Dear Editor,
The same pattern is repeating itself: The repetition of falsehoods, sponsored by corporate and developer money, about some of the Culver City candidates. Some of the recent claims are not only false, but frankly egregious. Instead of focusing on policies and candidates’ factual voting records, these attack mailers make false claims to some of the lesser funded candidates. This is what happens in our National politics and it harms communities.This is not okay.
Today I received one of those same mailers, attacking the only non-white person (and the only woman), on the council, by putting people of color in prominent positions on the attack ad. This was beyond inappropriate. Not only were the claims weirdly false, but they used photographs of people in the BIPOC community as examples to try to assert that even BIPOC community members were in agreement with the claims of this ad. This is flat out racism.
I worry that the psychology behind the inundation of repeated falsehoods, provided by people with money, actually do end up working to elect certain people into office. Our responsibility is to question the preponderance of signage and mailers and ask, “Where does the money come from?”
The particular mailer I am referring to is from the Culver City Police Officers Association PAC.
So to all candidates: If you inundate me with mailers, I will check to see who is funding those mailers, and investigate who is behind the funding and their motivations to elect certain candidates. If you claim falsehoods about candidates that actually are in the field doing the work you claim they harm, I will know. Your methods and money do not fool me.
Sincerely,
Amy Brunell