Less than Neutral

After the silliness of Burlingame candidates plus postal permits, this example stated in Daily Journal's Mr. Silverfarb article is not exactly neutral:

The city of San Mateo is accused of violating state law by allowing the Bay Meadows Land Company to use its postal permit. Bay Meadows mailed out fliers last month encouraging San Mateo residents who signed a referendum petition to mail postage-paid cards to City Hall requesting the city clerk remove their names from the petition. The problem, says Friends of Bay Meadows attorney Stuart Flashman, is the business reply cards were mailed on the city's postal permit. Allowing BMLC to use the postal permit amounts to an indirect contribution. The city is supposed to stay scupulously neutral,? Flashman said. At first we thought it was bad judgment,? Schinkel said. But now it appears the city may have violated a couple of laws. It suggests the city was endorsing the recall of petition signatures. The city certainly was less than neutral in this situation.? After inquiring the post office about the city's postage permit it appears the BMLC reimbursed the city for the cost of the mailers, Flashman said

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- Written by Fiona

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Update from the Daily Journal today:

Meanwhile, city officials are adamant the public understand they have no hand in either side of the Bay Meadows campaign. We have done nothing relative to that permit. It's a false accusation that somehow the city was involved with that permit,? City Manager Arne Croce said yesterday.Croce said word of the accusations arose late last week and Friends of Bay Meadows never contacted the city for clarification. If they did, Croce said he would have explained they had no hand in the Bay Meadows postal permit.

On a side note, there was an article in Sunday's Chron (Real Estate) about that development, and how several rentals had already been converted to Condos in the 6-7K range. Were these considered the affordable housing units? Does anyone know how that process works?

A Mea Culpa from Mr. Silverfarb

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In the past, the post office has refused to reveal who owns a particular postal permit. I wonder if there is another story lurking in there?