Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

Over on his blog, Barry Pruett is defending CABPRO’s right as a 501(c)4 to endorse candidates, not just propositions, arguing it is not the nonprofit’s “primary purpose.”

This is up to the IRS to decide. Meanwhile, here’s how CABPRO describes itself in its newsletter:

“Your financial support for CABPRO means we can keep up the good fight, helping you and others protect your property rights, fight for less government regulation, work for lower fees and taxes, and insure that a voice for balanced decision-making is heard.”

For the record, I have a problem with any 510(c)4 nonprofit – including Move On – not being transparent and accountable in politics.

This practice is getting out of hand, most recently with the tea party and an anonymous $1 million donation.

For its part, CABPRO is a local group that has long been vocal in local politics, and locals should be able to know as much as possible about them.

Lawyers will argue it’s legal for nonprofits to go about their business in certain ways. But “is it right”?

In most public opinion polls, you’ll notice that lawyers are lower on the totum pole than journalists. I wonder why.

Here’s a great opportunity for a local group such as CABPRO to lead by example and be more forthright about public requests – from locals and the journalist I wrote about earlier this morning.

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Who said all politics is local? Our Assemblyman Dan Logue has received $1,500 from Tesoro and $1,000 Valero, the two Texas oil refiners who are helping to bankroll Prop. 23, according to CalAcces campaign finance data.

Logue is Prop. 23′s biggest proponent, along with our Congressman Tom McClintock. As reported, McClintock also received a $5,000 campaign donation from Vallero, his #7 corporate contribution, according to campaign finance reports.

In his district, Logue has received money from CABPRO supporters (Martin Light, $100; Kim Janousek, $100); as well as local GOP Central Committee members (Greg Marks, $200; Richard Freedle, $200 and Betty Hood $100).

When Logue ran against Sue Horne in the primary for the last local Assembly race, local GOPers were split between the two candidates. It was a bitter, hard-fought race.

Among local businesses here, Robinson Family Enterprises of Nevada City has donated $1,500 to Logue, and B&C Hardware of Grass Valley (Janousek’s business) has donated $200, the reports show. Sierra Pacific Industries, whith operations in the foothills and Sierra, has donated $1,500.

Most of the same donors are supporting Prop. 23.

Why isn’t the local media reporting any of this?

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The October issue of CABRO lists its “recommendations” for the midterm November elections. CABPRO is endorsing Dai Meagher for Treasurer. The details are here.

This is an interesting twist from “politics as usual” around here: Dai leans to the left (he did, however, change his voting status from Democrat to “decline to state” earlier this year); while his opponent, Tina Vernon, is the Republican. The county Democratic Central Committee is endorsing Dai, as I reported previously.

“At the Nevada County Democratic Central Committee meeting on September 16, the Nevada County Democrats endorsed Dai Meagher for the Nevada County Treasurer. Dai, as a CPA, has the proper qualifications for a position with the treasurer’s responsibilities, and he has handled billions of dollars already for his clients, including a large department in the County of Alameda,” according to the local Democrat’s latest newsletter.

CABPRO supports Dai, partly because he has expressed concern about our pension crisis. It also likes his CPA credentials.

All five supervisors have endorsed Vernon.

I also was intrigued by CABPRO’s explanation for opposing Prop. 19, calling it a “Trojan Horse.”

Exit question: Will Dai’s endorsment from CABPRO cost him some votes from some people in the middle and on the left, who dislike CABPRO’s usual right-wing political advocacy? You can expect Vernon’s campaign to make hay of it.

CABPRO’s ballot initiatives recommendations are here:

Proposition 19: Legalizes recreational marijuana
use. Do we need additional legalized substance
abuse in the state under the guise of bringing
in additional tax revenue at the local
level? Remember how the state lottery was sold to
us as a means of of funding public education? It’s a
Trojan Horse.
Vote: NO!

Proposition 20: Redistricting Congressional
Districts is a follow-up to the 2008 Proposition
11. Don’t we want to be in charge of how our
districts are laid out and not leave it to a bunch of
politicians and bureaucrats in Sacramento?
Vote: YES!

Proposition 21: Adds an $18 annual vehicle
surcharge (TAX) to help fund state parks and wildlife
programs and grants free admission to all state
parks to surcharged vehicles. Do we want more
surcharges/fees/taxes in these hard economic
times?
Vote: NO!

Proposition 22: Prohibits the State from Taking
Funds Used for Transportation or Local Government
Projects and Services. State spending is out of-
control. Why balance the State budget off our
local backs? Robbing Peter to Pay Paul isn’t right!
Vote: YES!

Proposition 23: The California Jobs Initiative puts
implementation of AB 32 on hold until California’s
unemployment rate drops. So far, thousands of
businesses have relocated to more business
friendly states. We cannot allow our Golden State
to become a 3rd world state by allowing AB 32 and
CARB’s regulations to kill jobs.
Vote: YES!

