Solana Beach Mayor David Zito, former Council Member Dave Roberts, and candidates Jewel Edson and Judy Hegenauer received campaigning support from The San Diego District Energy Foundation. From an email sent yesterday:
With the election, Community Energy in San Diego could stumble badly. In Solana Beach there are three candidates standing for Community Energy: Judy Hegenauer, Jewel Edson, and current mayor, David Zito. Their opponents show no interest in anything but the SDG&E Status Quo aka “Property Rights”. Judy, Jewel and Dave are good people. But their election is anything but certain. Hit the streets with me and let’s preserve Solana Beach as the tip of the Community Energy Spear in San Diego. Current Status: Solana Beach City Staff are evaluating three respondents to the CCA Request for Proposals.
For the County of San Diego, Supervisor Dave Roberts is fighting for reelection and supports choice while his opponent, Kristin Gaspar, as an Encinitas Council Member, voted against a “Community Energy Study Group”. Gaspar would not even consider for Encinitas the study of Community Energy. This vote totally disqualifies her for becoming a County Supervisor.
If you click over to the browser version of the email, you’ll see that The San Diego Energy District Foundation has banner advertisements for Hegenauer, Edson, and Zito right in the body of the email. The group also lists election events for each one of the Solana Beach candidates. The email takes a few swipes at Donald Trump and his supporters (aka “the deplorables”), but specifically endorses four candidates for office.
Fair enough. The Supreme Court ruled that free speech permits corporations, for-profit or not-for-profit, to electioneer. Contributions to those corporations however, are not tax-deductible. If the group or corporation were a 501(c)(3), however, it is tax-deductible because the entity is organized as a public interest association. As such, it is forbidden from political activity.
The San Diego Energy District Foundation is a 501(c)(3) association and is engaged in direct political activity by soliciting support for Roberts, Zito, Hegenauer, and Edson.
Maybe this isn’t an issue for the candidates, but the San Diego Energy District Foundation should lose its tax-exempt status immediately. The candidates won’t be required to, but should prove that they were not running political donations from their donors through this 501(c)(3). To do so would circumvent campaign contribution limits and permit their donors to claim a tax-deduction for what are otherwise political donations.
This stinks. It’s shady, dishonest, and a opaque.