Uber's super PAC could face fines over mailer for NYC Councilwoman Julie Menin
Uber's super PAC — which is spending heavily on local legislative elections this year — could face fines ranging in the thousands of dollars for failing to disclose it sent out mailers to hundreds of Manhattanites urging them to support City Councilwoman Julie Menin's reelection bid.
The pamphlet, a photo of which was provided to the Daily News by a source who received it in the mail, displays a picture of Menin next to text bubbles reading, 'Listen to parents, to teachers, to students — Julie Menin knows that's how we create great schools. Vote by June 24.'
The back of the mailer says, 'Paid for by Uber NY PAC.' But records show the PAC hadn't as of this week reported the expenditure to the city Campaign Finance Board.
Uber spokesman Josh Gold confirmed Tuesday his ride-sharing company's eponymous PAC didn't report the mailer to the Campaign Finance Board within a week of disseminating it as required by law.
Gold blamed the lapse on an 'inadvertent administrative error' and noted records confirm the PAC did disclose the mailer expenditure to the state Board of Elections, a step also required by law. Gold said Uber is working with the Campaign Finance Board to rectify the issue on that end.
'There's no intent to conceal,' Gold said.
This year, Uber is spending on candidates it hopes will oppose a Council bill that would prohibit the company from locking drivers out of its app for more than 72 hours straight without a just cause.
The issue of Uber drivers being locked out of the app has emerged since the city established a minimum wage for them that the company says puts it in a financially precarious situation as it has to pay them even when there's low rider demand.
Due to the disclosure mishap related to the Menin mailer, Uber could face a relatively hefty fine. Under city laws, PACs can face fines amounting to 31% of the total spent on any given expenditure if six days pass after the reporting deadline and they still haven't disclose it to the Campaign Finance Board. As of Tuesday, Uber had passed the six-day threshold for reporting the Menin mailer.
Meantime, the state Board of Elections records show Uber spent $25,561 on sending out the Menin mailer to hundreds of residents in her Upper East Side-based district. That means Uber could face a fine as large as $7,924, on top of any additional penalties the board could impose if Uber has been alerted to the reporting problems and not responded within one day.
The source who provided a copy of the undisclosed Menin mailer filed a complaint with the Campaign Finance Board over the issue. An email obtained by The News confirms the board in response started 'evaluating' the complaint last Friday.
A board spokesman declined to comment. Menin, who's a potential candidate for City Council speaker next year, didn't immediately return a request for comment.
In total, Uber has spent $71,122 on Menin mailers to date. Most of that spending has been reported to the Campaign Finance Board, records show.
The Uber PAC, which plans to shell out as much as $2.5 million on June 24 Council primaries, by law can't coordinate with Menin or other political candidates it's boosting with mailers, ads and other independent spending activities.
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