Proposition 24: Repeals recently enacted
corporate tax breaks letting businesses carry back
losses, share tax credits, and use a sales-based
income calculation to lower taxable income. Isn’t it
time to stop beating up businesses but instead
encourage them to stay and others to come to
California?
Vote: NO!

Proposition 25: Allows the state budget to be
approved based on a simple majority instead of the
current 2/3 majority. If passed then just a little
over 50% of a controlling legislature could tax and
spend California into bankruptcy. Don’t we need
true reform instead of just changing the rules?
Vote: NO!

Proposition 26: The Supermajority vote to Pass
New Taxes and Fees Act changes the state
Constitution to require voters to approve, either by
two-thirds or majority, local levies and charges
with limited exceptions. Doesn’t it make sense to
make it more difficult to impose more fees and
taxes than easier?
Vote: YES!

Proposition 27: The Elimination of the Citizen
Redistricting Commission eliminates the State
Commission on Redistricting we voted for in
2008 and returns redistricting to elected
politicians. Doesn’t it make sense not to
allow self-serving politicians to draw their own
boundaries?
Vote: NO!

Selected Candidates Recommendations
Governor:
Meg Whitman

U.S. Senate:
Carly Fiorina

U.S. Representative 4th Congressional District:
Tom McClintock

State Assembly 3rd District:
Dan Logue

State Senate 4th District:
Doug LaMalfa

Nevada County Treasurer-Tax Collector:
Dai Meagher, CPA

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Editor’s note: Here’s a snippet from CABPRO’s October newsletter:

Twas the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys.

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink.

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

‘ On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi’
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn’t stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!
Amen
* * *
CABPRO NEWS Volume 16, Number 9 – October 2010 11

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The other day The Union tried to “dig deeper” and identified Hills Flat Lumber owner Jeff Pardini as “one county resident” who had donated to the “yes” on Prop. 23 campaign, citing campaign finance data.

As a result, there is “little monetary support” for the initiative here, the headline read.

Don’t count on it. What The Union missed was a $5,000 contribution from the Lumber Association of California and Nevada and a more than $100,000 contribution from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, for example.

Many members of our community make donations to both groups, among others, which also were listed in the CalAccess report. The report is here. 

In fact, some admitted it. “Contributions to support Prop23 go to many organizations who are putting out the word on AB32’s job killing future.  (Jo Ann and I, along with many other folks, are also contributors to Prop. 23),” as right-wing blogger George Rebane wrote.

The board of the Lumber Association of California and Nevada — listed on its website — includes Pardini but also Mike Carey, an executive of lumber giant Sierra Pacific Industries. The group’s newsletter has an editorial from Dan Logue, Prop. 23′s biggest supporter.

Other prominent Sierra Pacific executives, including Robert Ingram, reside in our county and are active in conservative politics. You can bet that Robinson Timber, owned by Lowell Robinson of Nevada City, is a member of the Folsom-based trade group as well.

Many residents here also contribute to the Howard Jarvis Association, which has endorsed conservative candidates in our county over the years, including Sue Horne in her race for assessor.

A straightforward reading of campaign finance reports is not sufficient to draw conclusions. You have to “connect the dots.”

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Locals, including blogger Anna Haynes, have complained about the challenges of getting information from or about CABPRO, the right-wing political advocacy group here. Well so are others. Here’s an email I received from an out-of-town journalist this week:

“I’m working on a story about Prop 23. I’m curious about CABPRO. I can’t find any IRS forms with their names — and they’re not forthcoming with member directories or sponsor information. I’d like to find out more.”

I’m glad that people are starting to shine a light on this group. As you know this blog was instrumental in raising questions about CABPRO’s transparency and accountability recently — and some of the probing was met with hostility.

I guess the word is getting out — on this blog and elsewhere. Why won’t The Union or KNCO investigate CABPRO?

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Anger is dominating the political debate—”especially if you’re an older, whiter, economically anxious voter who dislikes President Barack Obama and tends to prefer Republicans to Democrats,” according to Newsweek.

I sure hear a lot of that around here — in select columns in The Union newspaper, on KNCO, or on the right-wing blogs.

“Self-described ‘angry’ voters fit a rather predictable political and demographic profile. Most are either Republicans (52 percent) or independents (29 percent), with 42 percent of the angry voters declaring themselves Tea Party supporters,” the magazine continues. “Only 14 percent are Democrats.”

But according to a new Newsweek poll, anger alone won’t be the determining factor in November’s midterm elections.

“For starters, self-described angry voters constitute only 23 percent of the electorate, and there’s no reason to believe that they’re more likely to cast ballots in November than their calmer peers. Why? Because the percentage of angry voters who say they will definitely vote in the midterms is statistically indistinguishable from the overall percentage of voters who say the same thing (84 percent vs. 81 percent).”

The article is here.

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