GOP to Cite Hall Ad in Complaint on Mailers

State Republican Party officials will include Los Angeles City Council candidate Lyle Hall in a complaint they will file today over campaign mailers suggesting that Hall and school board member Julie Korenstein, both Democrats, are the choices of Reagan Republicans in Tuesday’s elections.

State GOP Chairman Frank Visco said Sunday that the complaint to the California Fair Political Practices Commission originally focused on a Korenstein mailer but now will include a Hall flyer, which labels City Councilman Ernani Bernardi a “liberal Democrat.” The mailer suggests Hall is a fiscal conservative in the “Reagan tradition.”

The mailers, produced by a slate-mailing firm called L.A. Taxpayers Alliance, feature pictures of Ronald Reagan and use the GOP’s elephant logo. Visco said the flyers are misleading because they do not mention that Korenstein and Hall are Democrats.

“I’m appalled at this kind of tactic,” Visco said. “The only purpose is to deliberately deceive the voters.”

Hall, Bernardi’s opponent for the northeast San Fernando Valley’s 7th Council District seat, said he never authorized the mailer. “It was never approved, and we never paid for it,” Hall said. “We don’t have to trick people to show we have Republican support. We do have it.” L.A. Taxpayers Alliance officials were unavailable for comment.

Bernardi, speaking Sunday at a neighborhood rally in Sylmar, called the mailers “an insult to the intelligence of the Republican voters in this district.”

Bernardi, a Democrat, said he has the support of such Republicans as Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block and Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who joined Bernardi at the rally.

“These last-minute mailers which try to portray Ernani as the big spender are hilarious,” Antonovich told the small crowd of about 30 people gathered at the intersection of Bledsoe Street and Dronfield Avenue. “It’s just wrong. All it is is an attempt to confuse the voters. Ernani has the support of many Republicans and Democrats. We are confident that people will see through the mailers.”

After speaking with reporters, Bernardi and Antonovich walked along Bledsoe Street talking with residents.

Korenstein, who is in a runoff election for the West San Fernando Valley school board seat, could not be reached for comment Sunday. Korenstein has said she paid $1,500 to appear on a similar mailer, but did not see it before it was sent out.

The mailer was denounced by her opponent, Jerry Horowitz, and Visco at a news conference on Saturday.

Visco said he planned to consult an attorney today to see if L.A. Taxpayers Alliance violated any laws.