LA Sheriff Villanueva off KFI radio

[sdwulfdawg]

LA Sheriff Villanueva is apparently going to be "on the beach" for the foreseeable future with his Sunday night show on KFI radio.

Apparently the cause of Villanueva's show being pulled is that one of his election challengers, Eli Vera, retired LA Sheriff, complained to the California State Fair Political Practices Commission and the FCC.

THe LA Times had an article about this several weeks ago.

Candidate alleges Sheriff Villanueva's radio show violates election, broadcasting rules

Sheriff's Cmdr. Eli Vera, who is running for sheriff, filed complaints with state and federal agencies alleging that Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s weekly radio show on KFI-AM (640) at the height of his reelection campaign violates election and broadcasting rules.

www.latimes.com

I really have wondered about this for some time......

 

[K.M. Richards]

Let's see if Cmdr. Vera pushes it further and requests an equal amount of airtime on KFI ...

 

[TheBigA]

The fact that KFI got away with this for four months shows how little the FCC cares about enforcement.

This was such an obvious violation. KFI even put out a press release announcing the show, daring someone to complain.

 

[ragazzo-pazzo]

This was such an obvious violation.

It's only a "violation" if they refuse, upon request, to grant equal time to other candidates (which they may have). I haven't followed it that closely.

 

[TheBigA]

It's only a "violation" if they refuse, upon request, to grant equal time to other candidates (which they may have). I haven't followed it that closely.

According to the article I linked in an earlier thread, Vera made the request.

Sheriff Villanueva’s Radio Show Violates Election Rules, Two Challengers Say

Eli Vera and Matt Rodriguez say KFI is violating FCC rules by giving him his own weekly radio show without providing his electoral opponents equal time.

laist.com

"Vera said he has asked repeatedly for air time."

 

[ragazzo-pazzo]

From the article posted above:

An FCC spokesperson declined to discuss specific programs but said that stations are required to entertain requests for comparable time on air by qualified candidates.

“It does not require a station to provide opposing candidates with their own programs identical to the initiating candidate,” the spokesperson said, adding that a station may opt to ask an on-air personality to take a leave of absence from the gig until after the election. “Doing so is a business decision that is totally within the discretion of the station.”

Per the FCC spokesperson statement - not exactly "an obvious violation"

 

[TheBigA]

Per the FCC spokesperson statement - not exactly "an obvious violation"

Sure it is. The other candidates asked for air time. Not their own show. They were denied. The fact is KFI launched this show after the Sheriff became a declared candidate. This show didn't exist before that time. So this is not a regular on air personality, as was the case with Larry Elder.

 

[ragazzo-pazzo]

Sure it is. The other candidates asked for air time. Not their own show. They were denied. The fact is KFI launched this show after the Sheriff became a declared candidate. This show didn't exist before that time.

I have no law degree so I'm not going to pretend that I'm right, you're wrong. In that spirit, from which school did you receive your law degree?

Look, I read the entire article in the Times. Did you? If you say yes, we obviously read two completely different things - Just because Vera says something, doesn't make it fact. And by extension, just because Bertolucci says something ALSO does not make it fact. That's where the courts and lawyers come in. So far as I know, neither one of us are officers of the court.

KFI Program Director Robin Bertolucci said Tuesday that KFI is complying with election rules and that equal time is available upon request to all candidates.

“To my knowledge no one at KFI has heard from Eli Vera regarding a request for equal time,” Bertolucci said. “Since I heard about this matter I have emailed and called Eli but have not heard back.”

You say it's "obvious". There is simply nothing in the article to support that as a statement of fact. Try to at least be intellectually honest about this BigA.

 

[K.M. Richards]

A few things come to mind here.

1. KFI likely decided to give Villanueva the weekly slot thinking it would be okay if he didn't discuss his candidacy. If that is the case, either Bertolucci didn't talk with iHeart's lawyers first or she did and they gave bad advice.
2. We don't know who at KFI Vera made his request of. We don't know if he was talking to someone without the authority and that person failed to forward the request to Bertolucci. (For all we know, he could have used the general "contact us" form at the website.)
3. Bertolucci isn't stupid and she didn't get into the business yesterday. I doubt she is lying to the media ... but I do know that if someone higher up told her what to say to the Times reporter, she'd follow instructions.
4. It is also true, as raggazzo-pazzo says, that just because Vera -- or for that matter, Bertolucci -- says something it necessarily makes that a hard fact. There may be a lot of misinterpretations and "he said-she said" here that the Times doesn't know enough about to report.
5. And ... while it may not be an obvious violation, the FCC is going to have to investigate it now that it's out there for the public to see (not that said public has any clue about the equal time rule).

