Pete Wilson, who opposed Proposition 13, is on board of Chamber of Commerce that attacked Brown for opposing Prop 13

Deceiving voters is apparently the goal of the Chamber of Commerce, and, one suspects, the goal of Pete Wilson and Meg Whitman.


"The chamber ad fails to point out that the organization took the same position for which it is now criticizing Brown...The chamber's commercial and Web site acknowledge that the job losses to which it refers have occurred since 2007—long after Brown was governor and while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who received the chamber's endorsement, was in office."

Groups say attack ad against Brown violates law
By JULIET WILLIAMS Associated Press Writer
04/07/2010

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Two groups complained Wednesday to California's campaign watchdog agency about a television commercial funded by the California Chamber of Commerce that attacks Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown.

The ad and an accompanying Web site say Brown, the state's current attorney general, raised spending as governor from 1975 to 1983 and opposed Proposition 13, which limited property tax increases.

"California's lost 1 million jobs. We're $200 billion in debt, and Jerry Brown has a 35-year record of higher spending and increased taxes," says the ad, which the chamber said in a news release will air "throughout virtually all of California in the coming weeks."

The California Democratic Party and the Santa Monica-based group Consumer Watchdog complained Wednesday to the Fair Political Practices Commission, arguing that the ad violated California elections law.

The groups say the ad, which was not paid for by the chamber's political action committee, is intended to defeat Brown and therefore should be subject to disclosure rules about who paid for it. They also say it's costing the chamber more than $1 million.

They also note that Republican candidate Meg Whitman's campaign manager, former Gov. Pete Wilson, is on the chamber's board...

The chamber's commercial and Web site acknowledge that the job losses to which it refers have occurred since 2007—long after Brown was governor and while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who received the chamber's endorsement, was in office.

While Brown did oppose Proposition 13, which was approved by about two-thirds of voters in 1978, so did Wilson and the chamber, along with the California Taxpayers Association. They supported an alternative measure for a split-roll tax with lower taxes for owner-occupied homes.

The chamber ad fails to point out that the organization took the same position for which it is now criticizing Brown...