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Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing
$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount
The state’s Political Fair Practices Commission has fined the Poway Unified School District $13,500 fine for illegally spending $34,506 of taxpayer money on a mailer backing the district’s last school bond campaign — the effort for failed Proposition P — back in March, 2020.
Taxpayers’ fine
Chronically troubled Poway Unified School District, which recently took to local TV news to bemoan its increasingly strapped finances and argue for the desperate need for voters to pass new school bond debt, now faces another substantial bill to pay.
The state’s Political Fair Practices Commission has fined it $13,500 fine for illegally spending $34,506 of taxpayer money on a mailer backing the district’s last school bond campaign — the effort for failed Proposition P — back in March, 2020. The agreed-upon fine “would represent a penalty of 90% of the maximum penalty of $15,000,” says a stipulation between with the district set for approval by the FPPC at its November 21 meeting.
Greg Mizel would rather you looked toward the future, not the past.
“The timing of the mailer being within 6 months of the March 2020 ballot intimately ties them together,” notes the document. “The timing suggests a strategic attempt to align the proposed benefits with the upcoming election to garner support. By presenting this information in advance of the election, the text aims to build support and inform voters about the specific needs and benefits associated with the measure.”
The FPPC’s stipulation adds that the school district’s violation was exacerbated by its failure properly to identify the October 4, 2019, mail piece and its financial sponsor, as required by state law. “Despite [Poway Unified] qualifying as a committee, the mailing failed to display a proper advertisement disclosure statement. However, the mailing was clearly sent by [Poway Unified] as it prominently showed [Poway Unified’s] name and logo.”
According to the document, the school district “retained TBWBH Strategies, a strategy and communications consulting firm specializing in public finance ballot measures, to handle creating and distributing” the mail piece.
Compounding the violation, per the stipulation, the school district “failed to timely file a semi-annual campaign statement (Form 461) disclosing the independent expenditure. Upon qualification as an [Independent Expenditure] Committee, [Poway Unified] was required to include all independent expenditures for the calendar year of 2019 on a Form 461 with the reporting period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.”
Further, Poway is still trying to live down a previous school bond misadventure, according to a September 24 dispatch by KNSD TV. “The last time the district passed a bond was in 2008,” the station reported. “That deal gave the district $105 million but required payback of nearly 10 times that amount: $981 million. The deal became the state poster child for fiscal irresponsibility, and lawmakers made those types of school bonds illegal. The district has to begin making payments on that bond in 2033. Homeowners will start seeing it included in their property tax bills in 2032-2033.”
But Poway Unified, which says it is currently desperate for cash, soon wants to sell even more school bonds. Interim superintendent Greg Mizel told KNSD that “the district needs a new bond deal and will need to convince voters to back that. He said it’s demonstrated it can spend tax dollars responsibly. Over the past seven years, Mizel said the district has refinanced its existing bonds, saving $29 million and worked to improve its credit rating.” Without mentioning the district’s problems with the FPPC, Miizel added, “We’ve been fiscally prudent. We’ve done more with less.”
Losing with Lutar
Developer and infrastructure contracting lobbyist Lani Lutar, who once ran the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, has lost her high-profile effort to pass a one-half percent sales tax for transportation and related ventures, commonly known as Measure G. Despite the current head of the Taxpayers Haney Hong coming out against the currently failing ballot drive, Lutar lent her endorsement to mailers backing the proposal.
“I’m voting yes on Measure G because it’s a truly accountable plan to fix our roads and transit throughout the County,” she said in a statement on a mail piece sent out by proponents that identified her as an ex-chief of the Taxpayers Association, but failed to mention her current status as a registered lobbyist for giant public contractor Kiewit Infrastructure West, Rancho Guejito Corporation, and RCS-Harmony Partners, LLC. “All funding will stay local and be managed transparently, ensuring that community needs drives Measure G’s priorities.”...
Haney Hong: head of Taxpayers Association opposes paying more taxes.
San Diego-based state Senate Democrat Toni Atkins continues to raise cash for her 2026 bid for governor. Among the latest to give was Kevin Huvane, Managing Partner at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles, who kicked in $5000 on October 24. Last year, Huvane was singled out in a lawsuit filed by actor Julia Ormond against Creative Artists, claiming that the talent agency failed to protect her from producer and sexual predator Harvey Weinstein.
“The complaint filed on Wednesday in New York state court points to former agents Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane allegedly encouraging her to take a meeting with Weinstein that led to her being assaulted and not to report the incident to law enforcement,” says an October 4, 2023 dispatch by the Hollywood Reporter. “She also blames Disney executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner for negligently shifting responsibility on supervising Weinstein, with the aim of overlooking the misconduct to continue profiting off of the company’s dealing with Miramax. None of the individuals were named in the lawsuit as defendants.”
According to Ormond’s complaint cited in the item, “The men at CAA who represented Ormond knew about Weinstein. So too did Weinstein’s employers at Miramax and Disney. Brazenly, none of these prominent companies warned Ormond that Weinstein had a history of assaulting women because he was too important, too powerful, and made them too much money.”
A statement released by Creative Artists dismissed the lawsuit. It said that it initiated an investigation led by law firm Paul Weiss, which found nothing to support Ms. Ormond’s claims against the agency, after it was approached by the actress’ attorney with a demand for $15 million “in exchange for [her] not making the allegations against CAA public.’
“The spokesperson added, ‘Out of respect for Ms. Ormond, CAA shared the results of Paul Weiss’s investigation with her, through her counsel, providing evidence of a dynamic and engaged relationship between CAA and Ms. Ormond, and the agency’s consistent efforts to support her career throughout her time at the agency, from 1995-1999.’”
