LBReport.com

First (Again) on LBREPORT.com

Postcard Received By Some 4th Dist. Hispanic/Latino-Surname Voters, Sent By LB Police and Fire PACs, Lists Their "Voting Record" (If They Voted in 2012 & 2014 Elections) And Urges Vote For Chico; Mayor Garcia (In Chico Campaign Mailing) Tells Hispanic/Latino Voters "Our Work Not Done" In Urging Her Election As First Latina 4th Dist. Councilmember


LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

(April 12, 2015, 8:20 a.m. with additional text at 2:40 p.m.) -- LBREPORT.com has learned that a postcard was received by some 4th district Hispanic/Latino surname voters, sent by the Long Beach Police Officers Ass'n PAC (political action committee) and Long Beach Firefighters Ass'n PACs, which includes a graphic that addresses them by their first name, lists their "voting record" (whether they voted in the 2012 election for President, the 2014 LB election for Mayor and 2014 election for Governor), displays a check-box showing "yes" or "no" for each of those elections, asks the recipient "Will you vote on April 14, 2015?" and tells them to "make your vote count; vote for Herlinda Chico for City Council."

LBREPORT.com publishes one of the postcards below for reference. Each card is apparently customized to show the recipient's "voting record."

[Scroll down for further]


[added text as clarifier] What the postcard calls the voter's "voting record" doesn't show (and with secret ballots can't know and can't show) for which candidate(s) the voter voted, only whether they did or didn't vote in the election. [end added text.]

The postcard wasn't received by some non-Hispanic/Latino surnamed voters. In the 7:00 p.m. hour on April 11, LBREPORT.com emailed the presidents of the LBPOA and LBFFA a request seeking information for publication on this matter; over twelve hours have elapsed; we'll add their responses as received.

LBREPORT.com invites our 4th district readers to help us report this story further. We WON'T publish your name, but do let us know if you did -- or didn't -- receive the LBPOA/LBFFA postcard and if you have a Hispanic/Latino surname Again, we WON'T publish your name. Just let us know at: mail@LBReport.com or via our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/lbreport. Thanks.

As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, in January 2015 the two union PACs declined a request by LBREPORT.com [routinely made in election cycles] to view the recording of their endorsement interview with their endorsee (in this cycle Herlinda Chico) so we could report to you what they asked and how she responded.

[Scroll down for further text.]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Advertisement

LBREPORT.com has also learned that the Chico for Council campaign has sent a letter explicitly targeting Hispanic/Latino surnamed registered voters, displaying text on the political [non-City Hall] letterhead of Mayor Robert Garcia, in which Garcia says that during his campaign he heard that an important issue "was having a City Councilmember that was respoinsive to the needs of their district"; said Ms. Chico worked in the private and public sectors as well as the City of LB [was a Council-office aide to then-Councilwoman Tonia Uranga] and he needs "Herlinda on the City Council to help move the city forward" and states:

[Garcia text in Chico campaign letter]...Additionally, we have an opportunity to make history once again. I was proud to become the first Latino and first immigrant to be elected Mayor. However, our work is not done. When Herlinda is elected, she will become the first Latina to represent the 4th Council district in the history of Long Beach. [emphasis in original]

After stating "Go Long Beach and below his signature, the letter includes a "P.S." listing Ms. Chico's endorsements by the state Democratic Party and four Hispanhic/Latino-surnamed local elected officials: Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, state Senator Ricardo Lara and LB Councilmembers Lena Gonzalez and Roberto Uranga (although Ms. Chico is also endorsed by five other Council incumbents.) [To view the letter, click here. Note: the displayed digital scan didn't capture the legal disclosure which appears at the bottom of the document fully disclosing it was sent by the Chico campaign.]

2010 U.S. Census data, used by city staff during the city's 2011 redistricting process, indicates that the 4th Council district at that time had a population that was 35,9% Hispanic, 33.2% White, 15.5% Asian and 11.2% Black.

Historically, the 4th district's eastern [and mainly non-Hispanic] precincts in Los Altos and vicinity have had the highest voter turnout. In the June 2012 Council runoff election, Mr. Supernaw won those precincts but lost the election by a roughly 43%-57% margin when ballots cast in eleven historically low turnout precincts in the western part of the district (roughly east of Cherry Ave. between Anaheim St. and PCH) had over 70% of their ballots cast for then-incumbent Patrick O'Donnell. Four of precincts had over 80% of their ballots cast for O'Donnell and two precincts had roughly 85% of ballots cast for O'Donnell.

LBREPORT.com learned of the Hispanic/Latino targeted actions in this election cycle shortly after we editorially criticized a letter sent by the Chico campaign targeting female voters that urged a vote for Ms. Chico to create the "first female majority on the City Council in the history of Long Beach."




blog comments powered by Disqus

Recommend LBREPORT.com to your Facebook friends:


Follow LBReport.com with:

Twitter

Facebook

RSS

Return To Front Page

Contact us: mail@LBReport.com





Adoptable pet of the week:








Carter Wood Floors
Hardwood Floor Specialists
Call (562) 422-2800 or (714) 836-7050


Copyright © 2015 LBReport.com, LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of Use/Legal policy, click here. Privacy Policy, click here