Fair Political Practices Commission officials will not investigate claims that Davis schools officials illegally campaigned for a parcel tax to fund schools on Tuesday's ballot.
Davis political action committee No New School Taxes levied the allegations last week claiming that the Davis Joint Unified School Board and its president, Susan Lovenburg, had inappropriately used taxpayer dollars to advocate for Measure E. Lovenburg is running for re-election to the school board.
A proposed extension of an earlier city parcel tax, Measure E would maintain funding of Davis Joint Unified School District schools.
District leaders say the district would lose $3.2 million from the budget in 2013-14 if Measure E fails. The measure needs two-thirds approval.
The committee's coordinator, Thomas Randall, said mass mailers on district letterhead and information online outlining the tax and what it means for Davis schools constitute political advertising.
But state Fair Political Practices Commission officials, in an Oct. 24 letter, rejected the claim, saying the information "does not contain evidence of a violation of the Political Reform Act."
Gary Winuk, chief of the FPPC's enforcement division, elaborated Tuesday, saying the handbills and online content are not campaign tools.
"To be a campaign piece, it had to expressly advocate passage of the measure," he said. "This piece is informational. School districts are allowed to put that out."
In a statement Tuesday, Lovenburg said she appreciated the FPPC's "rapid resolution of this issue."
Randall expressed disappointment in a statement Tuesday, saying that he stood by the complaint, criticizing FPPC officials and calling the board's decision to distribute the fliers and online information "inappropriate."
"I do lack confidence in the FPPC to enforce such matters and certainly have no confidence in Davis (Joint Unified) School Board to resolve them and the voter shouldn't either," the statement read.
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