FWD: ACTION: Protest SM Candidate Forum Exclusions From: Jerry Rubin <jerrypeaceactivistru...@earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:16:17 -0700 Subject: [LAAMN] ""SQUIRM NIGHT" CANDIDATE FORUM MAKING SANTA MONICA SQUIRM FOR MORE INCLUSIVENESS
> * PLEASE contact the S.M. Daily Press editor and tell him to NOT EXCLUDE any City Council candidate: Call: 310-458-7737 Email: edi...@smdp.com > > "SQUIRM NIGHT" CANDIDATE FORUM MAKING SANTA MONICA SQUIRM FOR MORE INCLUSIVENESS > > > The Santa Monica Daily Press has chosen to exclude 6 candidates out of the 15 officially > qualified ballot candidates for Santa Monica City Council at their annual "Squirm Night" > Candidate Forum, held October 15 at the Santa Monica Main Public Library in the > Martin Luther King Auditorium. > > To a great many people in Santa Monica, the Daily Press decision to weed out and exclude > candidates is distressing and un-Santa Monica. > > There are good reasons for people to be upset. > > 1. The candidates all are qualified, and each had gathered the 100 necessary Santa Monica > registered voter signatures to become qualified. > > Recently, the City Council publicly debated whether Santa Monica Municipal Election candidates > should be asked to pay a filing fee and collect twice the amount of signatures, but the Council voted > against changing the criteria, wanting to keep it open for residents to have access to participate > in seeking office and furthering their civic involvement. > > 2. The co- sponsoring neighborhood groups were not consulted about the Daily Press last minute > decision or their criteria for candidate exclusion. > > The Daily Press has defensively tried to justify their actions, but the fact remains that the rules should > have been made clear at the forum event planning stages, not one week before the event is happening. > The sponsoring groups are upset and rightfully so. > > 3. The decision to exclude certain candidates puts pressure on their fellow candidates who were not > excluded. > > But, many of the other candidates did send letters to the Daily Press publisher Ross Furukawa and editor > Kevin Herrera, urging them to reconsider and keep the candidate forum inclusive to all 15 City Council > candidates. > > 4. The Daily Press has in effect said by their exclusionary action: "These excluded candidates are not > really worthy of your vote." > > Rather than letting the voters decide on November 6 who is worthy of their vote, the Daily Press has already > to a large degree made it for them. They made the playing field uneven. The Daily Press has in the past > made their endorsements publicly, and I expect they will again for this election. That is fair, and so have > all the Daily Press candidate forums in the past been fair and inclusive. The Santa Monica Mirror recently > hosted their "Hometown Forum", which included all 15 Council candidates. That forum was informative, > well organized, and served the community in a fully inclusive responsible manner. > > 5. The City of Santa Monica advertises exclusively in the Santa Monica Daily Press. > > As the City's only daily news print publication, they have gotten all of the City's advertising. The Daily Press > has a responsibility to the community. Their non-inclusiveness and inflexibility to reconsider their decision > regarding "Squirm Night" does not serve Santa Monica in the open, fair, and inclusive manner such a candidate > forum deserves. > > This is not about the Daily Press first amendment right to host the forum any darn way they please. > It is about their responsibility to the sponsoring groups. > It is about their responsibility to all the candidates. > It is about their responsibility to the community. > > > Thank you, > Jerry Rubin > Santa Monica City Council Candidate (one of the 6 unfairly excluded) > Peace Activist > 310-399-1000 - - - LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ ### ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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