Who did it?
Who paid for and produced the Seagull Sentinel, a pro-Bill Yates-for-mayor political flyer fashioned as a would-be newspaper and filled with unproven charges, distorted claims about opponent Betty Winholtz's voting record on the City Council, deceptively-worded arguments, false statements about issues on which she took positions, and personal attacks on her? (See previous Journal article.)
Many believe the Sentinel—the centerpiece of a last-minute, multi-media campaign that included anti-Winholtz emails, website postings, YouTube video clips, robocalls, and other flyers—marked a low spot in Morro Bay's political campaigns history, which some think destroyed the civility that has characterized local politics dating back to 1964 when the city was incorporated.
Who was responsible for the Sentinel was largely kept secret when the four-page flyer was mailed to residents and left on stands in shopping areas just before the November 2 election last year, except for a page one box that identified Floyd Davison as chairman of the Seagull Sentinel Committee and Gail Queen as its treasurer. It states that the Sentinel was a publication of that committee.
At that election, Yates was elected mayor by 72 votes out of 5,084 votes cast for mayor in Morro Bay.
The Sentinel itself did not state outright that it stood for Yates and against Winholtz, although there was no mistaking that from the content. But the campaign spending statement filed by the Seagull Sentinel Committee with the Morro Bay city clerk in January is up front: it states it was "primarily formed" to oppose Betty "Winsholtz" (her name was spelled incorrectly) for mayor.
Those responsible for the Sentinel were concentrated in real estate and business interests in and near Morro Bay. The campaign statement listed Queen as treasurer of the committee. She is listed on the website of the Bayshore Realty in Morro Bay, apparently as an agent, although her title is not stated.
Other names on the campaign spending statement and the amounts they listed as contributions to the Sentinel Committee:
—Jack Jennings, $999, identified on the statement with the Silver City Mobile Homepark and is listed as its owner on the internet. The name is shown as Silver City Mobile Manor on the internet and in AT&T white and yellow pages.
—Dale Reddell, $300, former mayor of Morro Bay whose picture is on the Bayshore Realty website apparently as an agent and who also is the brother of Dan Reddell, listed on the site as owner/broker of Bayshore Realty.
—Homer Alexander, $100, known as a member of the "Four Amigos," who are retired business executives living in Morro Bay.
—John Williams, $100, shown to be associated with Williams Concrete & General Engineering in an internet search.
—Ron McIntosh, $200, who the internet shows is associated with McIntosh & Associates, identified as "real estate agents, real estate management, real estate buyer brokers."
—Matt Gullage, $100, who, the statement said, was with property management, central coast. The internet shows he is with Real Property Management Central Coast in San Luis Obispo.
—Ray Connelly, $100, who was identified on the statement as retired, and the internet showed he is now or was previously associated with the same Real Property Management Central Coast.
The name of John Barta, who wrote a bylined article in the Sentinel urging a vote for Yates in the mayoral election, was absent from the Sentinel campaign spending statement.
However, among the expenditures for the Sentinel was $969 to Nancy Barta, his wife, for "printing." Kathy Welles was reported as receiving $125 for "delivery."
The campaign spending statements show Yates received about $6,000 in donations but with the contributions of about $2,500 to the pro-Yates Sentinel, Yates had about $8,500 behind him.
The Sentinel campaign statement stated that it received $2595 in contributions plus $63 in holdover cash for a total of $2658, of which $2465 was spent for an ending balance of $193.
Yates, who listed no one as treasurer, reported $6017 cash contributions and $4791 in expenditures and an ending cash balance $1226. Winholtz reported $12,369 in cash contributions and $126 in monetary donations for a total of $12,495 and $11,310 in expenditures for an ending cash balance of $1185.
Yates' main donor was the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) with $1000. SEIU, Local 620, which represents Morro Bay city employees other than police or fire personnel, endorsed Yates prior in the November 2 election. Bruce Corsaw, executive director of the local, told the Journal at the time that the union would be happy to endorse Winholtz as well, but never did.
During the mayoral campaign, Yates called for cuts in city spending, implying reductions in city employees except for "police, fire, and harbor patrol" to save city funds, while Winholtz supported reductions in staff by attrition, if they were needed to balance the city's budget in 2011.
