Aprir 6, 2001

COALITION FOR POLITICALREFORM (CPR)
7985 Santa Monica Boulevard,Suite 22, Los Angeles, California 90046;
323-654-7409; Fax 323-654-7446
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NEWS RELEASE

April 5, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: JimMangia
213-216-0055

COALITION TO SUE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PARTIES FOR MASSIVE STATE & LOCAL CAMPAIGN LAW VIOLATIONS IN L.A. MAYORAL CAMPAIGN

WILL SEEK TO POSTPONE TUESDAY'S CORRUPTED AND TAINTED ELECTION

LOS ANGELES Ata news conference today in front of the city Ethics Commission, Jim Mangia, President of the Coalition for Political Reform released the details of a lawsuit that will be filed against: 1) the Democratic and Republican parties for illegally corrupting and tainting the
Los Angeles mayoral race; 2) the Villaraigosa and Soboroff campaigns for conspiring with the political parties to break Los Angeles and state campaign finance law. The Coalition is calling on the Elections Division of the city Los Angeles to postpone Tuesday's tainted mayoral election until a full investigation by the Ethics Commission into the flagrant violations of Proposition 34 and city campaign and municipal law can be initiated. If the Elections Division refuses to do so, the Coalition will move immediately towards seeking an injunction to postpone the election, initiate a full inquiry into the illegal actions of the Democratic and Republican parties and freeze all assets and accounts of the state political parties to prevent further illegal spending in the mayoral race.

"The Democratic and Republican parties have violated the very provisions they wrote in Proposition 34 in a successful and devious attempt to corrupt the Los Angeles mayoral election. To allow the election to go forth under the present circumstances would confront LA with a mayor whose election would have been the product and result of fraud and corruption, and create a debacle much worse than the situation we have witnessed in the recent presidential election in Florida" stated Jim Mangia, President of the Coalition.

The Democratic and Republican parties have stated that they exploited a loophole in Proposition 34 which allows "organizations" to communicate with members without reporting the source of the income and without concern for city spending and contribution limits. Yet Proposition 34, as well as federal statute and city ethics law, differentiates between political parties and organizations such as unions and political action committees. In 12 separate and distinct sections of this law, it defines and differentiates the activities of political parties and political party committees. As well, Proposition 34 states in Section 85703 that "Nothing in this act shall nullify contribution limits or prohibitions of any local jurisdiction that apply to elections for local elective office."

"What's most ironic, is that the Democrats and Republicans are violating the very law they wrote to attempt to destroy campaign finance reform," continued Mangia. "Their arrogance and abuse of power in the Los Angeles mayoral race is unprecedented."