By Jonathan Friedman
Lookout Staff

October 21, 2010 -- A campaign mailer that appears to be from the Santa Monica public safety unions, but is actually from an unrelated political committee has irked the police union. Police Officers Association Chair Jay Trisler said the union’s attorney will send a cease and desist letter to the committee, Santa Monicans for Quality Government (SMQG), demanding it not use the logo and “tell factual information.”

The mailer contains the logos of the fire and police unions. It also includes names, pictures and information about four of the five City Council candidates who were endorsed by those unions. It features nothing about incumbent Kevin McKeown, who also received the unions’ endorsements.

“I think it’s a misrepresentation of our endorsement,” Trisler said. “It is causing problems because people are calling and saying, ‘I thought you endorsed Kevin and you left him off your mailer.’ Well, that’s not our mailer.”

The mailer states, “The Santa Monica Police Officers and Firefighters Associations have endorsed Bob Holbrook, Pam O’Connor, Gleam Davis and Terry O’Day … Please vote on November 2nd for public safety’s choices for City Council.”

“The mailer looks like it’s coming from us, and it’s disingenuous,” Trisler said.

McKeown wrote in an e-mail to The Lookout, "The use of trusted public safety logos by a third party is something that will have to get clarified and resolved. I've been strongly endorsed by both our police officers and firefighters each and every time I've run for office, and I hope the community knows that."

In small print, the mailer notes SMQG prepared it. The committee was formed Oct. 6, according to the statement it submitted to the City Clerk’s Office. The president is listed as Fred Huebscher of The Political Scientists, whose clients include Council member Richard Bloom. The treasurer is listed as Kinde Durkee of Burbank-based Durkee & Associates.

A person answering the phone at The Political Scientists said Huebscher was out of town. A person who answered the phone at Durkee & Associates said the firm has a policy against speaking with the media.

Those who spend money during the last 15 days of the campaign must submit a statement to the City Clerk’s Office within 24 hours, a City Clerk’s Office official said. No financial statement from SMQG appeared on the City Clerk’s website as of late Thursday afternoon.