1st SD Mailbox: Central Labor Council I.E. for Umberg
Before I begin, two disclosures: First, I am NOT a member of the Orange County Employees Association or any other union. Second, I have endorsed Carlos Bustamante in the First District Supervisorial election. I will continue to post mail and other information regarding the election, and I will try to do so with as much objectivity as I can muster.
I came across two new mailers, both independent expenditures (I.E.'s) on behalf of Tom Umberg from the Orange County Central Labor Council. For the uninitiated, the CLC is a consortium of public- and private-sector unions that represents almost all of the unionized workers in Orange County. One of the most visible functions of this umbrella organization is political action on behalf of preferred candidates or causes. The mailer itself claims that the CLC represents 147,000 members in Orange County (hmmm... do they LIVE or WORK in OC?).
The first mailer (see below - I'll post the second shortly) is an 11x17 (folded once), glossy mailer obviously directed to union members who vote absentee. I do not know how many union members live in the First District, but it surely numbers in the thousands. The mailer tries to motivate the recipient by asserting that "...some members of the Board have long records opposing working family issues."
Apparently one of those "working family issues" is "opposing new taxes." This mailer claims Umberg has a "...perfect record opposing new taxes" (what about raising existing ones?) and that "(h)e will bring that same fiscal restraint to the Board..." POP QUIZ - Can a candidate be held to account for claims in an "independent expenditure"?
This is a very slick, well-produced piece that has a "Special Reminder" to vote and mail the ballot "right away" ... and, of course, to vote for Umberg.
