Save Our Pomona Public Library Advocacy Group Accepts Out of Town Donations

Click image to see campaign contributions from out-of-town contributors.

It’s confusing, but Save Our Pomona Public Library Advocacy Group (SOPPL), a political non-profit who is aligned with the non-political non-profit, Friends of the Pomona Public Library, is serving as the umbrella organization that receives and spends money to oppose Measure Y, Pomona’s Kid’s First Initiative for this November 5th election.

For months now, SOPPL has run a campaign against the Measure centering on a variety of issues, but one of their key complaints is that the Yes on Y campaigners have accepted money from what they have referred to as “out-of-town special interest groups.”

In particular, SOPPL has leveled their contempt against the Heising-Simon Foundation based in Los Altos, CA, characterizing the Foundation as an example of  “bay area billionaires pushing their own agenda,” even though the Heising-Simons Foundation is a private philanthropy foundation which primarily funds early childhood education, science, climate and clean energy, community and opportunity, and human rights - concerns that are usually typified as common or public interest rather than “special interest.”

The other philanthropic out-of-town nonprofits that have contributed to the Yes on Y campaign are California Community Foundation and Liberty Hill Foundation, both based in Los Angeles, and Children’s Funding Accelerator based in Washington DC. They are all similarly dedicated to various causes centering on education, disaster relief, the environment, health, housing, veteran’s issues and social justice. Documents released in the last week or so, for the period between Sept. 21 and Oct. 19, are now posted on the City of Pomona campaign financing web page, showing that while SOPPL may be opposed to the perfectly legal maneuver of Yes on Y accepting out-of-town donations, clearly they are not opposed to accepting out-of-town donation to fund their own opposition effort.

Notably, SOPPL has accepted campaign donations from LA/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council based in LA for $2,500; the Int’l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers based in Pasadena for $2,500; Valley Vista Services, Inc. based in the City of Industry for $2,500. The first two are trade unions, and Valley Vista Services, Inc. is a private, family-owned and -operated company providing solid waste collection and recycling services. Valley Vista operates a waste transfer station for the City of Pomona.

In addition, SOPPL has accepted campaign donations from a few out-of-town, private individuals, however, all of these are from people residing in close proximity to Pomona.

What is missing from the City of Pomona's Campaign Finance page, so far, are any financial disclosures from the Pomona Police Officers' Association. On Oct. 25, they took out a full-page No on Y ad in Pomona's La Nueva Voz and also a sponsored ad on Instagram and Facebook. Even in-kind contributions have to be disclosed at some point.

During the campaign there has been some back-and-forth between the two separate campaigns about campaign finances not being properly submitted in time. Kyle Brown, the secretary and treasurer of Clean & Green Pomona, a non-profit dedicated to addressing Pomona’s environmental issues, submitted an official complaint to the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), saying that the Yes on Y campaign had not properly submitted its campaign finances. However, the FPPC exonerated the Yes on Y campaign in late September. It appears that the documents were submitted on time, but due to a glitch in the City's reporting system, they were not properly recorded by the city of Pomona.

Ironically, in the meantime, SOPPL, the opposition group to Measure Y, missed its deadline at the end of September, but did manage to submit some of its findings during the first week of October, after phone calls had gone out to the city of Pomona complaining about SOPPL’s missed deadline. For some time into October, the city of Pomona website continued to declare that there were “no filings in opposition to Measure Y,” even after SOPPL had belatedly filed, but it eventually did manage to correct this and include SOPPL’s campaign finances on its City of Pomona Campaign Finance Portal.

However, the local nonprofit, Clean & Green Pomona, continues to show its bias. On its Campaign Transparency page of its website, the nonprofit records the YES on Y campaign finances, but fails to record the campaign finances for SOPPL, the fiscal receiver for the opposition to Y Campaign.

In the past, Clean & Green Pomona, a local nonprofit, has received money from the City of Pomona through grants, and has partnered with the City of Pomona in hosting Pomona Placemaking workshops. This round, it has ‘dropped the ball’ on fair and transparent advocacy, in spite of its lofty aspirations expressed on its Campaign Transparency pages.  

Unfortunately, you can’t access the referenced campaign information at the City of Pomona Campaign Finance Portal using a direct link. Trying to access the site, has been time consuming and can be frustrating. It’s been fraught with errors. It’s time the city upgrades its reporting.

