The Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce Candidates PAC has spent $25,883 in independent expenditures supporting of the campaign of District 3 City Council candidate Christian Anthony Horvath. According to Horvath’s campaign finance filings, that donation figure nearly matches what Horvath has raised himself through this entire campaign season.
CA 460 forms filed on Feb. 19 and April 2 of this year show that the Chamber PAC, an arm of the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, has worked with Long Beach-based consulting group PEAR Strategies in its support of Horvath. In turn, PEAR has turned to Full Frame Digital, a Pennsylvania-based digital media company that has created “mailers, video production, social media [and] emails supporting Christian Horvath for City Council,” according to descriptions noted in the Chamber’s 460 forms.
Horvath, dating back to filings from late 2014, has raised $26,173 in contributions.
District 2 Councilman Bill Brand takes exception to the Chamber’s spending. “They have this big, giant “Keep it Local” campaign when a Director for the Chamber is directing their money outside of Redondo to Pennsylvania,” Brand said. “Call around or even ask the Chamber for a list of printing and mailing companies that have done this work.”
PEAR Strategies is headed by Chamber contractor Weston LaBar, who is the RBCC’s Director of Government Affairs. RBBC Chairman Michael Jackson said he has a history of working with PEAR though LaBarr’s founding partner Henry Rodgers, who worked with Jackson on his 2013 City Council campaign.
“The reason [LaBar] used them is because he had a longstanding relationship with them, just like we had with [PEAR],” Jackson said.
“You hire people that have the experience you know and need. If you don’t have it locally, you go where you need to get it. That’s what campaigns do and have done, historically, everywhere in the United States.”
In a statement, Chamber CEO Marna Smeltzer wrote: “Historically, The Chamber has had a role in local elections. However, the current board voted to make this election one of the chambers top priorities because of the important issues our community is facing.
“Our new approach to how we operate our PAC is the bigger reason for our involvement. Due to that change in culture and the increased activity of our membership we have raised more money than ever, which has allowed us to spend more than we usually would. Our members agree that our community is facing important issues and support our efforts.”
Horvath, who did not return a call seeking comment, won an endorsement from the Chamber in late 2014 after impressing during an interview process that extended invitations to the entire field of District 3 candidates — including Horvath’s opponent in the District 3 runoff, Candace Allen Nafissi.
Nafissi, according to RBCC Chairman Michael Jackson, initially accepted an interview with the Chamber during that process.
“We extended the offer to interview after meeting her at Catalina Coffee Company,” Jackson said, noting that Nafissi seemed “hesitant to agree” to meet. “I got back to her a short time later and she declined to meet because she was ill, so I extended another offer and didn’t hear back from her.”
Nafissi said that she didn’t feel that the request was a “genuine invitation,” as the interview date was scheduled for two days after the Chamber PAC met with Nafissi at the Catalina meet and greet.
“The bottom line is that I wasn’t interested in meeting interested in a meeting with special interest groups,” she said. “I accepted to be polite, I got sick the next day, and I wasn’t interested in rescheduling.”
Horvath did not return a call seeking comment by press time. He later replied, by email, directing questions to the Chamber.
