Political Literature

For years, the periodic eruptions of controversy in Little Saigon have played out as mostly insular affairs, however raucous -- family tiffs in a community that prefers to keep its arguments in-house. Now, as if to signify a final rite of passage into U.S. political power, the immigrant community here faces an unwelcome national spotlight with a full-fledged, old-fashioned American scandal centering on a congressional candidate's alleged dirty trick.

The state attorney general is investigating a Spanish-language letter warning some Orange County Latinos that they could be jailed or deported if they vote in the November election. The letter, which purports to be from a Huntington Beach-based group, also warns that the state has developed a tracking system that will allow the names of Latino voters to be handed over to anti-immigrant groups.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Thursday that the title of a fall ballot measure to ease term limits for the L.A. City Council must be modified to better inform voters of the measure's intent. Ruling on a lawsuit brought by several residents, Judge Robert H. O'Brien said the title must say the measure would "lengthen" rather than merely "change" council members' term limits.

As each election nears, they fill California mailboxes: brightly colored cards with authoritative names recommending dozens of candidates for public office. The California Law Enforcement Voter Guide. Democratic Voters Choice. The Official Non-Partisan Voter Guide of California. These are some of the names behind one of the most idiosyncratic tools in California politics: slate mailers put out by independent consultants and publishers as profit-making enterprises.

The political committee of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $1,500 in fines for failing to properly disclose three independent expenditures aimed at benefiting the 2001 campaign of City Councilman Tony Cardenas, according to an agreement released Thursday.

The Los Angeles Ethics Commission overruled its chief of enforcement Tuesday and slashed fines proposed against City Councilman Jack Weiss for failing to file copies of all 32 mass mailers he sent to voters in his hotly contested 2001 election. Deena Ghaly, the panel's enforcement director, had recommended that Weiss face $25,200 in fines for 32 counts of not properly filing mass mailers and eight counts of not properly disclosing spending on meals and other expenses.

A drug industry-supported campaign, which has been criticized for giving money to people who endorsed its ballot measure, is now under fire for misrepresenting the positions of black politicians. A mailer paid for by the campaign and headlined "The Black Woman's Guide to California Politics" urges voters to support Proposition 78. The measure would allow drug companies to voluntarily cap prices and avert mandatory caps.

Los Angeles City Council candidate Nick Pacheco on Friday called on main rival Jose Huizar to order a supporter to stop handing out copies of old and unflattering newspaper articles about him. In a news release, the former city councilman, who is running for the 14th District seat, alleged that a Huizar backer, Alvin Parra, was using his home as a base to send volunteers into neighborhoods with copies of four Los Angeles Times articles.

A grim-faced firefighter in a red helmet looks out from a campaign mailer sent to millions of Californians by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, implying the man supports the governor on a controversial Nov. 8 election initiative. But Schwarzenegger's camp bought the image from a photo archive in Seattle, angering a group of unionized California firefighters who say the governor should stop using them as props. "This just goes along with his whole mantra of, 'I played a firefighter in a movie.

Whoops: Call it an oversight. The campaign manager for state Controller Steve Westly said Friday the controller didn't mean to imply that his chief rival in the race to become the Democratic nominee for governor in 2006 is a "slimy developer." Never mind that the Westly camp e-mailed to Democrats across the state an anonymous quote in a newspaper saying as much about state Treasurer Phil Angelides.