STEPS TO CITY OF POMONA’S CAMPAIGN FINANCE

1. Log onto the City of Pomona website. 

2. Across the top of their home webpage, you can click on GOVERNMENT. 

3. To the right, there is a pop-up list of DEPARTMENTS, click on CITY CLERK.

4. In the blue vertical rectangle to the left, click on CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS PUBLIC PORTAL. 

5. On this page, type in Pomona Kids First in the SEARCH BY NAME section. 

6. Click on Pomona Kids First Ballot Measure under the Measures section. 

7. Both campaigns are listed. 

Isn’t it time citizens pushed the City of Pomona to overhaul its clunky campaign finance reporting system? The City of Pomona Campaign Finance Portal is awkward, time-consuming and cumbersome. It requires someone with an insider's knowledge to access the information. Up until mid-October, it contained misleading and erroneous information for an election that was only a few weeks away. The City of Pomona should upgrade its campaign finance system - it's all part of being accountable to the community.

Do the citizens of Pomona deserve better?

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The Pomonan editorial board consists of opinion journalists whose perspectives are shaped by their expertise, research, discussions, and established principles. This board operates independently from the newsroom.

A Dubious Endorsement by a Not-So Local News Source

On October 15, the Daily Bulletin editorial board endorsed a no vote on Measure Y, Pomona’s Kids First Initiative, blasting the Measure for “unnecessary bureaucracy.” The board takes exception to the hiring of staff that would provide oversight and accountability for the Child and Youth Fund. Ironically, lack of oversight and accountability has been one of the opposition to Measure Y’s major complaints about the Initiative. 

Further, the Daily Bulletin editorial board complains that the proposal is backed by a litany of nonprofit organizations. “We’re sure they do good work, but we don’t see any justification for tying the hands of city officials when it comes to the city’s budget.”

This comes as no big surprise.

The Daily Bulletin is owned by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund based in New York, known for gutting local news and weighing in on the side of the power elites. While the Daily Bulletin masquerades as a local news source, it would be more accurate to typify it as a global news source -and a predatory one at that.

In 2021, when Alden Global Capital acquired Southern California News Group. News Guild described Alden’s strip-mining model as a gut-punch to local news rooms. Though Alden Global Capital once invested in an array of industries, including retail chains, Alden is now almost entirely focused on acquiring and sacking local news chains, reports News Guild.

Vanity Fair has described Alden as the grim reaper of American newspapers.

Since Alden’s takeover of The Daily Bulletin, reporting of local news has diminished in the region. Aside from profiles on some of the candidates for school board and city council, the Daily Bulletin has not published a story about Pomona’s politics since March 2024. The article was about Pomona’s new city manager. 

Unfortunately, this follows a dangerous national trend. According to a study by Pew Research, Americans are connecting less with local news. The share of Americans who say they follow local news very closely has fallen by 15 percentage points since 2016 (from 37% to 22%).

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The Pomonan is the cultural structure, empowering visionaries to propel the global society to the future.

LA Forward Endorses Yes on Measure Y

“Pomona’s Measure Y is a smart, positive investment in youth and social services – and the establishment is fighting to stop it.” Including a hedge fund owned media outlet, but it’s understood they’re also a part of the establishment.

LA Forward:

Measure Y – dubbed the Pomona Kids First Initiative – would amend the City Charter to require that the city spend a minimum of 10% of its general revenues on children and youth programs and create a city Department of Youth & Children to administer the funds. Proponents say it will create or expand youth services, such as child care, housing and rental assistance for families with young children, after-school programs; sports, arts, and educational programs at public venues such as parks, our public library, and community centers. 

The organization leading the opposition, “Save Our Pomona Public Library,” warns Measure I will reduce police services, close fire stations, decrease library hours, and reduce park services. The opposition has been misleading voters about details of the measure, and have  been decrying the major funders of Prop Y – the California Community Foundation and the Children’s Funding Accelerator (a national organization) – as “Bay Area special interest groups pushing their political agenda at (Pomona’s) expense.” The opposition campaign is backed by Mayor Tim Sandoval and City Council members Victor Preciado, Steve Lustro and Nora Garcia. 

