Vote Yes landslide at KPFA, KPFK and KPFT — among both listeners and staff

2021-08-06 Blog_Admin 1 Comment

Recently released referendum numbers show that both listeners and staff at KPFA, KPFK and KPFT overwhelmingly support the Vote Yes – New Day changes needed to reform Pacifica’s governance/leadership structure and save Pacifica. Vote Yes-NDP overall won 55% of the vote. (See below for vote numbers, analysis).

Pacifica files lawsuit against New Day

Pacifica management and board majority is using a staff veto strategy to declare that the bylaws referendum lost, in spite of the fact that Pacifica’s listener-members and membership as a whole on July 9 voted decisively in favor of the New Day Pacifica changes to save Pacifica.

On July 22, Pacifica filed a lawsuit against New Day Pacifica, and against the four people who ran to become Transition Officers of the Pacifica National Board in the Bylaws Referendum & Election of Officers (although Pacifica claimed that they were Officers of New Day Pacifica). Originally the complaint was mostly to have the court decide which side won the election. However, later Pacifica piled on a lot more claims to try to intimidate New Day and its supporters from standing up, speaking out in court, in public and in the courtroom. For instance, Pacifica is now claiming that the money that New Day collected to get the bylaws passed and to hire counsel to represent the YES position in court belongs to Pacifica, and New Day and the defendants should be ordered to reimburse Pacifica for these funds. See more about this below.

Pacifica is going to court to try to both bankrupt New Day Pacifica but also to squash all criticisms of Pacifica’s current financial and organizational crisis. It is expected this lawsuit will cost Pacifica at least $100,000–all on the membership’s dime.

New Day will fight to get the Vote Yes bylaws implemented so we can save Pacifica

With your support we will fight to get the court to certify an NDP victory so we can get the necessary governance changes implemented to address and turn around Pacifica’s financial and organization crises. We are currently assembling our forces and planning strategy, and will use all available political and legal means to get the Vote Yes-NDP bylaws ratification recognized.

Please donate today – more essential than ever!

Please donate $5 to $500 (or more!) for NDP expenses and legal costs to ensure the membership’s Vote Yes decision to save Pacifica is respected. We have $10,000 remaining in donations, but estimate we need to raise another $40,000 to win in court. Thanks to the more than 800 members who have donated already to support New Day Pacifica’s efforts to save Pacifica.

DONATE to New Day Pacifica

What’s happened at Pacifica since the vote?

Pacifica gave interim Executive Director huge raise despite further cost-cutting plans. Pacifica started paying Pacifica’s current executive director a salary with a six-month contract, despite the fact that she has no significant media management experience. To incur this expense at a time when Pacifica plans to lay off valuable staff at KPFK and other stations makes little sense. Pacifica needs a media-experienced ED to oversee the day-today running of the five stations, archives and affiliate network and provide strategic guidance to the Foundation and board.

Pacifica wastes $60,000 on Houston real estate agent. Pacifica hired a real estate agent to sell the KPFT building who Pacifica must pay out of the sale price, rather than hiring an experienced real estate agent who was willing to donate their services to Pacifica. This wrong-headed decision will cost Pacifica at least $60,000.

Please sign petition opposing cuts in KPFK employee severance pay. Pacifica management recently stated they plan to impose a new union contract on the KPFK staff which includes massive cuts to KPFK employee severance pay, making it easier and cheaper for Pacifica to lay off long-term staff at KPFK. Please sign this petition to support Roy Tuckman and other KPFK staff.