KPBS has begun looking into some of the political fliers that are clogging voters' mailboxes this election season.
Next up is a big glossy mailer sent by a group called the Neighborhood Improvement Voter Guide.
It begins with a photo of San Diego Councilman Mark Kersey looking like he's in some apocalyptic scene on a movie poster. His right hand is in his pocket and he stares intently at the camera. The photo encourages people to vote yes on Proposition H, Kersey's charter amendment to reserve funds for infrastructure repairs without raising taxes.
Inside are ads for San Diego city attorney candidate Robert Hickey and Mayor Kevin Faulconer. On the back is an ad for San Diego Superior Court Judge Keri Katz. It reads: "Democrat for Superior Court Judge."
Small print on the inside of the flier says that only Proposition H and Hickey paid to be included. Faulconer and Katz were added in for free — and without their knowledge.
The flier is what's called a slate mailer, and candidates can pay to be included, said Aimee Faucett, chief operating officer of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. She also runs the chamber's political action committee.
"It's a very cost-effective way of being part of a mailer," Faucett said. "Mailers are very expensive, so it was a good way to get our message out."
She said the chamber paid $60,000 to have the Proposition H ad included in the Neighborhood Improvement Voter Guide, plus $2,000 to be in another slate mailer called Continuing the Republican Revolution.
Faucett said she "had some idea" of what other candidates and measures would be featured in the ad.
Hickey's campaign spent $50,000 to be in the mailer, said his campaign spokeswoman, Sara Kamiab.
She said his campaign paid to be in the mailer because its name reflects Hickey's priorities. Kamiab said she was aware Proposition H would also be included but not Faulconer and Katz.
One listener who sent KPBS the mailer said he found it odd that the party affiliation of Judge Katz was highlighted but not Hickey's or Faulconer's. Hickey and Faulconer are Republicans.
Katz declined to talk to KPBS about the mailer and how she felt about being included. Her spokeswoman, Jen Tierney, said Katz didn't know she was in the mailer until a supporter showed her.
"She didn’t pay for it so she can’t speak to the strategy behind it or the candidates chosen to be on it," Tierney wrote in an email. "Because it was an expenditure independent of her campaign and she has no details about it, she isn’t in a position to judge its effectiveness."
Francis Barraza, a spokeswoman for Faulconer, said he also did not know he would be included in the mailer, but he supports Hickey and Proposition H.
Other versions of the mailer also included Kristin Gaspar, a candidate for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in District 3; Ray Ellis, a candidate for San Diego City Council in District 1; and Scott Sherman, a candidate for San Diego City Council in District 7. None of those candidates paid to be included.
Another slate mailer posted on Twitter by Voice of San Diego editor Scott Lewis comes from the California Voters Guide. It highlights mostly Republican candidates, including Duf Sundheim for U.S. Senate, but also shows that San Diego City Council candidate Georgette Gomez, a Democrat, paid to be included. Gomez is running to replace Councilwoman Marti Emerald in District 9.
Dan Rottenstreich, a spokesman for Gomez, wrote in an email that she paid to be part of the mailer because she "has told voters of every party and in every neighborhood that she'll shake up City Hall and oppose spending any taxpayer money on a stadium."
"This isn't about partisan politics," he said. "It's about fighting for what’s right for our neighborhoods, and that’s a message we want all voters to hear."
You can show us the mailers you receive by tweeting a picture to @KPBSnews with the hashtag #ShowUsYourMailers, or e-mail it to kpbsmailers@kpbs.org. You can also submit it through our Public Insight Network query.