Ballot box budgeting is often dicey, but this measure is similar in spirit to Measure J, which county approved overwhelmingly in 2020, mandating a certain percentage of county funds be spent on health, jobs, and other investments in the community. Government can be so slow and so resistant to making the deep investments in the services residents want, voters have no choice but to take matters into their own hands and assert their will at the ballot box.

We recommend a Yes vote.

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IMPACT

LA Forward is proud to have become a major player in local progressive organizing here in Los Angeles County. We’ve been a critical part of securing numerous victories for candidates and policies that support our values, working alongside a coalition of partners.

2023 was LA Forward's most powerful year to date. We’re so proud and grateful for what our community – a growing team of staff, volunteer leaders, and members have achieved together. Some of the highlights:

* Progressive Campaign Leadership Academy: Our Progressive Campaign Leadership Academy is recruiting and training a diverse cohort of LA County residents to be candidates and campaign staffers in 2024 and beyond.

* Judicial Leadership Academy: Our Judicial Leadership Academy, a collaboration with La Defensa, equips a cohort of progressive attorneys and community members with the skills they need to run for and win seats as LA County Superior Court judges. These leaders are public defenders, civil rights attorneys, and community advocates who are committed to transforming the criminal justice system.

*District-by-District LA City organizing: In almost every LA City Council District, we organized community convenings to grow a progressive base and build political power that puts the issues that matter most to our members at the forefront. Thanks to these efforts, we formed an Unarmed Crisis Response Working Group, which champions unarmed crisis response that will shift resources and responsibilities away from police, and expand compassionate, people-centered responses for our most vulnerable residents. We helped win $15 million extra in the City budget for unarmed crisis response and we’re just getting started...

* Housing Justice Action Team: This year, we launched our Housing Justice Action Team, a six-month cohort for dedicated LA residents eager to sharpen their organizing skills, deepen their housing policy knowledge, and take collective action. 

* Advocacy Actions: We’re empowering our communities with ways to take action on the issues they care about. Thousands of you are using our online tools press for policy change – fighting for affordable housing at Venice Dell, telling the LA City Council to expand unarmed crisis response, creating fair LA City Council districts and more.    

And don't sleep on our 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner nonprofit, LA Forward Institute (LAFI)! If LA Forward isn't working on something, LAFI probably is... a few highlights

* Report Forward: LAFI launched Report Forward as a platform dedicated to highlighting the work of movement groups and emerging progressive policies. Spearheaded by journalist Alissa Walker, Report Forward is a monthly newsletter that shines a spotlight on policy proposals from LA County's vibrant social justice groups. Each issue also tracks the real-world impact of these efforts. We’re going to continue expanding our efforts to drive storytelling that empowers and equips our communities in 2024 and beyond.

* SGV Housing Justice Academy: This year, LAFI proudly introduced a six-month leadership development cohort in the San Gabriel Valley. Our goal is to nurture committed and skilled advocates in the fight for affordable housing and housing justice in the SGV and beyond.

* Cleaning Up LA City Hall:  In the wake of multiple corruption convictions, and leaked audio of Nury Martinez and Kevin de León that put an international spotlight on their racist and anti-renter efforts to gerrymander the City Council, it’s long past time for clean house at City Hall. LA Forward Institute is deeply involved in coalition efforts to end gerrymandering by creating an Independent Redistricting commission to determine district boundaries, create publicly financed elections, and many more anti-corruption pro-democracy reforms. We are helping lead two key coalitions — OUR LA and Fair Rep LA.

* LA City Council Candidate Forums: LAFI hosted the first set of LA City Council candidate forums of the 2024 cycle. These nonpartisan forums offered a chance for Angelenos to engage in robust, community-driven conversations with candidates running to represent them. LAFI hosted forums for City Council districts 2, 4, 10, and 14 – while over 600 of you attended, you can watch the videos on LAFI's website. 

* Best Start: LAFI worked with Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) to advance the housing justice knowledge of dozens of community members primarily across Southeast LA – many of whom are monolingual Spanish-speaking residents. In 2024, participants will build on their workshops from 2023 with direct application to local housing justice work meaningful to them! 

