Ballona Benghazi? No, Just Ballona Bush-League.

OPINION: Congressional Committees or Panels held 21 hearings investigating the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.) lost his bid to succeed John Boehner as House Speaker largely because of his gaffe admitting that the hearings were simply a ruse for Republicans to torpedo Hillary Clinton’s reputation. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), summed it up nicely: “The core Republican goal in establishing the Benghazi committee was always to damage Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and never to conduct an evenhanded search for the facts.” The Benghazi inquiries have cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.

While it would be provocative to ponder whether the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust’s recent lawsuit against the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission was similarly a vast, evil conspiracy to torpedo the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project, I’m sure that is not the case. Rather, I believe it is merely another bush league attempt by a vaguely relevant non-profit group to manufacture a government corruption fable, thereby scaring the public into donating to their cause in order to “protect” the public interest.

The tactic is understandable and common. When I see the SPCA commercials on late night TV, it takes great restraint to not write yet another check to save the poor pooches shown in Texas puppy mills. The difference is that the puppy mills really exist, but Bay Commission corruption does not. Also, the SPCA does not force taxpayer dollars to be wasted in order to obtain my sympathy, and my money.

After reading the judge’s ruling[1], which denied many but not all of the Land Trust’s public records information requests, it’s obvious to me there is no story here. The inquiry focused on the relationship between the Annenberg Foundation, the Bay Commission, and the non-profit arm of the Bay Commission, known as the The Bay Foundation. To no one’s surprise, the Annenberg Foundation donated money to the The Bay Foundation, when Annenberg was seeking to construct a controversial facility on the south easternmost parcel of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, where the 90 freeway and Culver Boulevard intersect. That proposal died, and Annenberg has since moved on to construct their facility in the commercial area of Playa Vista. The Wetlands Restoration Project continues to move forward at glacial speed, sans the Annenberg element, with the support of The Bay Foundation.

This should have been the end of the story, except the Land Trust sought documents belonging to The Bay Foundation, including fund raising activities, donors, and other information, presumably to prove some insidious conspiracy to misappropriate federal funds. The judge said “no” to disclosing these documents that are the property of a private foundation and thereby not subject to public records disclosure laws. The judge did order other documents to be disclosed, many of which had already been provided to the Land Trust prior to the trial.

Since the Bay Commission is a state agency, it was defended in the Land Trust’s lawsuit by the California Attorney General’s office. The County Superior Court hosted the trial, led by a judge, supported by a court clerk, and all other public employees who ensure justice on a daily basis. All of these public institutions burned up taxpayer dollars to defend against this nonsense. This is the Benghazi parallel. The wasting of precious public resources on a frivolous investigation.

I could not determine from the court order whether the Land Trust’s attorney was compensated for her troubles - with taxpayer money, but I sure hope she didn’t receive a red cent.

[1] http://www.smbrc.ca.gov/about_...