STOP The Pacifica & KPFA Election Shenanigans NOW! Candidates Carts On The Air

STOP The Pacifica & KPFA Election Shenanigans NOW!
Candidates Carts On The Air & Stop Knocking Off LSB Candidates At KPKT In Houston
Thursday August 10 4;00 PM
KPFA
1929 MLK Blvd/University
Berkeley

Sponsored by Rescue Pacifica
https://rescuepacifica.net


Join us in fighting for CLEAN & Democratic elections in these upcoming Local Station Board (LSB) elections at Pacifica and to oppose the disenfranchisement of candidates and of the listeners.

· The National Election Supervisor (NES) announced that any candidate CARTS to be aired would be left up to the radio stations’ management criteria.
· The NES chose a KPFA Protector ally as an Elections Inspector. He participated as a candidate in the disenfranchisement of 8 community nominees to the KPFA Community Advisory Board (CAB) elections.
· Candidates at KPFT (Houston) are being prevented from running for LSB.
· Instructions about nomination procedures and Fair Campaign provisions have been confusing and contradictory.
· Rules are being applied inconsistently and unfairly.
· KPFA Protectors at Pacifica Election Committee are stifling any chance of having clean elections.

Background: Pacifica National Board retroactively cancelled last year’s elections due to lack of funds, but they took a step that triggered a lawsuit: They decided to extend the terms of the LSB and PNB members who had already served the 6-year limit.
This was a blatant by-laws violation and a self-serving attempt at maintaining control over Pacifica and creating a de-facto self-perpetuating board instead of allowing the runner-up system to continue.

This meant that all the LSBs were instructed to keep the 6-year termed out members. All of the LSBs complied except for KPFK. They followed the by-laws and seated the runner ups instead. As a result, the PNB removed the properly elected KPFK Chair (who had been voted in as PNB director) and the treasurer.
A lawsuit was filed because the KPFA Protectors and others (Pacifica Safety Net/ New Day) who have tried to push Pacifica into receivership; to get the FCC to take away the broadcast license of a sister station; and are attempting to sell the KPFK building, would not leave after their 6-year term which was required under the bylaws.
The judgement recognized the violation of the by-laws but only applied the remedy of making sure that the PNB would have an election this year. They have been enjoined by the judgment not to violate the election process.

Now these same people who would not leave after their terms expired (and their supporters in management at some of the stations) are apparently rigging the elections.

At KPFA, the management and their supporters refuse to put on candidate audio carts which would let listeners know why they are running for the Local Station Board as has been done in previous elections.

The “KPFA Protectors” who run the KPFA Local Station board do not seem to want a democratic election and have even censored candidates at the Local Station Town Hall meeting. The ballots are supposed to go out on August 15 and most members will not have a chance to hear from all of the candidates. It is almost as if the KPFA Protectors and management want to keep the election a secret!

The KPFA Protectors also support Pacifica Safety Net attempts to push Pacifica into voluntary bankruptcy and to amend the bylaws which would have reduced the power of the Local Station Boards and staff representation and allow more insider appointments.

The listener members of KPFA have a right to hear the candidates and issues including voicing their opinions about the growing pro-war programming on KPFA and Pacifica. Despite its anti-war history and it’s founding by pacificist Lew Hill, the present management and the “KPFA Protectors” support putting more pro-war shows on like Background Briefing by Ian Masters.

Masters resigned from KPFK in Los Angeles after telling listeners that they should boycott the station and Pacifica. He also supports the FBI and police prosecution of Mumia and called for his continued imprisonment. He calls those who support Mumia “dupes”.

In KPFT Houston, a station with many people of color in the signal area, management has taken a lot of Black and Brown programming off the air.
The manager himself has violated the by-laws by refusing to give up his LSB seat when he became manager of the station, keeping a Latino runner up from taking that seat. The PNB did nothing to correct any of this.

Now, the NES has excluded KPFT LSB candidates who have opposed management decisions, many of whom are people of color.

At WBAI in New York, they have already had a town hall meeting of all the candidates and at KPFK, they are having candidate carts but KPFA management seems to want to keep the KPFA members unaware of the election and who the candidates are.

Join The Speak Out on Thursday August 10th at 4:00 PM

More Democracy Less Secrecy, Candidate Radio Carts Now and Town Hall Meetings and Debates On The Air At KPFA & Pacifica


Contact Pacifica election supervisor at nes [at] pacifica.org
Contact KPFA Station Manager gm [at] kpfa.org
Pacifica National Board pnb [at] pacifica.org
KPFA LSB kpfalsb [at] googlegroups.com


Rescue Pacifica
https://rescuepacifica.net
For more information: https://rescuepacifica.net