About LA Forward

Don’t Be Fooled By the Lies and Half-Truths from the Opposition to the Pomona Kids First Initiative, Measure Y

Since January 2024, when the state officially certified that the Kids First Initiative Measure Y qualified for the November 5 ballot, the opposition to the Initiative has come roaring back, saying things like, “Bay Area billionaires are pushing their agenda at Pomona’s expense.” 

The Mayor, many Council members, and Commissioners, along with many prominent community members are angry that Gente Organizada, a local nonprofit aligned with other local nonprofits, raised over a half million dollars from nonprofits located in places like LA, San Francisco and Washington DC to get the Initiative that would secure funding for children and youth on the City of Pomona’s ballot.

In recent months, the group that opposes Measure Y has mounted a fear-based campaign against the Initiative. They claim that it will empower “special or outside interests” to undermine Pomona’s future. They claim that Measure Y will enable “outside interests” to  “outsource” or “hijack” Pomona funds, and they refer to the Initiative as a “money grab.” Central to their argument is that there are serious, unaddressed problems with accountability and nonprofits. 

However, what the opposition isn’t telling you is that the City of Pomona has successfully relied on a multitude of nonprofits, both local and out-of-town, to provide services to Pomona’s residents - and plans to continue to so whether or not Measure Y passes. 

Notably, the City of Pomona has contracts with Hope for Home Homeless Services Center (H4H), to provide service to the homeless. In order to do so, H4H works with a network of nonprofit organizations including Volunteers of America (VOA); Tri-City Mental Health Services (TCMH), an NGO or nonprofit with government associations; East Valley Community Health Center (EVCHC), and SoCal Goodwill, among others. These are their subcontractors.

The City recently posted an opening for a Homeless Programs Coordinator, and in their description of duties, they listed that they wanted someone with the ability to “work closely with a network of local nonprofit organizations sub-contracted to implement homeless programs.”

The City of Pomona has also recently announced that it is “accepting project/program proposals from eligible nonprofit agencies to carry out activities that benefit low and low to moderate-income residents” for 2025-26.

As it should be. Public/private collaborations are desirable. Pomona has never been, and cannot be, an island unto itself. The City only stands to benefit by tapping into regional, county, state and federal resources. The Kids First Initiative simply piggy-backs on what is already City policy by devoting part (65% of 10%) of the City’s General Fund to non-profits to service children and youth under 24, a demographic that makes up approximately one-third of Pomona’s population.

The opposition to Measure Y claims that the City of Pomona will be unable to hold these nonprofits accountable, but the Initiative has built-in safeguards. The administrator for Child & Youth Funds will be housed in the City Manager’s office; the City Council will appoint the members of the youth and adult Accountability Board; and the City Council retains veto power (Section 9).  Only local nonprofits or nonprofits located in close proximity to Pomona will be eligible to receive City funding (section 4e).

Ironically, Council member Nora Garcia recently wrote a letter to her constituents from her campaign nonprofit, citing figures from another local nonprofit, in service of raising money for an additional nonprofit that opposes Measure Y, while decrying the lack of accountability of nonprofits. She declares that “The only guarantee is that an estimated $17 million of Pomona’s tax dollars will go to organizations outside the City’s fiscal control.” 

The Council member’s math doesn’t add up. Let’s break it down:

If Measure Y passes, it would eventually designate 10% of the General Fund to the Child and Youth Fund. (Not right away, though. The amount set aside for the Children and Youth Fund would begin at 2% for 2024-25, and gradually increase to 10% in 2030-31).

Hypothetically, if we calculate how much money would be allocated to the Child & Youth Fund at 10%, based on this year’s City of Pomona’s General Fund 2024-25 budget, it would be just a little over $16 million overall. (This year’s budget is just over 160 million or $161,247,429)

However, 20% of that 16 million would be earmarked for funding public agencies and only 65% of that 16 million would be earmarked for private nonprofits. This means that hypothetically, if Measure Y passes, and the annual budget remains largely the same in 2030-31 today’s budget, only 10.5 million would be earmarked for private nonprofits - a figure far lower than the $17 million that the Council member claims in her fundraising letter to her constituents.

What the Council member, Garcia and the rest of the opposition commonly leaves out is that, even if Measure Y passes, 90% of the budget is still available for the City Council’s discretionary spending. It is important to note that recently, Pomona approved a sales tax measure that pulls in $16.8 million annually from the 0.75% sales tax increment which can be used for various city services.

