CHICANO LATINO CAUCUS OPINION

August 7, 2021

Largest Latino Democratic Organization in the Nation

IS MISINFORMATION FREE SPEECH?

By Carlos Alcala, Chair, Chicano Latino Caucus, California Democratic Party

Trump era political campaigns relying on misinformation and exploiting internet loopholes are here to stay. Foreign players can wreak havoc through deceitful political advertising on the internet. Fake news is 70% more likely to be retweeted. This sort of misinformation reaches all communities including the Latino community. Misinformation poses an increasing danger to Democracy. Ironically, laws restricting misinformation political speech are necessary if we are to preserve a free marketplace of ideas. Misinformation was part of Trump's planned coup: "Say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican Congressmen." The plan was to use the misinformation to refuse to certify the election so that a Republican House could overturn the votes of millions.

At a visceral level, restrictions on misinformation in political advertising seems counterintuitive. But our country does not tolerate misinformation to endanger health or fraud in other advertising.

Present rules for commercial products, such as aspirin, require truth no matter where the ad appears, TV, press, or internet. The Federal Trade Commission enforces truth in product advertising including a scientific basis when appropriate. In order to protect the public, “Product Ads” cannot be false or misleading. Scams and fraud are punishable in product advertising but the same standard does not apply to political ads. In fact, the opposite is true.

Political ads from candidates cannot be censored by media providers, no matter how false they are. But when misinformation is done by a candidate, the public has a chance of knowing the source because a candidate must disclose source and payment for the ad on TV or in newspaper ads. These disclosure requirements were enacted in 2002 in McCain Feingold Campaign Reform. Media companies must keep records of the purchasers of the political ads. However, the anti-censorship protection does not apply to PACS or other third parties. TV stations and newspapers can be sued for libel involving third parties. These rules are applicable to state and local elections. So how did the misinformation in the 2018 election occur: the internet.

The internet provides a gaping loophole for the modern Trump campaign that feeds misinformation to the public. Truth rules applicable to TV and newspapers do not apply to the internet. Russian agents disguised as Americans, posted on Facebook succeeding in reaching 126 million Facebook users, deliberately misled to believe these were their fellow neighbors. Russian agents posted 130,000 Twitter messages and 1000 videos on You Tube to sow discord and promote Trump their candidate of choice. Mueller’s investigation led to the indictment of the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a St Petersburg troll farm. IRA emails boasted about tricking the Americans. The loophole remains open. 

Internet advertising build on algorithms that show success in extremism causing a spiral of misinformation. It serves as the business model for misinformation on Fox News which is a separate topic.

Senator Amy Klobuchar has made numerous attempts to the internet misinformation loophole through the Honest Ads Act that would extend campaign reform laws to internet advertising, including disclosures of sources, and record keeping of ad purchases. The Honest Ads Act would also bar foreign countries disguised as Americans from internet advertising in United States elections. These rules alone would dramatically limit the ability of the Republican Party to directly or indirectly lie and cheat through the internet. The Republican Party has continued to oppose any efforts to require truth in political ads. The current status is that ads must tell the truth about aspirin and Geritol but not about Trump. The odor of mendacity is overwhelming.



Can California do anything to extend truth in political advertising to all California campaign advertising. Read the next CLC Newsletter, that will give me more time to think about it.

LATINO SPANISH LANGUAGE PHONE BANK OPPOSING THE REPUBLICAN RECALL

By Carlos Alcala, Chicano Latino Caucus Chair

Every Wednesday and Saturday until the election you can join a Spanish language Phone BanK organized by the Latinx Democratic Club or San Mateo. The President of the Club is Ray Lario who is also a Vice Chair of the Chicano Latino Caucus. This is a volunteer phone bank operated in conjunction with the California Democratic Party. Here is the link for the phone bank:.

Join the Latino Phone Bank

Peer to peer phone banking is much more efficient than cold calls. Please support the Opposition to the Republican power grab.. Governor Newsom has done very well by the Latino community and we need to protect his election to office. Latinos voted overwhelmingly for Newsom to put him in office. Now we need to supply the votes to keep him there. Watch for you ballots in the mail

About this event

#¡Llamemos a demócratas para que voten NO en la destitución contra Newsom!#

Únase con otros voluntarios que quieren poner un paro a la destitución del Gobernador Gavin Newsom. Los riesgos contra la comunidad Latina son muy altos y hay que defender nuestros intereses.

Todos los miércoles y sábados estaremos llamando a hispanohablantes para motivarlos a votar NO en la destitución.

No tiene experiencia? No importa! Nosotros proveemos entrenamiento en cada fecha.

Organizado por los San Mateo County LatinX Democrats

PAID CANVASSING IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

For members in LA ...this is a canvassing part time campaign project ,starting this Saturday. There is a zoom presentation this Wednesday at 12pm ..if interested call me at 818-660-9408...paying 20$ an hour .....love and regards Krisna , your Corresponding Secretary 

DEMOCRATIC PARTY ENDORSES DUANE WILSON FOR WEST SACRAMENTO CITY COUNCIL

In 2020 Sacramento elected the first Latina mayor in the history of Northern California: Martha Guerrero. The new mayor has stood up for equity in the City. Historically, the poor sections of the City were underserved and discriminated against in City resources. This occurred because the City has at large elections to preserve a discriminatory status quo. Guerrero wants to change that by converting City elections to neighborhood single member district elections, but she has been unable to do that in the eight months since her election because poor people and Latinos lack a third vote on the City Council for single member districts. As a result, in September 2021 there will be yet another unlawful at large election denying poor people and people of color the opportunity to select their own representative on the West Sacramento City Council from their neighborhood.

The Yolo County Democratic Party and the Northern California Latino Democratic Club have endorsed Duane Wilson for the West Sacramento City Council to provide the third vote in support of single member districts in 2022 and the first Latina mayor in Northern California history.

Wilson's opponent in the City Council race refused to join a labor union. She also has not committed to single member districts in 2022, when she would have to run for a full term if elected. Wilson has committed to single member districts in 2022. Chicano Latino Caucus Chair Carlos Alcala also endorses Duane Wilson, and for its part the Chicano Latino Caucus recommends, approves, and supports Duane Wilson as the endorsed candidate of the California Democratic Party for the West Sacramento City Council.