Anaheim Insider here.

I recently criticized agitator Cynthia Ward’s FPPC complaint against Kris Murray as nonsense. Ward claims Murray violated the FPPC’s mass mailing rule because she’s featured in an Anaheim Chamber of Commerce mailer. I’ll let her faulty reasoning speak for itself:

The complaint is nearly done formatting, let’s see, do I have it all?

Chamber accepts public funds. Check.
Tangible item. Check.
Mailed to at least 200 addresses. Check.
Public official name and/or photo included. Check.
Official participated in the mail piece. Check.

That about does it.

Ward is guilty of a double standard, because Mayor Tom Tait is all over the Chamber of Commerce invites to the annual State of the City event. If Ward really believes in Murray is in violation of the mass-mailing rule, then she must also file a complaint against Tait. Otherwise, it’s simply a case of the mayor’s biggest cheerleader harassing one of his critics (which we all know is really the case).

Ward’s responded:  there’s no Tait violation because the Chamber’s State of the City announcements were e-mails, which are exempt from the mass-mailing rule because they aren’t “tangible”:

How about if Anaheim Insider does his/her homework before coming after me? It wasn’t the email, it was a MAILING, a very expensive, glossy one, and it certainly DOES appear to meet the standards for violating the mass mailing laws.

Ward forgets the Chamber mailed a few thousand physical announcements inviting recipients to come to the State of the City event featuring Mayor Tom Tait.

If Ward were doing this because she’s concerned a public official has violated the law, then she’d also file a complaint against Tait because it wouldn’t matter to her who that person is.

For the record, neither Tait nor Murray have done anything wrong or illegal here. Ward’s complaint is bogus harassment. Ward practically admits it’s an attempt to force Murray to spend campaign funds on legal costs fighting the complaint. Ward has no real community support or political pull, so she lashes out by filing complaints against politicians she dislikes. She should admit as much.

Tait Admits He’s Trying To Take Out His Republican Colleagues
Mayor Tait recently told members of the conservative Lincoln Club that he is planning to run a slate of council candidates to defeat his Republican council colleagues, Kris Murray and Gail Eastman.

Tait already has one candidate in James Vanderbilt, who is on the Anaheim City School District board. Vanderbilt has quickly become Tait’s wing-man, signing the ballot arguments against Measure D and serving as principal officer of the anti-Measure D campaign committee.

There’s much speculation about who Tait’s other council candidate will be. Jose Moreno and realtor Paul Kott are the names most frequently mentioned. Kott had deep roots in Anaheim. His father was a councilman, and he is a Republican. Moreno’s left-wing politics would be tough for Tait’s local GOP fan base to swallow.