I don't think any arguing here is going to result in a definitive answer, and I suggest we table the discussion until something more concrete factually turns up.

 

[TheBigA]

You say it's "obvious". There is simply nothing in the article to support that as a statement of fact. Try to at least be intellectually honest about this BigA.

You're hung up on that one word. The fact of the matter is KFI has dropped the show, so they know they were on shaky legal ground. What happens next is up to the FCC if they want to pursue this with a fine. But there's a case here. To me it's obvious, and that's why I used that word. The next step is proving it in court.

 

[ragazzo-pazzo]

You're hung up on that one word.

As a matter of fact, YES (sort of). Actually those two words. Just because you say it is an "obvious violation", does not make it so. I suspect it is a lot more nuanced than any of us here know. KFI may have dropped the show for "shaky legal grounds", or it may have been for other reasons that we are not privy to. How about letting the facts come out through a proper investigation by the proper authority (mass media enforcement bureau) before declaring the matter decided by your pithy decree? As KMR says,

suggest we table the discussion until something more concrete factually turns up.

 

[TheBigA]

As a matter of fact, YES (sort of). Actually those two words. Just because you say it is an "obvious violation", does not make it so.

I stated my case as clearly as I can. You're not willing to accept the word of any of the people involved. That makes it hard to carry on a discussion.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I think you both should just back away from each other. Nothing is being solved with an argument over semantics and over who said what (and to who) at KFI.

I still believe this will play out at the FCC, and we will see what happens then.

 

[TheBigA]

This same sheriff has announced an investigation into an LA Times reporter who presented video evidence that the sheriff was par of a criminal cover-up. It's obviously retaliatory. The sheriff has also included in his investigation one of his political rivals, as well as the inspector general. This sheriff now appears to have backed off of this investigation:

Villanueva backs off investigation of Times reporter who revealed cover-up

Sheriff Villanueva announces criminal investigation of Times journalist who revealed an incident in which a deputy kneeled on the head of an inmate.

www.latimes.com

All of this happening a few months ahead of the sheriff's primary election. This would be a reason why law enforcement should not be an elected office.

 

[Yabadabado1]

All of this happening a few months ahead of the sheriff's primary election. This would be a reason why law enforcement should not be an elected office.

So let the sheriff be appointed by a politician? So instead of being beholden to the public he'll answer to one person who will give him marching orders to investigate his political opponents or tells him not to investigate so-and-so because he's in a business deal with him and doesn't want it de-railed? an appointed sheriff hasn't worked so well in Cuyahoga county in Ohio where the prior sheriff was told what to do and what he couldn't do and to keep his nose out of certain politician's business. So it's in the process of MAYBE being switched back to an elected position. Guess who's NOT in favor of that happening.

 

[K.M. Richards]

All of this happening a few months ahead of the sheriff's primary election. This would be a reason why law enforcement should not be an elected office.

IIRC, the County Board of Supervisors has in the past explored making the Sheriff appointed by (and accountable to) them. Most cities' Chiefs of Police are appointed by their Mayor and/or City Council, and that seems to work better than making the position voter-approved.

 

[TheBigA]

So now a whistleblower complaint has been filed against the Sheriff for being "corrupt:"

'Corrupt' Villanueva blocked investigation to avoid bad press in re-election campaign: lawsuit

A whistleblower lawsuit filed Monday by a department commander alleges that Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is "corrupt" and that he has routinely blocked or stalled investigations and covered up misconduct to avoid bad press in his re-election campaign.

www.foxla.com

He shut down an investigation to avoid "bad press" during his re-election campaign. Imagine if he was still on KFI.

 

[TheBigA]

So the primary election took place this past week, and the sheriff is now in a run-off

https://www.dailynews.com/2022/06/10/election-2022-robert-luna-gains-slightly-on-sheriff-villanueva-in-update-both-headed-to-runoff/

 

[TheBigA]

Bumb this up, since there is a new sheriff in town:

Robert Luna to Be Sworn in as Los Angeles County Sheriff