Bass campaign demands that TV stations drop ‘defamatory’ ad

A lawyer for Rep. Karen Bass despatched a cease-and-desist letter to 5 Los Angeles tv stations on Tuesday, demanding that they cease airing a marketing campaign assault advert that he known as unfaithful and “defamatory.”

Bass, operating within the June 7 main election to switch Mayor Eric Garcetti, mentioned by her lawyer that the 30-second marketing campaign business, produced by the union representing rank-and-file Los Angeles law enforcement officials, incorporates “false, deceptive and defamatory” details about her and her voting file in Washington, D.C.

Stephen J. Kaufman, a lawyer for the marketing campaign, mentioned in his letter that the business falsely claims that Bass, after receiving free tuition from the college, “repeatedly voted to offer USC hundreds of thousands in taxpayer funds.”

“Karen Bass by no means voted to applicable taxpayer funds to USC, and not one of the payments cited within the advert discuss with USC,” he wrote. Kaufman mentioned the marketing campaign would pursue “authorized treatments” towards stations that proceed to air the business.

The submitting comes on the identical day {that a} political motion committee sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Protecting League started airing practically $2 million price of adverts that search to tie Bass to a federal corruption case concentrating on Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, an ally who can be a defendant in a USC corruption case.

The union’s adverts deal with Bass’ determination a decade in the past to simply accept $95,000 in free tuition for a web-based grasp’s program at USC’s Faculty of Social Work whereas serving in Congress and representing the district that features USC. The Home Committee on Ethics cleared Bass’ request to simply accept the schooling award.

The Occasions reported final 12 months that the scholarship was provided to Bass by USC Dean Marilyn Flynn, who was later charged in a federal bribery case involving L.A. County contracts. Bass didn’t disclose the total worth of her scholarship till 2019, and just lately attributed the reporting errors to her former chief of employees, noting they have been found by her lawyer.

The police union, which has endorsed actual property developer Rick Caruso, alleged in its assault advert that Bass voted on a number of payments that benefited the college, each whereas attending the college and after.

Tom Saggau, spokesman for the police union’s PAC, mentioned the business is neither false nor defamatory. Bass voted repeatedly for federal payments that have been the topic of lobbying efforts by USC, he mentioned, which resulted in additional funding for the college. Saggau additionally pointed to a 2019 information launch from USC, which mentioned a lobbying journey through which its trustees — together with Caruso — laid out their funding priorities with Bass and different lawmakers.

“It’s now clear why Congresswoman Bass did not legally disclose the $95,000 in free tuition she took from USC for 7 years in a row on her annual reward disclosure varieties,” he mentioned in an e-mail. “She needed to cover it from the general public and now Bass doesn’t need the general public to know the details behind this shady deal previous to this election.”

Anna Bahr, a spokeswoman for the Bass marketing campaign, mentioned that over the past decade, Bass voted for laws that funded whole federal companies. These companies went on to make their very own selections on funding for numerous instructional establishments, she mentioned.

Bass “proudly voted for federal budgets that introduced hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to L.A., together with UCLA, Cal State L.A., Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Northridge, L.A. Commerce Tech and USC,” Bahr mentioned in an e-mail. “It is necessary, nonetheless, to keep in mind that these payments funded the whole federal authorities.”

The police union’s adverts additionally try and hyperlink Bass to Ridley-Thomas, a goal within the federal USC corruption case. Prosecutors have accused Ridley-Thomas and Flynn of conspiring to steer county cash to the college in return for admission of Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, the councilman’s son, into the graduate college with a full-tuition scholarship and paid professorship. Mark Ridley-Thomas, who has proclaimed his innocence, was on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors on the time.

Flynn and Ridley-Thomas have pleaded not responsible. Bass has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, the police union has arrange an internet site to focus on the USC tuition challenge, which options photographs of Bass, Ridley-Thomas and Flynn.

The union first introduced its determination to focus on the USC challenge on Monday. Union Vice President Jerretta Sandoz mentioned in a press release that it was “appalling” that Bass had acquired the free tuition when different Angelenos have been making “sacrifices to earn their training.”

Politically talking, Bass’ determination to challenge the cease-and-desist letter is one thing of of venture, as a result of it may find yourself drawing extra consideration to the adverts. On Wednesday, a bunch of non secular leaders is scheduled to carry a information convention in South Los Angeles to denounce the advert and demand an apology from the union.

Not one of the stations that have been despatched the letter responded instantly to a request for remark. However one skilled mentioned the bar for proving defamatory speech is excessive, leaving open the likelihood that the adverts stay on the air.

Jessica Levinson, an election regulation professor at Loyola Legislation Faculty, mentioned the adverts could possibly be seen as probably deceptive, since they counsel a quid professional quo between Bass’ scholarship and her votes on broad spending payments. However Levinson mentioned she thinks it’s unlikely the advert rises to the extent of defamatory speech.

“I don’t suppose you may show an intentional false assertion of truth, which is the usual for public officers,” she mentioned.

Occasions employees writers Dakota Smith and Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.