Heaps of dark money have funded anonymous smears against Lauren Johnson-Norris and her family. Make sure you know the facts about how corporate special interests tried to buy the election and keep Lauren's voice off the Irvine City Council:
In 2018, dark money groups and developer-funded special interests spent $162,667.00 in attack mailers, hit-piece digital ads, and other attempts at a public character assassination of Lauren trying to stop her from earning a seat on the Irvine City Council. The mail and online smear campaign that surfaced in Irvine attempted to slander Lauren and her family.
This particular dark money PAC is listed as the “California Taxpayer Protection Committee.” According to Sun News, this PAC responsible for disparaging Lauren was primarily funded by the California Republican Party, the insurance industry, developers, and real estate groups.
Just as Lauren worked tirelessly to fund her campaign through grassroots supporters and the small-dollar contributions of local activists, this shell PAC responsible for harsh negative attacks worked to advance the interests of corporations and special interests. In the span of a few weeks, this dark money PAC spent nearly double the amount of money on attack ads than what Lauren’s campaign raised from grassroots support during the entire year of 2018.
In 2018, dark money groups and developer-funded special interests spent $162,667.00 in attack mailers, hit-piece digital ads, and other attempts at a public character assassination of Lauren trying to stop her from earning a seat on the Irvine City Council. The mail and online smear campaign that surfaced in Irvine attempted to slander Lauren and her family.
This particular dark money PAC is listed as the “California Taxpayer Protection Committee.” According to Sun News, this PAC responsible for disparaging Lauren was primarily funded by the California Republican Party, the insurance industry, developers, and real estate groups.
Just as Lauren worked tirelessly to fund her campaign through grassroots supporters and the small-dollar contributions of local activists, this shell PAC responsible for harsh negative attacks worked to advance the interests of corporations and special interests. In the span of a few weeks, this dark money PAC spent nearly double the amount of money on attack ads than what Lauren’s campaign raised from grassroots support during the entire year of 2018.
“Last year, California Taxpayer Protection Committee spent about $150,000 to thwart Irvine City Council candidate Lauren Johnson-Norris,” reported the Orange County Register in January, 2019. The Register describes the PAC as a, “a conservative fund-raising organization with national ties.”
“In a phone interview last week, Johnson-Norris characterized the group as a ‘shell PAC’ that allows groups to issue ‘slanderous attack ads’ without having direct ties to any particular campaign. ‘In my opinion, this is exactly why we need campaign finance reform,’ she said.” (Sun News, 2019)
While this dark money PAC attacked Lauren’s long career as a practicing attorney, the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution guarantees every American the right to a fair trial and legal representation. Our government is rooted in the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution says that all suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
Like many attorneys, Lauren began her law career 15 years-ago as a Deputy Public Defender. Public Defenders are assigned cases by the court and do not choose who they represent. Lauren’s work was a critical element of public service that the U.S. Constitution guarantees to every American.
These dark money funded attacks are in apparent violation of both Federal and State election law, threatening the integrity of our election process and seriously insulting our city’s voters and our community. Any mass mailings or online content related to candidates or elections MUST disclose who paid for the communications, specifically to ensure proper reporting and maintain the integrity of the election process. The anonymous online smear campaign and hit mailers attacking Lauren and her family have not disclosed the identity of their donors, therefore they violate Federal and State election law. Unfortunately it has become the playbook of special interests to buy elections with dark money shell PACs and suppress grassroots campaigns like ours.
Lauren has always been a strong champion and advocate for families and for protecting our community. This includes a dedication to expanding childcare options for working parents and keeping public safety departments fully staffed. Her husband, Craig, who has also been attacked, is an entrepreneur and a Coast Guard Veteran. Lauren and her husband Craig are longtime residents and business owners in Irvine, active leaders in the community, and parents to twin Elementary School-aged girls.
Corporate special interests are scared of seeing Lauren's voice on the Irvine City Council and will do everything they can to continue stuffing their own pockets at the expense of our community. They know Lauren will hold them accountable, and that’s why dark money interests spent $162,667.00 trying to stop our grassroots campaign.
If your neighbors say they've received mail about Lauren’s candidacy and they have questions, please send them to this page to get the facts about her career as an attorney and public servant.
“In a phone interview last week, Johnson-Norris characterized the group as a ‘shell PAC’ that allows groups to issue ‘slanderous attack ads’ without having direct ties to any particular campaign. ‘In my opinion, this is exactly why we need campaign finance reform,’ she said.” (Sun News, 2019)
While this dark money PAC attacked Lauren’s long career as a practicing attorney, the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution guarantees every American the right to a fair trial and legal representation. Our government is rooted in the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution says that all suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
Like many attorneys, Lauren began her law career 15 years-ago as a Deputy Public Defender. Public Defenders are assigned cases by the court and do not choose who they represent. Lauren’s work was a critical element of public service that the U.S. Constitution guarantees to every American.
These dark money funded attacks are in apparent violation of both Federal and State election law, threatening the integrity of our election process and seriously insulting our city’s voters and our community. Any mass mailings or online content related to candidates or elections MUST disclose who paid for the communications, specifically to ensure proper reporting and maintain the integrity of the election process. The anonymous online smear campaign and hit mailers attacking Lauren and her family have not disclosed the identity of their donors, therefore they violate Federal and State election law. Unfortunately it has become the playbook of special interests to buy elections with dark money shell PACs and suppress grassroots campaigns like ours.
Lauren has always been a strong champion and advocate for families and for protecting our community. This includes a dedication to expanding childcare options for working parents and keeping public safety departments fully staffed. Her husband, Craig, who has also been attacked, is an entrepreneur and a Coast Guard Veteran. Lauren and her husband Craig are longtime residents and business owners in Irvine, active leaders in the community, and parents to twin Elementary School-aged girls.
Corporate special interests are scared of seeing Lauren's voice on the Irvine City Council and will do everything they can to continue stuffing their own pockets at the expense of our community. They know Lauren will hold them accountable, and that’s why dark money interests spent $162,667.00 trying to stop our grassroots campaign.
If your neighbors say they've received mail about Lauren’s candidacy and they have questions, please send them to this page to get the facts about her career as an attorney and public servant.
"They know I will Hold them accountable"
In response to the $162,667 in dark money spent attacking her in 2018, Lauren released this video statement responding to the smear campaign. We cannot let dark money interests buy the election by misleading Irvine voters and trying to stop our grassroots campaign.