— Matt Potter
The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing
$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount
Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing
$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount
The state’s Political Fair Practices Commission has fined the Poway Unified School District $13,500 fine for illegally spending $34,506 of taxpayer money on a mailer backing the district’s last school bond campaign — the effort for failed Proposition P — back in March, 2020.
Taxpayers’ fine
Chronically troubled Poway Unified School District, which recently took to local TV news to bemoan its increasingly strapped finances and argue for the desperate need for voters to pass new school bond debt, now faces another substantial bill to pay.
The state’s Political Fair Practices Commission has fined it $13,500 fine for illegally spending $34,506 of taxpayer money on a mailer backing the district’s last school bond campaign — the effort for failed Proposition P — back in March, 2020. The agreed-upon fine “would represent a penalty of 90% of the maximum penalty of $15,000,” says a stipulation between with the district set for approval by the FPPC at its November 21 meeting.
Greg Mizel would rather you looked toward the future, not the past.
“The timing of the mailer being within 6 months of the March 2020 ballot intimately ties them together,” notes the document. “The timing suggests a strategic attempt to align the proposed benefits with the upcoming election to garner support. By presenting this information in advance of the election, the text aims to build support and inform voters about the specific needs and benefits associated with the measure.”
The FPPC’s stipulation adds that the school district’s violation was exacerbated by its failure properly to identify the October 4, 2019, mail piece and its financial sponsor, as required by state law. “Despite [Poway Unified] qualifying as a committee, the mailing failed to display a proper advertisement disclosure statement. However, the mailing was clearly sent by [Poway Unified] as it prominently showed [Poway Unified’s] name and logo.”
According to the document, the school district “retained TBWBH Strategies, a strategy and communications consulting firm specializing in public finance ballot measures, to handle creating and distributing” the mail piece.
Compounding the violation, per the stipulation, the school district “failed to timely file a semi-annual campaign statement (Form 461) disclosing the independent expenditure. Upon qualification as an [Independent Expenditure] Committee, [Poway Unified] was required to include all independent expenditures for the calendar year of 2019 on a Form 461 with the reporting period of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.”
Further, Poway is still trying to live down a previous school bond misadventure, according to a September 24 dispatch by KNSD TV. “The last time the district passed a bond was in 2008,” the station reported. “That deal gave the district $105 million but required payback of nearly 10 times that amount: $981 million. The deal became the state poster child for fiscal irresponsibility, and lawmakers made those types of school bonds illegal. The district has to begin making payments on that bond in 2033. Homeowners will start seeing it included in their property tax bills in 2032-2033.”
But Poway Unified, which says it is currently desperate for cash, soon wants to sell even more school bonds. Interim superintendent Greg Mizel told KNSD that “the district needs a new bond deal and will need to convince voters to back that. He said it’s demonstrated it can spend tax dollars responsibly. Over the past seven years, Mizel said the district has refinanced its existing bonds, saving $29 million and worked to improve its credit rating.” Without mentioning the district’s problems with the FPPC, Miizel added, “We’ve been fiscally prudent. We’ve done more with less.”
Losing with Lutar
Developer and infrastructure contracting lobbyist Lani Lutar, who once ran the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, has lost her high-profile effort to pass a one-half percent sales tax for transportation and related ventures, commonly known as Measure G. Despite the current head of the Taxpayers Haney Hong coming out against the currently failing ballot drive, Lutar lent her endorsement to mailers backing the proposal.
“I’m voting yes on Measure G because it’s a truly accountable plan to fix our roads and transit throughout the County,” she said in a statement on a mail piece sent out by proponents that identified her as an ex-chief of the Taxpayers Association, but failed to mention her current status as a registered lobbyist for giant public contractor Kiewit Infrastructure West, Rancho Guejito Corporation, and RCS-Harmony Partners, LLC. “All funding will stay local and be managed transparently, ensuring that community needs drives Measure G’s priorities.”...
Haney Hong: head of Taxpayers Association opposes paying more taxes.
San Diego-based state Senate Democrat Toni Atkins continues to raise cash for her 2026 bid for governor. Among the latest to give was Kevin Huvane, Managing Partner at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles, who kicked in $5000 on October 24. Last year, Huvane was singled out in a lawsuit filed by actor Julia Ormond against Creative Artists, claiming that the talent agency failed to protect her from producer and sexual predator Harvey Weinstein.
“The complaint filed on Wednesday in New York state court points to former agents Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane allegedly encouraging her to take a meeting with Weinstein that led to her being assaulted and not to report the incident to law enforcement,” says an October 4, 2023 dispatch by the Hollywood Reporter. “She also blames Disney executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner for negligently shifting responsibility on supervising Weinstein, with the aim of overlooking the misconduct to continue profiting off of the company’s dealing with Miramax. None of the individuals were named in the lawsuit as defendants.”
According to Ormond’s complaint cited in the item, “The men at CAA who represented Ormond knew about Weinstein. So too did Weinstein’s employers at Miramax and Disney. Brazenly, none of these prominent companies warned Ormond that Weinstein had a history of assaulting women because he was too important, too powerful, and made them too much money.”
A statement released by Creative Artists dismissed the lawsuit. It said that it initiated an investigation led by law firm Paul Weiss, which found nothing to support Ms. Ormond’s claims against the agency, after it was approached by the actress’ attorney with a demand for $15 million “in exchange for [her] not making the allegations against CAA public.’
“The spokesperson added, ‘Out of respect for Ms. Ormond, CAA shared the results of Paul Weiss’s investigation with her, through her counsel, providing evidence of a dynamic and engaged relationship between CAA and Ms. Ormond, and the agency’s consistent efforts to support her career throughout her time at the agency, from 1995-1999.’”
— Matt Potter
The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.
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