Insinuations and last minute hit pieces always come from one side in local elections. The losing side.

I expected the usual hype and sloppy partisan "reporting" from Ryan Burns or Hank Sims a day or two before election day. They certainly did not disappoint.



 Lost Coast Outpost's much ado about nothing hit piece about Redwood Teen Challenge doing phone banking for Ryan Sundberg and Virginia Bass' campaign had a click bait headline. But was short on facts to back up that claim.

Ryan Burns also left a few facts out and did not raise any
questions about Ryan Sundberg and Virginia Bass' opponents.

Typical  LOCO, make a sensational headline and then as you read; relevant information is buried way down:

"As for the candidates involved — Bass and Sundberg — it doesn’t appear that they’ve violated any campaign rules. Jay Wierenga, communications director for California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, said that while other laws might come into play, the Political Reform Act doesn’t prohibit candidates from hiring charitable organizations to do phone banking."


Also from Ryan Burn's article today:

One condition of that deal is that 501(c)(3) organizations are supposed to stay out of partisan politics.

Our local elections are non partisan. You would think for the years Ryan Burns and Hank Sims have been "reporting", locally, they would know the facts.

Since, I have been here, the typical last minute hit pieces are written and published by the same players, Ken Miller for one.  Certain "media" are just too happy to publish these claims about certain candidates. If you are going to scrutinize, do it for all candidates.

Be partisan, if you want, but back it up with facts.

Let's assume Ryan Burns reported what is printed below accurately.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. … Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.

If so, why didn't he raise the following questions below or include certain facts about Sungnome's endorsements?

How is Virginia hiring Redwood Teen Challenge, a non profit, any different than Dani Burkhart and Mary Ann Lyons doing their phone banking at the Humboldt County Democrats headquarters and Labor Temple?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/democratichumboldtfirst.wordpress.com/2017/01/07/an-important-election-today-get-to-eurekas-labor-temple/amp

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=946105002

Why did he not report on the fact that Planned Parenthood endorsed Steve Madrone? Steve, Sungnome, Madrone,  Brewer-Madrone; with that many names, it is hard to keep up.

Still waiting for Steve Madrone to back up his claim about the Eagle Scout and information on troop number.

In his fact checking and 460 reporting, did Ryan Burns and Hank Sims miss the multiple donations from AFSCME to Sungnome?

Tim McDermott wrote a letter for Mary Ann Lyons. Why didn't he reveal his union affiliation?

I could have written about all this before but I did not. Insinuations and last minute hit pieces always come from one side in local elections. The losing side.

Since 2010, I have witnessed these personal attacks from certain people.

If you have made your case to the voters, you don't need dirty tactics the day before.