A Santa Rosa banker and developer and his son-in-law are suing the Press Democrat for libel claiming a series of stories about excessive campaign spending defamed them. The stories in question reported $195,000 spent by the son-in-law Scott Flater to support three council members with money provided by the developer Bill Gallaher. The Press Democrat said they stand pat on the story and that they were rejected in repeated efforts to interview Flater and Gallaher on the origin of the $195,000. (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, January 24, 2017, by Paul Payne)
The unprecedented hefty campaign donations violate a Santa Rosa law limiting individual contributions to $500 but are viewed as legal given the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling that allows for contributions exceeding the $500 limit. The Press Democrat is concerned that the origins of the money have been hidden to keep the public from knowing about them and the potential for patronage. (Bohemian, January 25, 2017, by Tom Gogola)