Fact Checking David Lee

It's election time in San Francisco and as we all know, it's a blood sport. No race is more important than the battle for District 1 (The Richmond District). Incumbent Supervisor Eric Mar has been fighting the good fight for the last four years, but he is also facing a ruthless opponent named David Lee. Lee's campaign is backed by Super PAC's, independent expenditures, developers, and downtown interests. He has even blown past the cap for public financing, raising almost $300,000. With that kind of cash, he's outspending Eric 4-1! It's no wonder that he's spared no expenses in order to put out a new attack ad every day to spread misinformation about Eric. David may have a obscene amount of money on his side, but we have the truth on ours. It's time to set the record straight! Disclaimer: We are NOT affiliated with Reelect Eric Mar campaign or any of Eric Mar's paid staff. We just know that he's a legit guy and we don't like the dirty politics and straight up lies coming from David Lee. Sounds to us like the Lee campaign could uses some serious fact checking.

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

[factcheckingdavidlee]

Introducing David Lee, the Meme . . .

So the lies are just stacking up so quickly that we can barely keep up with them. We have actual jobs you know.

But in just the span of a few days, the count has jumped from 8 to a whopping 21! And our Facebook page, all be it a humble number for local politics, is gaining new likes every day. And with new likes comes a lot of input. 

So we created a meme. 

We hope to put up more of our fabulous infographics and blog posts, but those take time. So for now, please enjoy David Lee, the meme. And of course, feel free to contribute or contact us for more suggestions.

Current Score: David Lee 0; The Facts 21

[factcheckingdavidlee]

Oh the Lies, They Burn!

THE LIES: David Lee has a revolutionary plan for improving transit in the Richmond and putting SFMTA's feet to the fire. It includes creating a 5 Fulton limited line, extending the 38L Geary Limited to Sundays, getting the Geary Bus Rapid Transit project off the ground, and would like to see a Masonic Boulevard project passed. 

THE TRUTH: Oh where do we even start on this one? Do we mention that before David Lee's transit plan came out that back in August, Supervisor Eric Mar hosted a very successful 5 Limited community input meeting as part of the Transit Effectiveness Plan that he's been working on with the SFMTA (which by the way also includes extending the 38L to Sundays)? Maybe David Lee just didn't hear about it. Really, it's possible. After all, it was so easy to miss considering that it was announced in Mar's monthly newsletter. And barely anyone in local media the community blog and neighborhood service circuit really even bothered to mention it, except maybe here, here, here, or here.

He also probably didn't know that week after the 5 Limited forum that the Transit Rider's Union held a Geary BRT community forum at the 9th Ave. Library and Eric Mar was invited as major supporter and advocate for it.  

And he definitely didn't get the memo that the SFMTA Board approved the Masonic Boulevard Streetscape Improvement Plan, which by the way, was totally endorsed by Mar, back in September. Representatives from his office were even on hand at the meeting to hear feedback from residents.

Clearly David Lee has either missed the bus (pun totally intended) on this or he is pulling yet another shady move by adopting Eric's efforts as his own platform. Tsk tsk.

Oh yes, and David would also really really really appreciate it if you could put a David Lee for Supervisor 2012 spoke card on your bike as you ride merrily along through our neighborhood streets (just watch out for all of those potholes that he's working so hard to fix). It's all part of his big platform for bike safety . . . that he forgot to write.

That brings the lie count up to: 

Current Score: David Lee 0; The Facts 8

[factcheckingdavidlee]

Offensive Realtor Financed Video with Bizarre Angry Child Parade and Homophobic Steamy Hot Tub Scene Prompts a Huge WTF from Pretty Much Everyone With a Conscience . . . and David Lee.

So this video hit piece that was recently put out by an independent expenditure called the "Coalition (sic) for Sensible Government" is proof that the really dirty money is starting to roll in.

The video created by Strategic Perceptions, a Hollywood based firm which has done work for conservative clients like the Presidential campaigns of John McCain George W. Bush, and Tea Party whackadoodles like Christine O'Donnell, was paid for by landlord groups like the San Francisco Association of Realtors. It has since been criticized by both the San Francisco Bay Guardian and the SF Appeal for it's strange and homophobic content.

