HBCSD Corruption
Fact 16
Fact #16:
In addition to large donations to the Yes on S campaign by outfits that were doing business with (or wished to do business with) the school district and the City of Hermosa Beach, there was seamless communication between the Yes on S campaign and the school district giving Yes on S an unfair advantage with prior knowlege and in coordinating events with HBCSD to pass their $59M bond.
(1) Counting down to Measure S, by Lisa Jacobs and Alana Garrigues, dated May 26, 2016, The Beach Reporter.
"The Yes on S campaign, registered with the Fair Political Practices Commission (1), is a well organized and well-funded effort, with dozens of people knocking on doors. It has nearly $30,000 in donations from residents (2) and local business, including $10,500 donation from the architectural firm gkkworks, the company hired to conduct a long-range facilities plan for the district."
"It's standard practice in any industry that (gkkworks) might donate to the campaign. It's a relationship," [Michael] Collins said." [Michael Collins is the husband of HBCSD School Board president Mary Campbell. As the chairman of the Yes on S $59M bond campaign AND the husband of the HBCSD School Board president, he had inside knowlege to the events planned by HBCSD prior to the Measure S vote on June 7, 2016.] "The campaign has nothing to do with the district... (3) It's an opportunity to invest in the future of Hemosa Beach, in my opinion, and it doesn't guarantee anything on the back end for them getting work."
Misleading Information:
(1) Bond campaigns do NOT register with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). This is a misleading statement in the newspaper. All campaigns register with the California Secretary of State, county election office. The FPPC is a political watchdog agency. Claiming that the Yes on S campaign registered with the FPPC gives the impression that the Yes on S campaign would/will follow fair political practices. The Yes on S campaing and HBCSD DID NOT follow fair political practices. The FPPC was alerted to unfair practices by the Yes on S campaign and HBCSD in formal complaints filed in 2020.
Please see: The Law: State of California Fair Political Practices Commission submissions:
The Hermosa Beach City School District June 7, 2016, facilities bond Measure S, Unreported campaign expenditure and contribution of $10,000 to the Yes on S campaign. (May 31, 2016 Meeting Presentation)
NOTE: If reporters Lisa Jacobs and Alana Garrigues spoke to Yes of S Campaign manager, Michael Collins and Michael Collins gave incorrect information regarding the Yes on S campaign registering with the FPPC, it is because Yes on S campaing manger did NOT actually drive to Norwalk, CA to register the Yes on S campaign. All evidence points to HBCSD Superintendent Pat Escalante as the person who took time from her taxpayer paid position at HBCSD to drive to Norwalk during school hours to register the campaign, NOT Micheal Collins.
(2) The statement in the Beach Reporter that "...it has nearly $30,000 from residents and local business"... is misleading. Only about $3,000 from donations came from local residents. $1,750 of the residential contributions were from three people: $750 was donated by HBCSD Superintendent Pat Escalante (who would ostensibly recieve a bonus and salary increase if Measure S won), $500 was donated by Michael Collins (husband of HBCSD School Board president Mary Campbell) and $500 was donated by John Friberg (husband of HBCSD school board member Maggie Bove LaMonica.) The remaining approximately $31,000 in Yes on S campaign contributions came from business doing business with (or anticipating doing business with) HBCSD or the City of Hermosa Beach.
See Fact #15: Who donated to the School District's bond campaigns?
(3) "The campaign has nothing to do with the district..." is misleading and untrue. There was seamless communications between HBCSD Pat Escalante, HBCSD school board members, HBCSD paid consultants and Yes on S political consultant Larry Fox prior to the June 7, 2016 election. The fact that Yes on S campaign was registered with the county election office in Norwalk, CA by HBCSD Pat Escalante, and NOT the Yes on S campaign manager is indicative of this statement.