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BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT
825 FIFTH STREET
EUREKA. CALIFORNIA 95501
PHONE: (707) 476-2384 FAX: (707) 445-7299
December 1, 2004
Enforcement Division
Fair Political Practices Commission
428 "r Street, Suite 620
Sacramento/ CA 95814
FAX: (916) 322-1932
Re: Election Campaign Issues In Humboldt County
To Whom It May Concern:
The election of November 2004 in Humboldt County raised questions about
disclosure requirements for entities purchasing advertising concerning issues and
candidates that appear on a local ballot.
Two entities purchased advertising for Humboldt County issues and at the same
time have refused to disclose information as to who contributed to the funding of these ads:
1. An entity named "Eureka Coalition for Jobs" purchased air time and sent a
mailer which showed Cnris Kemgan, a candidate for Eureka City Council/ in a negative
light. This advertising occurred only days before the election.
When asked by the media to disclose who purchased these ads/ the Eureka Coalition
for Jobs representative Wayne Ordos/ asserted that the Eureka Coalition for Jobs "is a
representation of a number of people in the area who are concerned about the State of the
economy/ but I am not at liberty to tell you their names." (See Eureka Times Standard
article of November 10/ 2004/ by Andrew Bird). Mr. Ordo has stated that the applied the
reasoning from Davis v. American Taxpayers Alliance, 203 Cal.App.4th 449 to conclude that
the Eureka Coalition for Jobs ads did not trigger disclosure requirements because "none
of the language in the ads or mailers advocate a voice for or against Kerrigan or his
opponent. Rex Bonn." (See Eureka Times Standard article dated November 2, 2004, by
Andrew Bird).
Attached to this letter are printed articles that appeared in the local media that
discuss the Eureka Coalition for Jobs ads.