Right now, the two sides, those opposing and those supporting Measure Y, have two very different, opposing worldviews. The opposition has positioned itself as fearful of empowering youth characterized by a quote from their campaign literature which reads, “Youth . . . are generally not experienced to have control.” By contrast, those who support Measure Y, have worked very hard to craft an Initiative that would introduce youth and young adults to the principles of governance.

On September 24th, at a pro and con Measure Y forum sponsored by Compassionate Pomona, this difference in perspectives was staggering.

Time stamp around 46:13 | Please be aware that the video quality may not meet professional standards.

Opposition leader and spokesman Against Measure Y, City of Pomona’s Ethics Commissioner and Save our Pomona Public Library Advocacy Group’s (SOPPL) President John Clifford questioned the ability of Pomona’s youth to serve on a board to make funding decisions:

“What experience do they have in hiring people? What experience do they have in knowing what is a good person for the job? What is their life experience that brings that in? These are the questions that we have . . . We’re going to turn this whole thing over to a group of people who don’t pay taxes, who don’t understand the implications necessarily. Yes, they are learning . . . I know when I was that age and my children were that age, we had to tell them what had to be done. They wanted to stay out all night because it was great.  We knew that they had to be home on time . . . I don’t know that people at 15, 17 years old make really good life choices all the time. I invite all of you to think back to your own life experiences.” 

By contrast, spokesman for Measure Y, Pomona’s Police Oversight Commissioner and CEO/Founder of Just US 4 Youth Nonprofit, Eric Vasquez, reminded those attending that it would not be minors, but transitional aged youth (youth between 18 and 24) who would be providing consultation and oversight, and he expressed his wholehearted support:

“I don’t know about you, but I have had the opportunity to work with brilliant, transitional age youth, who are the future of our community, and who are more than capable, filled with promise, with the level of  intellect and insight, creativity and innovation to be able to move our city into our next iteration of what we are going to be in the future. 

As a matter of fact, I think that when we work with these people, empower them and support them, they begin to create the future that we need because they have a pulse on what the community needs because they come directly from our community. 

Over the twenty years of my community work in Pomona, many organizations have been built on the back of these young people. And I think that it is essential that they are part of the process - and leading the process. They should not be the minority in the process, but the majority leaders in the process. 

And if we don’t believe that as a community, that perspective is just flat-out wrong. I think we need to reshape and re-envision that. While many may not agree, I would invite you to spend some time with these amazing ‘youngsters,’ and it might change your perspective.”

Don’t be fooled by the opposition’s fear-based campaign consisting of lies and half-truths. Vote YES on Measure Y, Pomona’s Kids First Initiative. Our kids deserve it.

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The Pomonan editorial board consists of opinion journalists whose perspectives are shaped by their expertise, research, discussions, and established principles. This board operates independently from the newsroom.

Why vote Yes on Measure Y, Pomona's Kids First Initiative?

To foster growth and development, the city of Pomona must prioritize its children and youth. Investing in the younger generation is essential for the city's future, especially given the concerning statistics surrounding their well-being.

Why vote Yes on Measure Y, Pomona's Kids First Initiative? 

30% of the population is under 24. There are not enough services for them. Creating an Accountability Board if the Measure passes is a chance to educate them about how the government works. Accountability is built into the Kids Initiative - City Council appoints them, the staff for child and youth services will be housed in the City Manager's office and the City Council retains veto power. 

Currently, children and young adults under 18 make up approximately 24% of Pomona's population. Alarmingly, 16.4% of the city's residents live in poverty. This socioeconomic strain leads to significant challenges for young people, including high rates of violence, trauma, and adverse health outcomes. Many face issues such as violence-related harm, unintended pregnancies, substance abuse, and interactions with the child welfare and criminal justice systems.

Particularly vulnerable are transitional-aged youth, especially those between 18 and 24 who are exiting foster care. They often encounter hardships like homelessness, unemployment, early parenthood, and substance dependency. 

Within the Pomona Unified School District (PUSD), a staggering 90% of students are classified as low-income. The educational landscape is further complicated by the presence of disabilities, a significant number of English-learners, and a percentage of foster and unhoused youth. Recent data reveals that many students in PUSD are not meeting grade-level literacy standards, and only a small fraction of English-learners are reclassified, indicating systemic educational challenges.

