Bob Lingl's Biggest Campaign Donors

Since I became a member of Team Linn, I've been taking a crash course on campaign financing.

When candidates run for public office, they are required to file forms, so the public can see who they're getting their money from and what they're spending it on. This is called TRANSPARENCY, and needless to say, I LOVE it.  Louis Brandeis, known as the "People's Lawyer" and later a Supreme Court Justice, wrote:

If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.

So I went down to City Hall and asked for - and received - all of our opponent's finance forms.

I learned a couple of things about the 2014 Mayoral race that I think are worth putting out in the sunshine. These are the facts - it's up to Lompoc voters to decide whether they matter.

In his 2014 campaign for Mayor, Bob Lingl spent $23,048.49 to get elected. It was probably the most expensive campaign in Lompoc history.  (John spent less than half that on his campaign - a total of $10,477.20.) And the break-down is interesting. More than half of Bob Lingl's money in 2014 came from just two sources.

Big E Produce, a successful agricultural enterprise with property inside and outside the City limits, donated $9,900. IBEW Local 1245, the union that represents most City employees, donated $2,548. These are two powerful organizations whose interests may or may not align with regular Lompoc residents. (Also - a minor point - these donations were not reported properly. But never mind. Paperwork is such a drag. Update: click here for FPPC Chapter 10 of the Campaign Manual which details additional reporting requirements for donations of $1000 or more.) 

Here's another fact. On his website, when he asked his supporters to donate to his campaign, he wrote:

"A successful campaign will take time and money.  I promise to put in the necessary time and I have already started my campaign fund with $2000 of my own money.  Can I count on your help?"

Screen shot from electboblingl.org (2014 campaign)

Maybe it's just me? When I read that, I thought he was saying he had actually donated his own money to his campaign. A campaign will "take time and money," he said, and he seemed to commit to putting in both.  Didn't he?  Well, I have no way of quantifying the amount of time he put into his campaign, but it appears that he put in ZERO dollars. According to his financial disclosures, in 2014 Bob Lingl LOANED $3,917 to his own campaign, and then took it back after the election.

Apparently, loaning money to your campaign is completely legitimate, and politicians do it all the time.  It's seed money: a way to get the ball rolling, until the first donations come in. But generally they don't CLAIM they are giving money to their campaign, if it's only a LOAN. Lingl spent over $20K of other people's money to get elected - but NONE of his own money. Hmmm... said he was committing time and money... actually did not commit any money.  To me, this seems to undermine his proclaimed resolve to "Keep Ethics and Morality in Lompoc."

For the current election cycle, on his new and improved website, our opponent again asks for money, and again says that he has "started" his campaign with $2000 of his "own money." (He also sent out letters that claim he's giving $2500 - but whether it's $2000 or $2500, I guess it doesn't matter, if he plans to get it all back at the end.)

Screen shot from electboblingl.org (2016 campaing)

letter, 2016 campaign

So what are the possible "take-aways" from this?

If you are a Lingl supporter who is thinking of contributing to his campaign, you might want to ask your guy if he's going to chip in some bucks as well.  (For real. Permanently.)

If you haven't already decided which candidate to vote for, you will have to determine whether or not Bob Lingl's actions are "open" and "transparent" - if they exemplify "Keeping Ethics and Morality in Lompoc."  How much does it matter to you, that he relies on big donors who have very particular goals for our City government?

If you are a Linn supporter: Please understand that this is going to be another expensive election - and Lingl is probably going to get big money from a few donors. John doesn't want big money from a few donors - he's asking for a little money from LOTS of donors.  He's already donated $900 of his "own money" - an actual, never-get-it-back contribution, for real. Now it's your turn.

Money is how we get the word out. Money pays for campaign mailers, signs, ads, videos, Facebook boosts, door hangers - all of which reach different types of voters.

 Please click on the donate button RIGHT NOW.  (Do it NOW.  You'll forget, if you don't. It's super easy and quick.) Give what you can.

Also, share this post with friends and family members who care about our City and want Linn for Lompoc.

GO AHEAD! Click it! See what happens!

Important update! 9/12/2016: Mayor Lingl, having read this post, has taken the time to inform me that the FPPC reporting rules (for donations over $1000) are new for 2016, and therefore he wouldn't have been expected to follow them in 2014.  I find it interesting that he defends himself against a charge that I referred to only parenthetically, and as a "minor point" and "paperwork" - but he has NO response, so far, regarding the big donors or his own campaign "contribution." 

Joining Team Linn

So. John Linn is running for Mayor, and I am a member of Team Linn.  The Mayoral campaign has already been mentioned a couple of times on this blog (The Gadfly reported exclusively on Bob Lingl's announcement of his reelection campaign here, and you can find Ean Behr's "A Call for Civility" here.)

For the next few months, I will post some random thoughts (- feelings - concerns - questions -) about the campaign on Lompoc Gadfly. First, allow me to briefly explain, how I found myself in this mess. (Just kidding, John.)

