Green Party learns lesson from Feinstein incident
The intense scrutiny of donations handled by a local City Councilman is an example of how the Green Party is trying to take control over what was once a grassroots organization.
As the Green Party has grown from small local groups scattered around the country into a federally recognized political party, centralizing its decision making process has not been easy, party officials said.
Local Green Party organizations, like the one in Santa Monica that was founded by Santa Monica City Councilman Mike Feinstein, have had to relinquish their powers to county organizations, which take direction from the party’s state leaders.
Now party leaders are interested in how Santa Monica’s operation is run.
Specifically, state party leaders want to know what Feinstein did with a $10,000 donation made out to the Los Angeles County Green Party on Jan. 13, 2001.
Feinstein allegedly deposited the check into a private bank account at a local credit union, but he has ignored requests since August 2001 to disclose bank records detailing how the money was spent or if it was properly disclosed under state election laws.
The money was reportedly used to pay rent and bills for a storefront at 2809 Pico Blvd. that Feinstein uses as a Green Party headquarters. However, party leaders say the office is not recognized by the Green Party, according to minutes from meetings.
Some Green Party members say Feinstein had no right to allegedly use the funds to support a local chapter without their approval because the check was made out to the L.A. County Green Party.
“That it went for a Green Party office is well and good, but nobody made that decision except for Mike,” said Ginny Marie Case, a local Green Party delegate. “That decision should have been made by the county council.”
Feinstein has not returned messages seeking comment.
When Ralph Nader ran for president, the Green Party reported a 40 percent jump in the number of voters who registered as Greens. Suddenly party leaders found themselves needing a more structured organization.
“We’re new at this,” said Bill Meyers, a Mendocino County Green Party delegate. “We’re at the point of having a national committee like the Democrats and Republicans, so we’re going through growing pains, and learning how to function at a national level.”
Green Party officials became concerned in December when they learned Feinstein sent an e-mail to his colleagues saying he was organizing and raising money for a convention of elected Greens from across the nation in Santa Monica later this month.
State party leaders feel Feinstein should consult with the L.A. County Green Party or higher ranking officials when organizing or fundraising for the party.
In response, a letter was sent out to Greens nationwide stating that Feinstein does not speak for the Green Party and that he is not allowed to raise funds. The letter also states the convention is not recognized by the party.
The Green Party also changed its policies so that no one is allowed to act on its behalf or use its name without having consent from state officials.
After the policy was enacted at a Jan. 10 meeting, party officials instructed Feinstein to remove Green Party logos from a Web site he set up for the convention, several L.A. County Green Party members said.
“It used to be very informal,” Meyers said. “Someone would speak for the party even though they may not have had a vote to say they could speak on behalf of the organization. But those days are over, and we have to distinguish between what the party is doing and what an individual is doing.”
Party officials say they also are using the situation with Feinstein to emphasize the need for more accurate handling of party funds and more transparent accounting of donations.
“I think that every person I have talked to is using this situation to the extent that it’s an example,” Meyers said. “The party feels, for those people fundraising for the party, all transactions should be transparent. We follow the campaign finance laws and we feel they should be even stricter. So there is a strong interest to move beyond all of this.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 7, 2003. Read the original PDF.