Boxer campaign breaks law, tries to recruit students through teachers – UPDATED
Ooops. The campaign of Senator Ma’am Boxer has been caught with both hands in the cookie jar on this one. According to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Boxer’s campaign (let’s not forget she is Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee) sent a letter (PDF) to LA Unified School District teachers, asking them to recruit their students to help out with Boxer’s campaign. One problem: this breaks the California Education Code. As Michael Higby at Mayor Sam’s Sister City explains:
This is a big violation of the California Education Code which states:
California Education Code, section 51520: βDuring school hours, and within one hour before the time of opening and within one hour after the time of closing of school, pupils of the public school shall not be solicited on school premises by teachers or others to subscribe or contribute to the funds of, to become members of, or to work for, any organization not directly under the control of the school authorities, unless the organization is a nonpartisan, charitable organization organized for charitable purposes by an act of Congress or under the laws of the state, the purpose of the solicitation is nonpartisan and charitable, and the solicitation has been approved by the county board of education or by the governing board of the school district in which the school is located.
You can see the letter the HJTA sent to the Superintendent of Schools for LAUSD here (PDF)
Naughty, naughty, Senator Ethics! And, gee, just what would your allies in the teacher’s unions expect in return for facilitating this illegal campaign donation in kind educational experience for LA’s school kids?
And how desperate is Babs when she has to beg for illegal help? Not enough volunteers? Internal polls looking bad? If Fiorina can split the ring around metro Los Angeles, Boxer loses and will have to go back to that million-dollar house in Cokeland Oakland she failed to declare.
PS. Did you know the Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee was one of the leading figures in the House Banking Scandal?
PPS. Vote Carly.
LINKS: More from Gay Patriot, Big Government, and Flap.
UPDATE: Even while saying they weren’t really doing what the letter shows they were doing, the Boxer campaign has apologized… for not doing anything. Okay…
(Crossposted at Public Secrets)