AUDIO: Granda Says He Received Threatening Message About 'No On E' Sign from Landlord

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School Board candidate Jose Granda, who opposes the Measure E parcel tax, says he received the phone message above from a landlord who objected to the fact that his tenant allowed a “No on Measure E” sign to be posted in the front yard of the property. 

“In Davis, by local ordinance, landlords cannot object to tenants placing signs,” wrote Granda in a release Friday morning. The Davis Vanguard covered the story this morning as well.  

Granda then quotes the Davis municipal code. Read for youself in the PDF on the right. >>

“A landlord or lessor may not prohibit a tenant from posting political signs.  A resident may post a sign in a window, on a balcony, on the door, from the yard, or outside a wall of the premises leased by the tenant in a multi-family dwelling.”

Granda says there have been several cases in which residents have been intimidated and coerced into taking the signs from their front yards.

We ran a story last week about a threatening letter that was sent to a residence. 

It is important to remember that campaign signs frequently become an issue in local elections, (). To say that "No on E" signs are the only ones being tampered with would not be accurate. 

A Davis Vanguard commenter said this morning: "I've had two Yes on E signs taken from my front yard. People should respect both freedom of expression and private property rights." 

We reached out to other candidates and the leaders of the "Yes on E" campaign. Susan Lovenburg was the first to get back to us: 

"I condemn the use of threats or intimidation in any election, and expect any campaign with which I am associated to do the same," Lovenburg said. "I believe every person has a right to speak openly and freely, with the responsibility that entails, whether I agree with them or not."

"Threats and acts of intimidation have no place in the election process or anywhere else," said school board candidate Nancy Peterson. "I condemn those responsible and encourage a return to a respectful dialogue about how we can best serve our students."

Catherine Hawe, Coodinator of the Measure E Campaign, said she and the campain deplore "these distasteful acts towards our opposition. We do not support anyone being aggressive against those with opposing points of view or interferring with their campaigns. Our entire campaign has been positive and focuses on Davis students and the community we all love. Like all campaigns we too have had a number of our signs removed. We encourage any individual who sees someone removing lawn signs, for any candidate, to call the police." 

Granda's case stands out because he is the lone candidate who opposes the tax in this election. Davis is known for approving taxes that fund schools. 

"Since I am the only candidate that has had the courage to stand up and say NO to the unfair new tax, I have been subject to their attacks from the beginning of the campaign," he wrote in his statement. "They started by taking down my candidacy NO on E materials on the first candidates forum at the Davis High School then they did not invite me to the candidates forum at Cesar Chavez School and now they have degenerated in an attack on the residents freedom of expression. With intimidation, taking our sings from front yards, replacing others with theirs the only thing they may accomplish is to put the YES on E campaign on life support.”

What do you think of Granda's statement?

Have you had any campaign signs tampered with? Have you dealt with issues related to your political opinions? If you'd like to weigh in, let us know in the comments below. 

Here's a recent Yes on E blog by Davis parent Barbara Archer, and here's a No on E piece written by Granda himself. 

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