learned.

In an 11 day late filling, the committee for Measure J, Building Emeryville Schools Together (BEST) revealed the extent of the corporate largess; $24,575 for the period ending on September 30. Of that amount $23,975 is from corporations in the construction trades, legal and bond financing fields. The $600 difference is donated from two individuals.

A spokesman for BEST indicated that as of last week, another approximate $25,000 had been donated.

The corporations wishing to secure contracts associated with the construction brought by the Measure J funds, that have donated to BEST are mostly out-of-town large building firms. The labor union, Sheet Metal Workers International also took a gambit with a $5000 donation. The sole Emeryville firm, Caldwell Flores Winters Inc, hoping to secure the lucrative financing contract for the bond, kicked in for $8000; a paltry sum if Emeryville voters pass the measure.

The city released the State mandated election form 430 from BEST at 6:00 PM on Friday, 11 days late.

Some residents have cried foul for the late filing, coming well after the crush of absentee ballots were mailed. Those residents that have already voted were not able to review the donor lists before they cast their ballots, a diminution of the democratic process. BEST offered no explanation for the late filing but the Fair Political Practices Committee has indicated it routinely fines political committees for filing late.

The Tattler will report on the BEST financing as the city releases the required public documents.