Letter to the Editor: Resident Wants Voters to Pay Attention to Candidates’ Issues

City Council candidates David Donahue and Samantha Wick are dangerous for Burbank. We cannot elect candidates who support Flock mass surveillance, oppose tenant protections, abuse the FPPC complaint system, and who are endorsed by a corporate landlord PAC. Burbank must do better.

The November 3rd election draws close with ballots on their way. Burbank has three City Council seats up for election, with thirteen candidates fighting for your votes. The public deserves to know the facts about candidates whose signs occupy the lawns of rental properties without the consent of the tenants who live there. A recent study showed that of the 25,000 rental units in Burbank, 67% were non-locally owned and less than 5% were owned by local “mom-and-pop” owners. Corporate landlords control the majority of Burbank housing, and they are trying to buy this election too.

Important issues like rent stabilization, tenant protections, getting Flock mass surveillance out of Burbank, and improving public transit infrastructure are on the minds of Burbank voters. These have all become culture war issues, with progressives standing in support of Burbank’s 60% tenant majority, committing to ending the contract with Flock mass surveillance, and allowing a state-of-the-art electrified bus system to connect Burbank with neighboring North Hollywood, Glendale, and Pasadena. David Donahue and Samantha Wick side firmly with Burbank’s MAGA conservative base and corporate landlords on important issues.

David Donahue has acted as president of Vision Burbank, which was founded to fight against the Metro Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. He also acted as president of Burbank Fair Housing, which operates with corporate landlord funding to fight against tenant protections and rent stabilization through racist monikers and claims that appear misleading and fear-based.

Donahue is a problematic candidate for many reasons. He abused the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) complaint system by launching numerous frivolous complaints against City Council members and political opponents Konstantine Anthony and Nikki Perez, as well as Burbank Tenants Union (BTU) and individually against some of its members. 

One complaint alleged BTU, which was formed to educate and empower Burbank’s tenant majority and advocate for tenant protections, is illegally operating as a political committee. The complaint included screenshots of the personal LinkedIn accounts of BTU members, and emails the organization had sent out to members of its email list.

While this complaint and others were rejected by the FPPC, Donahue’s inappropriate behavior appears to be part of a pattern. Numerous women have complained about Donahue’s uncomfortable behavior including following them out of a City Council meeting and recording without permission, and a female colleague who was on the verge of filing a restraining order against him for borderline harassing behavior.

All of this points to a pattern of Donahue inappropriately attacking his political opposition and engaging in indecorous behavior. This raises serious concerns about how he would use his power on City Council. It draws parallels to Councilmember Christopher Rizzotti who was the subject of a recent recall campaign related to his public support of ICE and refusal to adhere to City Council’s rules of decorum.

In recent months, Burbank Fair Housing has changed its name to the racist moniker “Don’t LA My Burbank.” This title draws parallels to Burbank’s dark history as a sunset city, attempting to scare Burbank’s landed gentry into believing that tenant protections and an improved bus system will deteriorate our city and bring in people they deem “undesirable.”

Since launching her campaign, Wick has been asked about her stances on the BRT, tenant protections, and Flock mass surveillance. She has repeatedly dodged these questions in an attempt to maintain her image as a moderate. She is anything but, especially considering she didn’t even apply for the Democratic party endorsement.

The corporate landlord-backed PAC “Don’t LA My Burbank” has endorsed Donahue and Wick for City Council, leaving no doubt on which side of the political aisle they stand. Don’t be fooled by their attempts to hide their MAGA conservative ties and endorsements and come off as moderates. Vote for real progressives this November who will fight for working families, not pay fealty to NIMBYs, corporate landlords, and the surveillance state, and who will work tirelessly to protect Burbank’s tenant majority.

Dan Kleiman
Burbank