Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Arkley ponies up for Prop. 85
James Faulk
The Times-Standard
Family continues record of big political giving
EUREKA -- Robin Arkley, local businessman and well-known donor to conservative political causes, has given $137,000 to support Proposition 85, the “Life on the Ballot” initiative.
The measure would require that teenagers seeking an abortion notify their parents. It is similar to Proposition 73, which failed last November at the ballot. Arkley also financially supported the previous initiative.
Brian Morrissey, Security National spokesman, said Arkley's donations are about protecting their children.
”Obviously, we all want to protect our children, and in most cases, Rob and Cherie think that giving parents a notice of their child's upcoming medical procedure will help parents do just that,” he said.
Parents can provide medical history, which would allow doctors to provide the best possible care to their children, he said. Also, parents will be ready to help their child get prompt physical or emotional care if issues arise.
”This notice is balanced by giving the child the right to petition the juvenile court for a waiver,” Morrissey said. “In a confidential proceeding, she can ask the court to find that notifying her parents is not in her best interests.”
Support from the affluent community for this measure is nothing new, said Steve Smith, campaign manager for the “No on 85” campaign.
”Arkley's actually a minor example of it in this campaign,” said Smith.
James Holman of San Diego, owner of a string of conservative Catholic newspapers, pumped $1.25 million into Proposition 73, and this year has given more than $2 million to support Proposition 85. “Holman happens to be extraordinarily active in the anti-abortion movement,” said Smith, who opposes the measure because he said it hurts those that are most vulnerable.
”We think it puts our state's most vulnerable teenagers at real risk,” he said. “The government can't mandate good family communication.”
In most families, a daughter would tell the parents, he said. In a home where that doesn't happen, there's often a good reason, he said, and forcing girls to go back and deal with a bad situation puts them at risk.
He also said it's part of an effort to slowly erode abortion rights.
Paul Labaucher of the “Yes on 85” campaign said donors to the initiative are simply people who are concerned about their families. He pointed to the amount of money raised by the competition -- through such groups as Planned Parenthood -- and said the total dwarfs that of his own campaign.
According to the California Secretary of State's website, between Jan. 1 and June 30, the Arkleys gave a total of $766,200 to state races.
According to the website www.politicalmoneyline.com, each member of the Arkley family seems to support the same candidates.
Robin and Cherie and their daughters Allison and Elizabeth have all given to the Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania; Richard Pombo for Congress; David McSweeney for Congress: America's Foundation; Rick Santorum for U.S. Senate; and the Republican National Committee.
All told, according to the website, the family gave $150,000 to the Republican National Committee in the current 2006 election cycle.
Morrissey reiterated that each member of the family decides on their own who they support.
”Like many American families, they discuss politics and issues around the dinner table but they all make their own decisions,” he said.
Read more!
The Times-Standard
Family continues record of big political giving
EUREKA -- Robin Arkley, local businessman and well-known donor to conservative political causes, has given $137,000 to support Proposition 85, the “Life on the Ballot” initiative.
The measure would require that teenagers seeking an abortion notify their parents. It is similar to Proposition 73, which failed last November at the ballot. Arkley also financially supported the previous initiative.
Brian Morrissey, Security National spokesman, said Arkley's donations are about protecting their children.
”Obviously, we all want to protect our children, and in most cases, Rob and Cherie think that giving parents a notice of their child's upcoming medical procedure will help parents do just that,” he said.
Parents can provide medical history, which would allow doctors to provide the best possible care to their children, he said. Also, parents will be ready to help their child get prompt physical or emotional care if issues arise.
”This notice is balanced by giving the child the right to petition the juvenile court for a waiver,” Morrissey said. “In a confidential proceeding, she can ask the court to find that notifying her parents is not in her best interests.”
Support from the affluent community for this measure is nothing new, said Steve Smith, campaign manager for the “No on 85” campaign.
”Arkley's actually a minor example of it in this campaign,” said Smith.
James Holman of San Diego, owner of a string of conservative Catholic newspapers, pumped $1.25 million into Proposition 73, and this year has given more than $2 million to support Proposition 85. “Holman happens to be extraordinarily active in the anti-abortion movement,” said Smith, who opposes the measure because he said it hurts those that are most vulnerable.
”We think it puts our state's most vulnerable teenagers at real risk,” he said. “The government can't mandate good family communication.”
