On Friday, we posted a press release from the City of Irvine promoting a free PPE mask giveaway at City Hall on Saturday, August 8. This announcement was a redundant press release from a joint announcement issued by FivePoint and the City earlier in the week.
But now, this donation by a Developer has turned into “the Mayor’s Mask Giveaway with the Irvine City Council.” The Mayor is giving away masks? The City council has become to Pips to her Gladys Knight (kids, look it up). FivePoint is donating the Masks and Shea wants everyone to know she’s the one giving them to you — for free. Except the developer didn’t give them to her to give away.
Let’s say the masks cost FivePoint $1 each. A million dollars as in in-kind donation to Shea exceeds the city’s limits on donations one can make to a political candidate. But let’s look at the press release issued by FivePoint and the City jointly earlier in the week:
To help stem the tide of COVID-19 and safeguard Irvine first responders, residents and workers, FivePoint Holdings, LLC has donated 1 million face masks to the City of Irvine in its continuing effort to provide critical resources where needed most in the region.
In the initial days of the statewide lockdown in March when personal protective equipment was in high demand, FivePoint was among the first companies locally to pivot and acquire more than 100,000 face masks for healthcare workers, law enforcement personnel, and others. Today’s announcement of an additional donation of 1 million masks to the City of Irvine furthers FivePoint’s commitment to secure these much-needed resources in the midst of this global medical emergency.
“From the start, FivePoint has supported healthcare workers, first responders and all of the heroes on the frontline of this pandemic, including here in the City of Irvine, our public partner in good times and moments of crisis like this,” FivePoint Chairman and CEO Emile Haddad said. “We believe deeply in the safety and well-being of this great city, its residents and those who work here, and FivePoint will continue to do as much as we can to help this community be prepared for what lies ahead.”
“The health and safety of all residents, and especially healthcare workers and first responders on the frontlines, remains the City of Irvine’s highest priority as we continue closely monitoring the COVID-19 crisis,” Irvine Mayor Christina Shea said. “We extend our deepest appreciation to our partner FivePoint for their dedication to the Irvine community and continued collaboration.”
The City of Irvine is committed in its effort to help the community deliver critically important care and service, as safely as possible. The face masks will be distributed to the community as part of the City’s overall response efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Boilerplates…..
But the City’s Public Information’s office added a cute graphic and renamed the event “The Mayor’s Mask Giveaway.”
Do you see anywhere in the FivePoint press release the masks were donated to Shea for the Mayor to give them out? I don’t.
Shea has hijacked this event because Farrah Khan, a Democrat running for Mayor, has outraised Shea 30-to-1 and the November election is less than 100 days away.
I smell an FPPC complaint coming; I’ll file it Monday.
I’ll express appreciate to FivePoint for the donation; it still way short of the benefits the Republicans on the city council have given you over the years but its gotta be hard to sell McMansions in a pandemic.
Nice read Dan!
Summed it up pretty well with…
“Politicizes FivePoints Donation”
-Luis