Pomona's unemployment rate stands at 5.6%, nearly double that of the national average, disproportionately affecting youth of color and those from low-income backgrounds. Additionally, the city has only 1.49 acres of recreational space per 1,000 residents—significantly below the Los Angeles County average, which impacts community well-being. Community surveys reveal that many residents feel unsafe in local parks and believe they are poorly maintained, highlighting a clear disconnect between city resources and resident needs.

Mental health is another critical concern. A study by the Pomona Student Union indicated that only 41% of local youth are aware of available school mental health services, and even fewer feel comfortable accessing them. The ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified these issues. The pandemic highlighted existing inequities, particularly affecting Black, Latinx, and Native American communities, who experienced the highest rates of illness and economic hardship. The "learning loss" resulting from the pandemic disproportionately affected students of color, English-learners, students with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ youth. This deepening of disparities calls for urgent action to address these systemic inequities.

In response, the Kids First Initiative seeks to create a sustainable funding stream to tackle these challenges. The initiative seeks to address the structural conditions that contribute to negative behaviors among youth and families, build resilience, and enhance community support. By supplementing existing programs and forming coalitions between public agencies and non-profit organizations, the initiative hopes to foster a healthier, more supportive environment for Pomona's youth.

Given these pressing needs, the Pomona Editorial Board strongly endorses the Kids First Initiative and urges voters to support Measure Y. Investing in the well-being of children and youth is not only a moral imperative, but also a strategic necessity for the future prosperity of Pomona.

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The Pomonan editorial board consists of opinion journalists whose perspectives are shaped by their expertise, research, discussions, and established principles. This board operates independently from the newsroom.

The Opposition to Measure Y Non-Profit Fails to File its Financial Disclosure Forms

Updated 10/03/2024 | 3:20pm PST
Updated 10/03/2024 | 8:08pm PST
Updated 10/04/2024 | 12:54pm PST

It appears that the opposition to Measure Y nonprofit that opposes the Kids First Initiative on Pomona’s November 5th ballot has not reported their campaign finances. Recently, they have missed their September 26th deadline. Non-reporting is a violation of California’s Political Reform Act, an act supported by the FPPC, California’s Fair Political Practices Commission. 

The City of Pomona Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure states that "There is no filing activity opposing this measure," but most recently the opposition has been posting yard signs in various neighborhoods and this costs money.

Unfortunately, tracking these campaign finances is difficult. The City of Pomona's Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure is set up more to help citizens access information on candidates rather than measures.

In order for a citizen to track the campaign financing for No on Y and Yes on Y, a citizen has to know the specific name of the political nonprofits who are receiving and dispensing funds for their campaign. In the case of the political nonprofit for the No on Y campaign (the opposition), the name of the nonprofit is Save Our Pomona Public Library Advocacy Group. In the case of the Yes on Measure Y political non-profit the name is Pomona Kids First Ballot Measure.

View fullsize

City of Pomona Campaign Financial Disclosure for Pomona Kids First Measure Y clearly states there is, "no opposing filing activity opposing this measure".

Screenshot taken 10/3/2024

The opposition political nonprofit has not submitted reports since July and it appears that the reports submitted in July were about routine library advocacy business and not measure Y. However, the Yes on Y political nonprofit is up-to-date with its filings.

Tracking the nonprofit for the opposition to Y campaign, in general, is difficult. Signage for their campaign lists their website address as www.NoOnYPomona.org however, it redirects to savecityfunds.org which is the web page for SOPPL or the Save Our Pomona Public Library Group, a 501(c) (4) organization, California State Campaign Recipient Committee ID number 1351555. It’s confusing that the library advocacy group is also the No on Measure Y advocacy group, however, the No on Measure Y campaigners contend that directing funds toward the children and youth of Pomona would redirect funds away from the library.

In rebuttal, the Kids First Initiative Yes on Measure Y campaign contend that the mechanisms for funding the library will still exist if Measure passes, with funds for the library available from both inside the 10% of Pomona’s General Fund that will be set aside for children, as well as from the remaining 90% of Pomona’s General Fund.

