elections and governance

Keep on making “noise”

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Earlier in the same meeting, PNB chair Summer Reese complained about KPFA listeners making “a lot of noise” regarding the election supervisor she hired for the Tracy Rosenberg recall vote. Hundreds of listeners have been writing the PNB to ask why recall ballots had still not been mailed nearly four months after Pacifica’s own deadline for that to happen.

Over 1200 listeners have signed a petition demanding Pacifica appoint an impartial election supervisor from the American Association of Arbitrators or a similar organization. As we reported in our last issue, Reese recently hired a person named Matt Ward to supervise the recall, but gave no information about him. Multiple efforts by SaveKPFA activists to ask both Reese and Ward himself about his experience, or his timeline for the election, did not produce answers. Reese told the PNB that because Pacifica had previously hired election supervisors who she said “don’t appear to have had any qualifications to be election supervisors,” it was therefore “inappropriate” for KPFA listeners to ask about the qualifications of the person she hired to oversee the Rosenberg recall. | LISTEN TO 2 min audio clip of Reese

You can hear the entire PNB meeting in this three-part public recording: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3. (The discussion of the recall and KPFA’s listener emails begins about 8 minutes into part 2 and continues through the vote at the end of part 3).

“KPFA listeners and staff have the right to know how the radio network they support is run and what our donations are paying for,” said KPFA board chair Margy Wilkinson. “Let’s keep speaking up loudly and clearly, until we get our station and network back on the right track.”

Take a look at today’s posts from San Francisco’s Fog City Journal and the California Federation of Labor‘s website. Reader comments are welcome at both, and that’s another way you can add your voice.

Recall supervisor hired, but Pacifica silent on his qualifications

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Pacifica has finally hired a supervisor for the recall vote against Tracy Rosenberg, according to this email from Pacifica’s chair, Summer Reese. But in response to questions from SaveKPFA reps, Reese has refused to give any information about his qualifications or experience. She has only told us his name (Matt Ward), that he lives in Los Angeles, and an email address (kpfarecall@gmail.com).

Ward also hasn’t responded to basic questions about when he will mail ballots, or how he will conduct the election. Margy Wilkinson, chair of KPFA’s Local Station Board, submitted these questions on March 20. Ward promised answers, but three weeks later he still hasn’t delivered. “Just trust me” doesn’t quite work with Pacifica: during the last election at KPFA, Pacifica violated the secrecy of the ballot, and threw out three staff votes in order to change the outcome of the election — an action that was overturned by an injunction from the Alameda County Superior Court.

“After months of delay, we’re glad the recall appears to be getting underway,” added Wilkinson. “But for listeners to have any confidence in the result, the process needs to be more transparent on every level. And it is unfortunate that Pacifica chose an election supervisor in Los Angeles. KPFA’s listeners are mostly in Northern California and having a supervisor in LA promises big problems with balloting and observation issues.”

Financial statements show that KPFA is still owed $1.4 million by Pacifica

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At the March 3rd Local Station Board meeting, treasurer Barbara Whipperman and KPFA business manager Maria Negret reported serious problems getting documentation from Pacifica for “bill-back” expenses being passed on to KPFA. Each of the five Pacifica-owned stations, including KPFA, are obligated to pay 19.5% of their income to the network for central services. “Bill-backs” are in addition to that.

Over the past 16 months, Pacifica has been receiving and keeping funds intended for KPFA, including grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, bequests, and stock donations — ostensibly to apply toward debt KPFA owes it. Often, KPFA doesn’t find out Pacifica has accepted money on its behalf until months after the fact.

The amount of KPFA funding that Pacifica has intercepted over the last 16 months adds up to about $681,700. KPFA has also been paying bills from Pacifica “bill-backs” for legal expenses, administrative services, and the like — if you add the money KPFA has paid directly to the amount Pacifica has intercepted, the total is approximately $854,000. Here’s the problem: Pacifica’s bills to KPFA over the same period only total to $700,000.

So what happened to the $154,000 KPFA overpaid? “Well, that’s what we would like to know,” the business manager said.

Meanwhile, the bills from Pacifica have been short on detail. For instance: Pacifica charged KPFA $115,000 in legal expenses relating to “labor issues” in the past 16 months, but has provided KPFA very little documentation on what the charges are for. In past years, Pacifica shared itemized billing statements from attorneys, and KPFA’s staff were able to catch items incorrectly charged to KPFA for expenses incurred at other stations. Now, KPFA’s staff don’t even know what the station is being charged for.

“If Visa were to send you a bill in the mail and say ‘you owe $10,000,’ would you just pay it without asking what that was about?” said Negret.
Pacifica’s financial statements also show that its National Office and other parts of the network still owe KPFA $1.4 million dollars in long-term debt. | LISTEN to 3 minute clip of business manager | LISTEN to the entire board meeting: part 1, part 2, part 3