SOUTH OF THE 10 - Some Inglewood residents have shared an image of a newly created newspaper that has begun to spring up in their mailboxes.
A 2UrbanGirls investigation reveals the newspaper has received funding from the mayor and is possibly being used as a campaign mailer without the required campaign disclosures.
“Do you know who is behind this newspaper, it was in my mailbox,” inquired a resident who lives in Council District 1.
The newspaper received funds from Mayor James Butts’ 2018 campaign with a $3,000 payment for consulting and banner removal services.
Inglewood TImes Inc. is connected to DICF Consulting through its owner. Butts has paid DICF for consulting work dating back to his 2014 re-election. State records show the company was registered as a newspaper since 2016.
The owner of the newspaper also runs DICF Consulting, who according to its social media, produces the Inglewood Times newspaper. DICF has been paid for consulting services by the mayor’s previous re-election campaign funds.
Two years ago, the owner spoke out against the City’s towing contract during a public hearing to no avail. The City features a video on its website of the mayor’s consultant at a document shredding event held last September.
Butts’ campaign has also paid an indicted member of the Inglewood Police department, which he blamed on “not knowing all of the payments made on his campaign’s behalf” or “if they did the work at all”.
Mayor Butts is up for re-election in Nov. Have you received his newspaper?
(2UrbanGirls has been cited in CityWatchLA, Compton Herald, Daily Breeze, Daily News, Inglewood Today, Intersections South LA, KCRW, KPCC, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, LA Watts Times, Mercury News, Orange County Register and The Atlantic.)
