What a "Sheedy" Thing To Do!

**UPDATED**

See Below!

Yesterday at the afternoon meeting of the Sacramento City Council, a routine staff report on Public Campaign Finance, turned into a political slam session with yours truly as the sole target.

After the city auditor presented his report which stated that “the candidate’s usage of matching funds complied with municipal criteria” (Click Here to View the Audit) Council member Sandy Sheedy (my opponent in the campaign) proceeded to question many of the contributions and expenditures. And by the time it was over Mrs. Sheedy along with council members Bonnie Pannell and Robbie Watters were eluding to prison, recall (if elected) or worse, a Sacramento Bee hatchet job. And you know you can always count on the Sacramento Bee to get a story right…..NOT!

So today’s Sacramento Bee is reporting:

The sole candidate who has used the program since it went into place last year used campaign funds on travel expenses in Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco. The candidate even purchased a rug for his office, according to the audit findings presented Tuesday to the City Council.

Sound fishy? When you put it the way that they did, of course it does. So let me clear the air.

First of all, the total amount for the items mentioned above was a little over $725. $286 went for a stay at the State GOP Convention and $321 was for a fundraising trip to Washington DC (with a two hour layover in Chicago.) That makes a grand total $607 in travel expenses on two fundraising trips.

And as for the $126 spent on a rug; we had a space for volunteer operations donated to the campaign for the final three months. The storefront location consisted of bare walls and a dusty concrete floor. But we were grateful to have it. So in order to make the place a little more pleasant for volunteers, we purchased a large roll of carpet remnant to roll out on the floor to cover the bare concrete floor and keep the dust from flying around.

But Sheedy was not interest in the facts because the facts get in the way of a good lie. She ignored the fact that the Sacramento City Auditor verified that my campaign complied with every statute and reporting requirement laid out by the city of Sacramento.

Kolkin's audit found that DeLuz complied with the city's ordinance and broke no rules when he used his campaign funds - which included nearly $17,000 in taxpayer dollars - on his campaign expenditures.

She ignored the fact the fact that my campaign answered every question and submitted all documents requested by the Sacramento City Auditor. I even went as far as offering to meet with the City auditor to answer any additional questions they might have. Needless to say they did not take me up on the offer.

Their goal was not to get at the truth. Rather it was to invent their own truth.

"If we had expended money like we see on this list, we would be recalled or wind up in The Sacramento Bee," said Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell.

Oh Really????? Well if that’s the case, perhaps she should take a look at the campaign finance reports of her good friend Sandy Sheedy. If she did, she would be quick to notice that just about every criticism directed at my campaign could also apply to Mrs. Sheedy.

Sheedy criticized my campaign for obtaining contributions from outside the City of Sacramento. But the following is a partial list of contributions to her campaign by special interest groups form outside the Sacramento area:

$3000 CA Real Estate Political Action Comm- Los Angeles, CA
$2000 International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 39- San Francisco, CA*
$1750 Northern CA Carpenters Regional- Oakland, CA*
$1500 Plumbers & Steamfitters Local No. 467 State And Political Action Fund- Burlingame, CA
$1000 Operating Engineers Local 3 District 80 Pac- Alameda, CA
$750 Pacific- Teal Development, Llc- Lake Forest, CA
$750 CA Pipe Trades Council Pac
$550 B.A.C Local 3 Pac Fund- Oakland, CA*
$500 Drive Committee- Washington, DC
$500 E.J. Plesko & Associates- Madison, WI
$250 Shurgard- Seattle, WA
$250 Lee Samis- Costa Mesa, CA
$250 Public Employees Union Local #1 Political Education Committee- Martinez, CA
$200 Continental Plaza- Newport Beach, CA

*Multiple contributions added together

Sheedy also questioned the $607 in expenses related to out of area travel. All the while, her campaign has reported a total of $6000 paid to Citibank Credit Card Services for “Meeting and Appearances” with no details listed.

The most egregious accusation leveled was that I personally benefited from payments made to the Matsonian Group, LLP who managed my campaign. This assertion was so baseless that the Bee didn’t even bother to mention it. But I will! Because I want to state for the record I have no ownership interest in the Matsonian Group. Sandy would have known this if she had or anybody from the city bothered to ask. And if they had, they would have realized that I simply sublet space from Matson Breakey, the sole owner of the Matsonian Group.

But at the same time she is questioning my relationship with Matson her campaign has issued over $5100 in checks to a Joseph Sheedy. Any relation?

And as for her concern over the $150 paid to the California Republican Party, maybe Mrs. Sheedy should explain her more than $2600 in contributions to Democrat causes (not including contributions to local liberal candidates like, James Shelby, Lois Wolk and Lou Blanas.) But hey… She did give $100 for a slate “Continuing the Republican Revolution.”

Now I am sure that with a minimal amount of investigation, it would become clear that all of these contributions and expenditures are on the up and up. The same can also be said for the audit of my campaign finances. I find it quite hypocritical that Sandy Sheedy would engage in such an obvious personal, political and (may I add) petty attack when her own campaign finance reports could not stand up to the same level of scrutiny.

I have offered the Sacramento City Council my willingness to sit down, once again with their auditor to answer any questions they might have about my campaign finances. I still am hopeful that they will take me up on my offer. And afterwards I expect an apology from Bonnie Pannell and Robbie Watters for publicly slandering my good name. I have come to expect such "Sheedy" behavior out of Sandy, but Pannell and Watters should know better.

**UPDATE**
Click Here to see the Meeting Video

Thank you CA High School Conservative!!!

Craig DeLuz

Visit The Home of Uncommon Sense...
www.craigdeluz.com