The Opposition to Measure Y campaign (SOPPL), on its yard signs, websites, videos and postings on social media and in public forums, has repeatedly attacked the Yes on Measure Y (Kids First) campaign for accepting donations from out-of-town nonprofits. However, accepting donations from nonprofits based in Los Angeles County, San Francisco, and nationally is not a violation of campaign finance rules, though not filing campaign finances is. The Opposition to Y have based their arguments on the information that the Yes on Y campaigners have disclosed, while Opposition to Y's  have failed to disclose. There is currently no mechanism in place for citizens to evaluate the Opposition to Y's campaign finances.

Curiously, another local non-political nonprofit, Clean & Green Pomona, has posted a page on its website devoted to Campaign Transparency, with a link to Pomona Kids First Primarily Formed Ballot Measure Committee (the Yes on Measure Y political non-profit) campaign finance disclosures, but has failed to post a link to the No on Measure Y/SOPPL political nonprofit campaign finance disclosures. See links below:

https://cleangreenpomona.org/campaign-transparency/#data
https://cleangreenpomona.org/pomona-kids-first/

This omission by Clean & Green Pomona from its 2024 Political Campaign Contribution Data page would appear to be bias by only presenting only the pro side of Measure Y and not the opposing side. Additionally, the omission is also a violation of Clean & Green's own stated standards for transparency.  It is not transparent if Clean & Green Pomona only reveals the campaign finances of one local political nonprofit and not the campaign finances of another local political nonprofit.

The purpose of campaign finance disclosure is to reveal who is influencing public policy. Providing voters with this key information allows them to make informed choices about who or what to vote for.

The Pomona Kids First Yes on Measure Y website here.

UPDATE
There has been a great deal of confusion over the fact that Save Our Pomona Public Library (SOPPL) Advocacy Group is the umbrella organization for the current No on Y campaign. Some of the confusion is over the fact that SOPPL Advocacy Group was not newly formed to oppose Measure Y - SOPPL  has been submitting its campaign finances to the City of Pomona in support or opposition of measures since at least 2012. It is only recently that SOPPL has become the political nonprofit that opposes Measure Y.

As of Wednesday, October 2, at noon, even the City of Pomona's City Clerk was unaware that the  SOPPL Advocacy Group was the political nonprofit that was accepting the campaign finances for the No on Y opposition movement.. It was The Pomonan editorial board that informed the clerk that day that SOPPL was listed  on the No on Y signs. Continuing into the present, the City of Pomona's Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure still continues to state under Pomona Kids First Ballot Measure financials, "There is no filing activity opposing this measure” - which is not true.

By October 3 at 6:30pm, SOPPL Advocacy Group's did post its financials on the City of Pomona's Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure web page - some 6 hours or so after this article was released by The Pomonan, some 30 hours after The Pomonan Editorial Board spoke with Pomona's City Clerk, and some 8 days after the filing deadline dictated by California law. SOPPL Advocacy Group’s submissions of its financial disclosures on October 3 was the Group’s first acknowledgement that the funds they were reporting were related to opposing the Pomona Kids Initiative, Measure Y.

It was on October 2, that The Pomonan Editorial Board not only informed the City Clerk that the SOPPL Advocacy Group was representing the No on Y opposition group, but also that SOPPL had missed their September 26 deadline. On this day, this editorial board asked if the City planned to report the missed deadline to California's Fair Political Practices Commission (the FPPC).

To date, Clean & Green Pomona has not updated its campaign transparency page to include SOPPL's campaign finances for opposing Measure Y. This is problematic because it continues to show their bias, ironically on a page dedicated to “Campaign Transparency.”

The Pomonan has learned that Kyle Brown, the Treasurer and Secretary of Clean & Green Pomona, submitted a formal complaint to California's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) against the Pomona Kids campaign for not filing on time earlier in the year. However, the FPPC dismissed Brown’s case on September 24, 2024. The Pomona Kids First nonprofit filed on time, but the City of Pomona failed to post it on their Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure. It is posted there now.

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The editorial board consists of opinion journalists whose perspectives are shaped by their expertise, research, discussions, and established principles. This board operates independently from the newsroom.

Vote Yes on Measure Y - Pomona's Elected Officials and Appointed Commissioners Aren't Telling the Truth and They Are Twisting the Narrative

"Pomona Kids First Initiative: The Pomona Fund for Children and Youth Act"

Don’t be Fooled by the No on Measure Y Campaign which has Misrepresented this Initiative. 