John and I have been friends for a few years now - I met him through my sister, who's known him for decades. He's tried to find me a tenant for the old Gemini Theatre space.  We've spent a lot of time talking about Lompoc and how to make it better for everyone.  I've learned a lot about City politics from our conversations.

Back in May, John asked me to help him get reelected.  He had been watching me pursue my eternal quest for transparency at Council meetings. He had learned that I was willing to make a stand, if I thought I could do some good.

So here's my stand.  I support John because, unlike his opponent, he wants to grow Lompoc - jobs, shopping, recreation, and entertainment.  I've seen him in action and I've seen the results of his dedication.   He doesn't just TALK about making Lompoc better - he works hard to make it happen.

And there's more.  John Linn has promised me that he will help increase PUBLIC PARTICIPATION in City government.  He has promised me improved TRANSPARENCY.

Yes, I absolutely DO trust him.  Absolutely. In spite of the relentless attacks on John's character starting before the 2014 election and continuing now - I KNOW John.  He is a big-hearted, smart-as-hell boy scout, who never fails to do what he thinks is right, even when he is driving everyone around him CRAZY (just kidding, John).

John is not a perfect candidate, and he won't be a perfect Mayor.  But he is MY CHOICE for Mayor, and I trust that he will make good things happen for Lompoc.

A Call for Civility

A guest post from Mr. Ean Behr:

This is a call for civility. This is a call to remember that come November 9, no matter who becomes our Mayor (not to mention our President), we will still be neighbors. We will still run into one another at fundraisers and in grocery stores. We will still, it is to be hoped, be able to look one another in the face, unashamed of things we've written in the heat of the moment from the safety and comfort of our keyboards.

This is an election year. This is a time of change. People get emotional about change. We feel hopeful or fretful about what the future will bring into our lives. We want more of the good stuff for the place we live and love, not less. We want the bad things, as we understand them, to stop. It worries us sometimes, makes us angry sometimes, makes us sad sometimes. It is deeply important to us and we take it very personally. We want to protect the things we love. That is understandable.

We are making it ugly...and dangerous.

We live in a democracy. In a democracy, you can disagree with a candidate's vision for the future; it is your right and more, your obligation. You can take exception to his or her political philosophy in general, think it's bad for the City or the Country. You can certainly disagree with that politician's interpretation of the facts pertinent to a policy position. Those are fundamental tenets of political discourse in civil, democratic societies. What you may not do is engage in attack on the character of the person. What you do not want to do is say publicly to that person what you would never say face to face. In civil societies, we do not accost someone in a public or private venue and attack her or his character. You would not, I sincerely hope, come up to me at an LHS football game or in the bathroom at a City Council meeting and call me a liar to my face. Full stop. You would not accuse me of being untrustworthy. Period. There is all the difference in the world between telling me you fundamentally disagree with my stance on an issue and bashing me as a person. Why? Because even if you truly believe those things, you would not (or should not) say them because it is uncivil, it is beneath your dignity, and it serves no higher purpose. All it does is urge the conversation into a downward spiral, one from which we both will somehow have to recover if we are to continue any pretense at civility in the future.

The mayoral election cycle has barely begun and it is already heading into that downward spiral. We are already engaging in name-calling and fear mongering and pot shots. All too rarely do I see on Facebook someone say something along the lines of, “I know what I want for Lompoc and based on what he's done in the past, he doesn't share my vision for this city.” Or, “If I had to pick between two future Lompocs, I'd pick the one that X wants.” Or, “I like the direction the City is going in and I think it's getting there because of him (or in spite of him)." Or, “He'll make sure ABC doesn't get out of hand.” Those are useful comments. Those help other Lompocans consider their own hopes for the future of their city, whether they believe it is good the way it is, or needs to change in ways.

Maybe you're for Lingl; maybe you're for Linn. Maybe you think neither of these men can do a satisfactory job with your city and you want some hoped-for third option. You cannot be blamed for how you feel, only for how you behave.

I am a member of Team Linn. All the members of Team Linn are on John's campaign website: linnforlompoc.com. We're right out there for all to see. So, you may choose to filter out what I'm writing here. You may decide to discount it as just more political hooey. I hope you will not. John and his team have no control over how his opponent—or opponents, as the case may be—choose to run their campaigns. We have no control over how Lompocans conduct themselves on social or traditional media. We can only say what we will do—and will not do. We will, in every situation, speak only to policies with which we disagree, not to the character of the people who support them. Yes, we will call out behaviors we believe are inappropriate and unhelpful, swiftly and forcefully. Likewise, we will express firmly our stance on every plank of John's and every other candidate's platform. But we will never engage in ad hominem attacks on our opponents, their supporters, or anyone else. Because we will always remember that they are, first and foremost, our neighbors, our colleagues, and oftentimes our friends.

There are ways to fight to protect the things you love and want to preserve. Some of which will make us better at being community members; others of which will lead to smoldering resentment. Some can lead to serendipitous outcomes; others only to a City on the verge of a meltdown. Both have happened to cities before. It's entirely up to us. Only we can decide which scenario to aim for.