The Prosperity PAC: They’ve Got Some ‘Splainin’ to Do

The all-liberal runoff pits Santa Monica school board member and charter school supporter Ben Allen (photo below right) against Sandra Fluke (photo below left) who got her 15 minutes of fame two years ago when Rush Limbaugh called her “a slut … a prostitute … She's having so much sex she can't afford contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex."

The crime of Sandra Fluke, a young graduate of Georgetown University Law School, was to come before an unofficial congressional committee and say the Jesuit schools lack of coverage for contraception was hurting woman. “I am a woman who uses contraceptives,” Fluke declared, sparking a controversy that led to President Obama embracing her as a symbol of injustice to woman and eventually forcing Limbaugh to apologize.

So you can understand how explosive it was for Fluke supporters tracking campaign contributions to send out an email blast to a list of conservatives contributing to her opponent’s campaign under the heading BEN ALLEN Campaign Donations! a work in progress … big money just keeps rolling in!!

The list included Republican-turned-independent William Bloomfield, independent Republican Richard Riordan and this bombshell in bold face type: Prosperity PAC- Honorary Chair GOP Paul Ryan, 1,000 To elect conservative candidates. “Restoring America starts by building a Republican led congress in 2014-15”

Nothing could chase away liberal voters faster than a Democrat taking political money from the right-wing congressman and failed vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. Allen could be forgiven for courting Republican voters and money but Paul Ryan? Unacceptable, a poison pill.

The report spread like wildfire in Democratic circles, loaded the Westside Democratic Club’s listserv with comments and took four days for the truth to catch up with the rumor.

“They got it wrong,” Allen’s campaign consultant Sam Liu said in a telephone interview.

“The Prosperity PAC they’re talking about is a state PAC controlled by Assemblyman Mike Gatto that contributed to both Sandra and Ben campaigns. The Prosperity PAC they’re referring to is a federal PAC is controlled by Congressman Paul Ryan.”

Fluke consultant Abigail Gardner responded similarly in an email: “Hey Ron, I got a clarification: Assemblymember in CA, Mike Gatto, has a PAC with the same name as Ryan's PAC and he gave a check to both Sandra and Ben.”

Bruce Campbell, one of the Fluke campaign activists involved in tracking contributions, described in an email how they found their mistaken identification of Ryan’s Prosperity PAC as an Allen contributor when they got “this intense e-mail comes out saying it is not Republican-related.”

Here’s his account:

“I looked it up and found Prosperity PAC gave $1000 to Sandra as well. Then I noticed that it said ‘Sacramento 95815.’ I computer-searched with Sacramento 95815 and the two main things I found was an unrelated Prosperity Project in that zip code, as well as indications that the Prosperity PAC in Sacto. gave money to some other group with Prosperity in its name, but a lot longer name. I still couldn't figure out what they were up to, so I e-mailed Sandra. She responded that her list has it (Prosperity PAC out of Sacramento) as related to Assemblyman Mike Gatto … Ben's supporters are desperate to declare everything we are putting out is lies -- despite the only problem pointed out being the 4-day error which was corrected as soon as we found out about it.”

In a tight race with both campaigns well-funded and both rich in important endorsements, it’s hard to say whether the misinformation which is still bouncing around in tweets and emails and popping up on this listserv will affect the outcome in any way.

But it does leave unresolved an issue that may have greater importance down the road.

Gatto is closely connected to the Sacramento Prosperity PAC but has denied previously that it is his – and for good reason.

State law allows officeholders to create a political action committee in their own names for their own campaigns and political purposes, including influencing voters about ballot measures, but it bars them from controlling PACs that support other candidates.

Here’s the Fair Political Practices Commission’s manual on the subject:

“When a candidate for elective office, including an officeholder exerts significant influence on the actions of decisions of a committee, it is considered a ‘controlled committee. Although candidates and elected officeholders may not control a general purpose committee that makes contributions or independent expenditures to support or oppose other candidates, they may control a general purpose committee formed solely to support or oppose ballot measures. The committee name must include the last name of the controlling state or local candidate.”

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So it might not make a world a difference which liberal wins the election in the 26^th Senate District but it might matter a lot whether the Allen campaign is right in saying Prosperity PAC is “controlled by Assemblyman Mike Gatto” and whether the Fluke campaign is right in saying “Mike Gatto, has a PAC with the same name as Ryan's PAC” and whether Fluke herself is right in telling Bruce Campbell that “her list has it (Prosperity PAC out of Sacramento) as related to Assemblyman Mike Gatto.”

In a story about what’s true and what’s false, it would seem the FPPC has a duty once and for all to determine if the whole world is wrong about Mike Gatto controlling the state’s Prosperity PAC or whether he is breaking the law by doing so.

(Ron Kaye is a lifetime journalist, writer and political observer. He is the former editor of the Daily News and the founder of the Saving LA Project. He writes occasionally for CityWatch and can be reached at [email protected])

-cw

Tags: Ron Kaye, State Senate race, election Sandra Fluke, Ben Allen, Paul Ryan, Richard Riordan, Mike Gatto, Prosperity PAC