January 19, 2015

Mayor Jim Dear, the Carson City Council and other concerned citizens,
Today I received a draft council resolution that I understand will be under
consideration Tuesday night. As the executive editor of the Daily Breeze, I thought it
would be helpful if I provided some additional context for your discussion.
At no time have I ever received a phone call from Mayor Dear or City Manager
Nelson Hernandez or any other official representing Carson expressing any
concerns about our coverage. My telephone number is published daily in the Daily
Breeze and on our website.
Indeed, on Tuesday, Sept. 23, I received a letter from Mr. Hernandezs staff asking
for a meeting. I immediately scheduled that meeting for 8:30 a.m., at Mr.
Hernandezs request, on Thursday, Sept. 25. At approximately 8:10 that morning, his
office called and canceled the meeting. I asked his staff that he subsequently provide
me with a written synopsis of any issues so I might investigate his concerns. I never
received any follow-up communication.
Managing Editor Toni Sciacqua reports that she has not received a call from Mayor
Dear in more than a year.
The Daily Breeze has consistently referred to the unnamed unincorporated area of
Los Angeles County near Carson as just that.
Meanwhile the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, and indeed all of Los Angeles
Countys public agencies, refer to the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County
near Carson as West Carson.
In fact, if you perform a search of the internet or in our electronic archives, you will
find 17 stories reporting of newsworthy events in this area over the past year, each
referring to the area as the unincorporated area near Carson. Meanwhile, Id also
like to point out that the sheriffs department calls its local station, the Carson
station.
If any inaccuracies are found in our reporting are brought to our attention, it is our
policy to publish a correction immediately. To date, none have been.
It strikes me that city officials should be working with L.A. County and the sheriffs
department to mitigate crime in or in the vicinity of Carson, as obviously criminal

activity near the city clearly impacts residents. Instead, this draft resolution could be
interpreted as ultimately being more focused in concealing newsworthy stories from
citizens.
I would like to note this excerpt from Article I of the California Constitution,
subsection (b) (1): The people have the right of access to information concerning
the conduct of the people's business, and, therefore, the meetings of public bodies
and the writings of public officials and
agencies shall be open to public scrutiny.
I find it interesting that this draft resolution was prepared immediately after a Daily
Breeze story that detailed political maneuvering within city government. That story
can be read here. (http://bit.ly/1EjOBhs). Very clearly, this reporting falls within the
constitutional mandate that, The people have the right of access to information
concerning the conduct of the peoples business.
Accountability reporting and a free press are what distinguish the United States of
America from totalitarian regimes around the world, such as China, Iran, North
Korea, Syria and Russia. It was so important that the Founding Fathers included it in
the United States Constitution. Then, as today, there have been people who have
shied away from truth and freedom of information, preferring to operate secretly.
Presumably, the citizens of Carson prefer the American style of government and
want to know whats happening with their locally-elected officials.
I also can tell you that the news is not for sale. While it is unfortunate that Carson
may cease being a business client of the Daily Breeze, we will not bow to financial
pressure. And, I must admit, I am unsure how a potentially diminished Breeze would
benefit Carson residents -- although I can certainly see how less scrutiny would
benefit politicians who do not want to be transparent in their actions.
As always, I welcome any meetings with city officials or citizens groups so that I
might answer any questions.
Very truly yours,

Michael A. Anastasi
Executive Editor / Daily Breeze
Vice President of News / Los Angeles News Group
626.422.4305 (cell)