The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is not happy about the latest pro-Measure S ad campaign.
The department’s lawyers sent a “cease and desist” letter to the backers of the controversial ballot measure, demanding that they halt their fake “EVICTION NOTICE” campaign ads, which Angelenos received in their mailboxes last week.
The ads mimic official eviction notices sent by the sheriff and disclose only in the fine print that they were actually sent by the Measure S campaign committee and its bankroller, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The ads violate state law because they improperly use the department’s name, according to county attorneys. The “cease and desist” letters demand that the campaign send a second notice to everyone who received the mailer to clarify that the department does not actually endorse the measure.
Some tenant advocates said the mailers could have frightened renters into thinking that were actually being evicted.
“It’s so irresponsible and outrageous for them to put out something like that,” said Larry Gross of the Coalition for Economic Survival, which opposes Measure S.
Jill Stewart, campaign director for Yes on S, told the Times in an email that the campaign appreciates the “last-minute critical media attention” it gained from the cease-and-desist letters. [LAT] — Cathaleen Chen