PART ONE - ACCOUNTABILITY

The No on Y campaign claimed in a public forum on 9/25/2024 that Measure Y lacks accountability, however:

Section 9 of the initiative lays out clear guidelines for accountability:

“The Children and Youth Fund shall be administered by staff in a newly established Department of Children and Youth, as described in section 7 and 8, within the City Manager's office. Oversight of the Children and Youth Fund shall be provided by a fifteen-member Pomona Fund for Children and Youth Accountability Board (the "Accountability Board”).”

The No on Y campaign also claimed in the same forum that the City Manager and the City Council will have no oversight for this Accountability Board, however:

The staff for the newly established Board will be housed in the City Manager’s office (Section 9). Each member of the Accountability Board will be appointed by members of the City Council. (Section 9a).

The City Council retains veto rights over the Accountability Board's recommendations. (Section 13c,d,e)

See initiative below
Pomona Kids First Initiative (English)
Iniciativa de Pomona Kids First (Español)

Download initiative here

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The editorial board consists of opinion journalists whose perspectives are shaped by their expertise, research, discussions, and established principles. This board operates independently from the newsroom.

Pomona Mayor, Some Members of City Council Actively Campaign Against Measure Y, ‘the Kid’s Initiative’

It does not seem that long ago - just over a year - on June 5 of 2023, that some 40 people, mostly young, showed up at City Council chambers supporting Measure Y, ‘The Kids’ Initiative,’ on the November 5 ballot. 

Measure Y is the initiative that would create, maintain, and expand youth services, such as affordable child care, housing support and rental assistance for families with young children, violence prevention, job training, after-school programs; sports, arts, STEM and educational programs at public venues such as parks, our public library, and community centers from existing City general funds.

That night in June, Measure Y supporters filled the chambers, overflowing into the foyer, and some 25 spoke. Many were fairly recent Pomona USD graduates. Some were recent college graduates from places like UC Berkeley and Cal Poly Pomona. Their general refrain, reworded into various permutations throughout the evening was this:

"I am here to ask the Mayor and Council members to support this initiative or at the very least to not interfere with this community-led effort.”

Council members are not allowed to answer public comments during a meeting, but more than a year later, at least 4 of them, including Mayor Tim Sandoval, Council members Victor Preciado, Steve Lustro and Nora Garcia, have come roaring back in opposition to Measure Y with yard signs and posts on social media. This, even though many have campaigned citing their past or present work as educators for youth or supporters of youth. Pomona’s Ethics Commissioner John Clifford and Library Commissioner Duane Smith have also re-posted No on Measure Y literature on social media generated by the Our Pomona Public Library Advocacy Group.

The Our Pomona Public Library Advocacy Group fears that Measure Y would reduce police services, close more Fire Stations, decrease library hours, and reduce park services. They call Measure Y a money grab funded by outside interests that would create a new bureaucracy. One of their complaints about Measure Y is that, if passed, it would mean the creation of a new 15-member commission over half of which would be filled by youth, up to the age of 24. They declare that “Youth deserve a voice, but they are generally not experienced enough to have control, and have a higher turnover than more settled city residents.” Their slogan is that “Measure Y is the wrong way to help Pomona’s children.”

According to the Y on Measure campaign, funded, in part, by the California Community Foundation, Children’s Funding Accelerator, Heising Simons Fund, if passed, it would be funded “without increasing taxes or new bureaucracies – by reordering city priorities, coordinating services, and holding the city accountable for youth impact. With the creation of the Department of Children and Youth, the City will have the infrastructure to sustain and expand services for children while establishing oversight, accountability over tax dollars, and creating local jobs.” Their slogan is, “For our children, for our families, for our future.”

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Pamela Casey Nagler, Pomona-born, is an independent scholar, currently conducting research on California’s indigenous people, focusing on the Spanish, Russian, Mexican and US invasions between 1769 and the 1860s. The point of studying this history is to tell us how we got here from there. 

Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books and writer in training, but mostly a photographer. Julian is the founder of Mirrored Society Books. Julian was once called a “bitter artist” on the Nextdoor app and “stupid” by one of Pomona’s leadership. Julian embraces name calling, because he believes when people express themselves uncensored, they are their most creative self.