LGBT pols should redirect police donations
Public records on file with the California Secretary of State reveal that the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus in the past three years has accepted $40,000 from the Peace Officers Research Association Committee PAC, and $3,000 from the California Association of Highway Patrolmen.
A member of the caucus, gay Asian American Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), has received just over $171,000 since 2012 from those police unions and other cop-affiliated political action committees.
I am demanding that the caucus and Low redirect those funds to Black Lives Matter-endorsed nonprofits and grassroots projects, and to reject future donations from these law enforcement unions. My efforts to get such pledges have been ignored up to now, but I remain optimistic that the caucus and Low will do the right thing and just say no to cop union money.
There is no Pride in LGBT elected officials taking money from these unions. June is the ideal month for our gay caucus and Low to not only redirect and reject these funds, but to also enact legislation to defund the police.
I encourage everyone to follow the money flowing to state officials from all PACs here: http://dbsearch.sos.ca.gov/
Pride does not equal funding from the police.
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco
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