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# New political action committee raises legal concerns
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/new-political-action-committee-raises-legal-concerns/
- Published: 2004-10-15T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T05:17:45.000Z
- Author: John Wood
- Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*City PAC files new contact info with clerk*

CITY HALL — A new political coalition of more than 1,000 city workers has raised concerns about electioneering on the government’s dime.

The Coalition of Santa Monica City Employees political action committee filed papers this week to officially change its address and phone number of record after concerns were raised about workers possibly campaigning while at work. Until this week, the phone number for the coalition led to a line within City Hall.

Leaders of the coalition denied any wrongdoing and said City Hall’s contact information was left on official forms due to a clerical error. It’s illegal for any elected or city official to campaign using government resources or while on duty.

“We have never used city phones,” said Lauralee Asch, a police department worker who heads the coalition. “We don’t (campaign) on duty. Everyone is doing their jobs and then, when they want to get politically active, they do it on their own time, on their own phone.”

A spokeswoman from the City Manager’s office said staffers are regularly reminded not to campaign while at work. Once officials were made aware of the possible violation, they immediately instructed the coalition to make the change, she added.

“I’ve been here seven years, and under both city managers it’s been very clear during election cycles what’s allowed and what’s not,” spokeswoman Judy Rambeau said.

Part of the problem, Asch said, is that the Coalition of Santa Monica City Employees, a group of bargaining units for non-sworn city workers, has long accepted mail and telephone calls at City Hall. Only the group’s political action committee is barred from using city resources. Asch said a separate address and phone line was set up for the group, but wasn’t officially recorded.

Documents were filed with the City Clerk Wednesday listing a new mailing address on Wilshire Boulevard and a new phone number, outside of City Hall.

Whether or not there was any election wrongdoing in this case, improper campaigning occurs regularly and at all levels of government, said Elizabeth Garrett, director of the University of Southern California-CalTech Center for the Study of Law and Politics.

“It’s a serious problem,” Garrett said. “Elected officials and appointed officials have got to separate their official duties and their campaign duties. It is imperative that campaign duties take place off of official premises and while not on the public payroll.”

Meanwhile, general concerns persist over whether city workers should be allowed to throw their weight around politically. Several groups of city workers, including the unions for local police officers and firefighters, have political power in the city.

Bill Bauer, a former newspaper columnist who’s running for a City Council seat, said he has been contacted by many residents who think the influence is unfair.

“I don’t know whether it’s right or wrong, I’m not going to go that far, but obviously they’re involved because they want something out of this,” Bauer said. “And what I find kind of irritating is that they kind of mask it as this has to do with public safety... They’re bargaining units. Their concern is wages and benefits.”

Mayor Richard Bloom, who was endorsed by the new political coalition along with incumbents Ken Genser and Mike Feinstein, and challenger Patricia Hoffman, said the political coalition makes it possible for leaders to communicate with city workers in a way that would otherwise be illegal because of laws against improper influence. Bloom applauded the group’s work.

“I think that they are representing their interests and they want to see candidates elected who will make sure that their salaries and benefits do remain competitive,” Bloom said. “Our negotiations with bargaining units are very sensitive, and we’ve been very fortunate in our community to have labor peace for a good number of years.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 15, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101504.pdf?ref=smdp.com)