After facing hundreds of upset constituents at town hall meetings in March, Rep. Darrell Issa is giving a select group of constituents early invites to an upcoming forum, and a head start to claim one of the limited seats to the event.

The Vista Republican mailed postcards to certain constituents not only to give them a heads up about the June 3 event, but he also provided them a special promotional code they can use claim one of 500 seats at the forum before others have the same chance.

San Diego Union-Tribune politics reporter Joshua Stewart talks with FOX5 San Diego to give some insight into Darrell Issa’s upcoming town hall meeting with constituents.

Issa’s spokesman, Calvin Moore, said older constituents as well as people who live near San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano where the government-paid forum will be held were sent postcards. The recipients can use the promotional code to RSVP early, but anyone who lives in the district can reserve a seat after registration opens on Saturday. The postcards were sent to give people who couldn’t attend the congressman’s March forum because they missed the online notices, or tried to sign up after all the seats were claimed, have a better chance to attend this one, Moore said.


But the area near the high school that received postcards is an Issa stronghold. The venue where the meeting will be held is in a polling precinct where 66 percent voters supported Issa in last year’s election, one of the nine-term congressman’s best showing in the 49th district. Other nearby precincts favored Issa by similar margins.

Issa critics said the decision to saturate the Republican-friendly area near the high school, along with giving an advantage to older residents who tend to vote more conservatively, is an attempt by Issa to pack the forum with supporters while keeping his detractors out.

“I absolutely think so. Especially with that promo code,” said Ellen Montanari of Encinitas. Montanari is a part of a group that regularly protests outside of Issa’s Vista field office.

Moore said they did not specifically reach out to Republicans in the district.


“It’s actually illegal for us to do that,” he said.

Rather, they hoped the postcards, which were printed and mailed at government expense, would reach constituents who do not have regular internet access, don’t use social media, and would likely miss the congressman’s announcements about the upcoming forum he said.

Moore said that he didn’t know now many postcards were sent, but their mailing list included older constituents (they’re less likely to have internet access) as well as people who live close to the school.

Montanari said Moore’s claim that they’re trying to reach older constituents who did not hear about the March forum is specious.


“It’s not not like he didn’t have older constituents at his last town hall,” she said. “He certainly did.”

Issa was re-elected in November by 1,621 votes, the closest race in the country, over Democrat Doug Applegate.

The Democratic Party has targeted Issa’s seat as one they hope to pick-up in the 2018 midterm elections, and a several progressive organizations have staged protests outside of Issa’s office on every Tuesday.

In back-to-back town hall meetings in March in Oceanside, Issa faced a largely critical crowd that asked him tough questions.


The March forums were limited to constituents and required them to register online, but Issa’s office did not mail postcards or give promotional codes to secure seats in advance.

Meanwhile, Issa critics accused his district director, Bill Christiansen, of trying to deceive them by saying that details of a town hall meeting had not been finalized.

“I don’t know what date or time it will be,” Christiansen said in a video recorded on Tuesday by a protester outside of Issa’s Vista field office. “They don’t have any dates or time yet. They’re still working on locations and timing and all of that too,”

On the same day some of Issa’s constituents opened their mail to find the postcards with the details of the upcoming forum, with the location and time, as well as the early access promotional code.


“Obviously this has been planned for at least a week, it’s just a whole big slimy thing,” Barbara Amador, one of the protesters said. “They are blatantly lying to our faces.”

Moore stands by Christiansen’s statement, and said it makes “total sense” for him to say that details were still being set up since since the meeting had not been announced, but said imprecise words were used.

The forum runs from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at San Juan Hills High School, 29211 Stallion Ridge, San Juan Capistrano. Moore said constituents can also sign up online or by calling Issa’s Capitol Hill office at (202) 225-3906.


Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com


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