The video is so offensive that the Mar campaign has demanded it's removal, but the video is so terrible that David Lee even "disavowed" on it in an email boasting about his topsy-turvy San Francisco Chronicle endorsement:

In the editorial, they mention an independent expenditure campaign that is being done on my behalf. Let me take this opportunity to disavow the “Send Mar back to Mars” web video. I find this video distasteful and would like to see it taken down. It is a distraction from the real issues in this race, and the content is offensive to many residents of our community.

While we give David a brownie point for condemning the video, it really means very little until he also condemns the mailers and push polls put out by similar groups. We're not holding our breath though.

[factcheckingdavidlee]

And in News That Totally Makes Zero Sense, But Kind of Sorta Makes Total Sense . . . 

David Lee has received the endorsement of the San Francisco Chronicle, but not before they had the following words to share. 

The Chronicle actually lost it's credibility as sincere and unbiased piece of journalism years ago, but still . . . wow, talk about talking from both sides of your mouth. 

Even stranger, despite the admission of it's negative practices, Lee considers it to be a major endorsement because they described his candidacy as "practical change".

Weird, Weird, Weird.

[factcheckingdavidlee]

Step Right Up Ladies and Gentlemen! It's Three Lies for the Price of One!

THE LIE: So the David Lee campaign had itself a little event today as part of it's "50 Ways" schtick. We are especially fond of "#16 Democrats for David" rally to show of his broad range of support from local Democrats. 

Who makes up this large coalition of local Democrats? That would be

Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club

City Democratic Club

Westside Chinese Democratic Club

Irish American Democratic Club

Asian Pacific Islander Democratic Club

Wow! That's certainly a lot of support! Just look at this collage of organizations.

The support is so massive that they might need another one just to contain all of those endorsements that he has rolling in.

But seriously, while Alice B. Toklas has some major political muscle, and Westside Chinese and API's membership includes most of the who's who of the Asian American Democratic leaders, that's actually a tiny list considering that there are actually 22 Citywide Democratic clubs that have been officially chartered by the San Francisco Democratic Party.

Three of the five endorsing David are considered to be some of the most moderate to conservative Democratic clubs around and the other two Westside Chinese and API are great Democratic clubs, but they also answer to David Lee's fairy godmother and State Assembly Speaker Pro Tem, Fiona Ma. And in addition to Ma, Lee has former two former San Francisco Mayors, US Senator Dianne Feinstein and Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom backing him. With all due respect to these three fine politicians, they all have a record of siding with developers, corporations, anti-tenant groups, downtown interests, and just about every other evil 1%er that you can think of. 

THE TRUTH: Meanwhile, in the land of reality, incumbent Supervisor Eric Mar has a ridiculously impressive long list of Democratic club and organizational endorsements which can partially be found on his campaign website which also includes an lengthy list of former and current Democratic leaders and elected officials, among them more than a dozen current and former members of the Board of Supervisors, everyone's favorite Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, and State Senator Leland Yee. But the real salt in the wound is that only one candidate received the sole endorsement of the neighborhood Richmond District Democratic Club and San Francisco Democratic Party . . . and that person would be . . . wait for it . . . Eric Mar. 

And speaking of the San Francisco Democratic Party, we've been hearing some rumors that moderate matriarch and current Party Chair, Mary Jung, is a little upset that David Lee used a picture of her and her name to list as a supporter. But because we're all about facts here at Fact Checking David Lee, we won't pull a David Lee and officially confirm that a truthful statement. But we promise that once we do have a credible source, that we will update the fact checker from 5 lies to 6. 

But we can confirm one gem of information that was recently published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian's Endorsement Issue, based on publicly available election records. Aside from the 100,00 voters that his organization, the Chinese American Voters Education Committee (CAVEC), David claims to be lifelong Democrat who is absolutely dedicated the values and inclusiveness of the Democratic Party . . . so much that he's forgotten to vote in several recently past elections. And after the current ethics violation complaint that he used CAVEC as his personal tax free piggy bank for the last three years, all we can say about that is WHAH! WHAH! 

So let's recap:

Lie #1: David has broad Democratic support standing behind him. False

Lie #2: David is the choice candidate among San Francisco Democrats. False

Lie #3: David Lee is a committed Democrat who values the voting process. False

Current Score: David Lee 0; The Facts 5