Tribune supplements

We've made reference before to Covina's For the Record page - a spot on the city's Web site where Covina officials make "corrections" to stories in the press. Mostly, they call out reporters from the Tribune. Sometimes they say we got the facts wrong. Other times, they offer supplemental information they feel will help residents be more informed.

A recent example stems from a February letter to the editor about the effects of Proposition 1-A on Covina. City Manager Paul Phillips sent this to our editors after that letter ran. Looks like they call out readers sometimes too.

Response to Letter to the Editor

Regarding “City revenues are up” letter of February 11, 2008, the author provides partial facts, but does not include complete and very important information. Readers interested in facts rather than skewed opinions have many ways to verify the information regarding the real impact of Proposition 1-A, passed by the voters in 2004, including independent web sites and numerous articles from newspapers all over the State. While the passage of this proposition was intended to prevent the State from continuing its practice of taking money from local governments to meet its other obligations, it does not reverse the previous actions that have taken a cumulative total of more than $17.8 million from Covina and shifted the money to Educational Revenue Augmentation Funds (ERAF) to help the State meet their Proposition 98 mandated school funding levels. This money has not been returned and is still being taken. Check with the local school districts' budgets and you will see that they are still relying on and collecting this ERAF money. Before the passage of proposition 1-A Covina received only 16% of the property tax dollar. After the passage, the same is true. What will happen this year with the State facing a $14 billion shortfall? Stay tuned! A “Fiscal Emergency” (one element needed in the complicated formula by which the State can maneuver around provisions of Prop 1-A) has already been proclaimed on January 10, 2008.

I've never seen any other city work so hard to save face in the paper. What do you think? Are these helpful tidbits of supplemental information that provide the REAL story? Or are these stabs at damage control?