Agoura Hills law targets dirty tricks in election campaigns

Agoura Hills law targets dirty tricks in election campaigns By John Loesing Acorn Staff Writer

Still feeling the effects of the bitter Home Depot referendum last year, Agoura Hills is cracking down on mailers and other campaign literature that violate city election laws.

Officials said "at least one" campaign mailer opposing the big box retail store carried a false return address.

"The false address misinformed the voters and made it impossible to prosecute another potential violation of the city’s ordinance," said City Attorney Craig Steele.

"The false address was not explicitly a violation of the city’s ordinance, although it likely was a violation of state law," Steele said.

In March 2002, voters narrowly passed Measure H, which prohibited retail stores in the city greater than 60,000 square feet.

Aimed at quashing a proposed Home Depot on Agoura Road, the referendum passed by a scant 107 votes, 51 percent to 49 percent. City officials objected to the outcome of the referendum because they coveted the sales tax revenue that the large store would have contributed to city coffers.

In another alleged dirty trick, the Measure H backers—those opposed to the Home Depot—reportedly tried to videotape city councilmembers in a clandestine meeting with Home Depot supporters, but no such meeting occurred. The attempted videotaping raised the ire of Measure H opponents.

In addition, thieves reportedly went onto private property and stole several campaign signs opposing the referendum. At the same time, anti-Measure H signs were seen on public property, which is an equal violation.

Each side accused the other of campaign shenanigans.

As part of its effort to bring violators out into the open, the city enacted a law that requires greater disclosure about campaign contributors. It requires campaign committees to file correct identifying information with the city clerk within 72 hours of making a contribution or expenditure.

The disclosure law also applies to those who distribute pamphlets.

"If you want to say something, you are allowed to say it. You just have to let us know who’s saying it," said City Councilman Dan Kuperberg.

The alleged Measure H address violation was referred to the state’s Fair Political Practices Committee for investigation, Steele said.

The new ordinance also requires political committees to abide by the city’s $250 contribution limit for individual candidates. The city charged that several anti-Home Depot candidates in the 2001 city council election received unfair funding from well-heeled committees.

"We have some of the toughest campaign election laws in the state," said Mayor Jeff Reinhardt. "We want to make sure everything is above board."