ILLEGAL “FRONT GROUP”

LOS ANGELES, CA – Fred Karger, Founder of Californians Against Hate today filed a supplement to the complaint against the Utah-based the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).

 COPY OF SUPPLEMENTAL COMPLAINT LETTER TO FOLLOW IN NEXT EMAIL AND GO TO:  http://californiansagainsthate.blogspot.com

 In a 9 page letter, Californians Against Hate alleges that the Mormon Church established the NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE (NOM) as its California front group in the summer of 2007 for the sole purpose of qualifying and passing Proposition 8 in 2008.  Karger alleges that none of the costs associated with secretly establishing NOM was reported by the Mormon Church as required by California election law.

 In official, extensive and detailed Mormon Church documents, one can see how NOM was very likely modeled after the Hawaii front group — “Hawaii’s Future Today” – which the Mormon Church set up to defeat same-sex marriage in Hawaii in 1998.  Californians Against Hate submitted these official Church documents along with the complaint to the FPPC today.  All the documents as well as the complaint are posted on its new web site:  http://www.mormongate.com 

 Californians Against Hate asks the FPPC to investigate the “obvious underreporting” in the Mormon Church’s January 30, 2009 campaign report. 

 “I have carefully reviewed the late filing by the Church,” said Karger.  “It seems just to be the tip of the iceberg as far as what they spent in support of Prop 8. They have admitted errors publicly in press accounts after their filing.”

 

 

 

“The Church’s report actually raises more questions than it answers.   It is particularly odd since they (the Church) announced their active involvement to pass Proposition 8 in a letter from Church President Thomas S. Monson on June 29, 2008 read to all Church members.  Now they claim that they did not spend any money in the form of non-monetary contributions until the last two weeks of the election campaign,” Karger stated in his letter to the FPPC. 

 

The complaint outlines an additional 6 specific charges and substantial areas of likely Mormon Church activity that should be investigated as reportable non- monetary expenditures. 

 

Californians Against Hate’s original complaint to the FPPC against the Mormon Church led to the Commission’s ongoing investigation of the Church which was announced on November 21, 2008 (FPPC FILE NO. 08/735). This additional information is to help with that investigation.