In most families, a daughter would tell the parents, he said. In a home where that doesn't happen, there's often a good reason, he said, and forcing girls to go back and deal with a bad situation puts them at risk.
He also said it's part of an effort to slowly erode abortion rights.
Paul Labaucher of the “Yes on 85” campaign said donors to the initiative are simply people who are concerned about their families. He pointed to the amount of money raised by the competition -- through such groups as Planned Parenthood -- and said the total dwarfs that of his own campaign.
According to the California Secretary of State's website, between Jan. 1 and June 30, the Arkleys gave a total of $766,200 to state races.
According to the website www.politicalmoneyline.com, each member of the Arkley family seems to support the same candidates.
Robin and Cherie and their daughters Allison and Elizabeth have all given to the Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania; Richard Pombo for Congress; David McSweeney for Congress: America's Foundation; Rick Santorum for U.S. Senate; and the Republican National Committee.
All told, according to the website, the family gave $150,000 to the Republican National Committee in the current 2006 election cycle.
Morrissey reiterated that each member of the family decides on their own who they support.
”Like many American families, they discuss politics and issues around the dinner table but they all make their own decisions,” he said.
Read more!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Arkleys' $38,500 penalty approved by Fair Political Practices Commission
by Rebecca S. Bender, 9/13/2006
The Eureka Reporter
The Fair Political Practices Commission approved a $38,500 administrative fine for local business owners Rob and Cherie Arkley and two of their companies, Race Investments and Security National Servicing Corporation, Tuesday morning.
The penalties stem from 11 violations of the Political Reform Act related to campaign contribution disclosures in 2002, 2004 and 2005, years in which the four parties made political contributions that totaled $50,000 or more.
Under the Political Reform Act, donations of $10,000 or more in any given year bump the contributor into a “major donor” category, which requires semi-annual statements be filed with the secretary of state.
In the $50,000 or more accumulated contribution range, a corresponding online or electronic statement must also be filed.
The FPPC report on the case lists 11 violation counts, including failures to disclose late contributions and to file paper and online or electronic semi-annual campaign statements by the appropriate due dates, as well as failure to disclose Security National’s affiliation with the Arkleys.
John Piland, a certified public accountant with Security National, previously told The Eureka Reporter that the problem had been largely organizational in nature, and that a system for tracking and reporting multiple donations had been implemented in response.
“There is no evidence that the failure to timely file the campaign statements was intentional or deliberate,” the FPPC report stated. “In addition, Respondent Committee cooperated fully with the Enforcement Division’s investigation in this matter.”
The maximum administrative penalty for the 11 counts was $55,000.
The five-member commission board approved the stipulation Tuesday morning without debate.
A cashier’s check for $38,500 had already been submitted before the hearing and was acknowledged in the FPPC report.
(Rob and Cherie Arkley own Security National, which owns The Eureka Reporter.)
Read more!
The Eureka Reporter
The Fair Political Practices Commission approved a $38,500 administrative fine for local business owners Rob and Cherie Arkley and two of their companies, Race Investments and Security National Servicing Corporation, Tuesday morning.
The penalties stem from 11 violations of the Political Reform Act related to campaign contribution disclosures in 2002, 2004 and 2005, years in which the four parties made political contributions that totaled $50,000 or more.
Under the Political Reform Act, donations of $10,000 or more in any given year bump the contributor into a “major donor” category, which requires semi-annual statements be filed with the secretary of state.
In the $50,000 or more accumulated contribution range, a corresponding online or electronic statement must also be filed.
The FPPC report on the case lists 11 violation counts, including failures to disclose late contributions and to file paper and online or electronic semi-annual campaign statements by the appropriate due dates, as well as failure to disclose Security National’s affiliation with the Arkleys.
John Piland, a certified public accountant with Security National, previously told The Eureka Reporter that the problem had been largely organizational in nature, and that a system for tracking and reporting multiple donations had been implemented in response.
“There is no evidence that the failure to timely file the campaign statements was intentional or deliberate,” the FPPC report stated. “In addition, Respondent Committee cooperated fully with the Enforcement Division’s investigation in this matter.”
The maximum administrative penalty for the 11 counts was $55,000.
The five-member commission board approved the stipulation Tuesday morning without debate.
A cashier’s check for $38,500 had already been submitted before the hearing and was acknowledged in the FPPC report.
(Rob and Cherie Arkley own Security National, which owns The Eureka Reporter.)
Read more!
