BY DAVE PRICE
Daily Post Editor
The group behind the rent control ballot measure in Redwood City, Faith in Action, keeps saying they’re a “grassroots” organization.
That’s not true.
The Faith in Action is a national operation that has about 1,000 local chapters across the country.
Faith in Action started in Oakland by founder was Fr. John Baumann, a Jesuit priest who was a follower of political writer Saul Alinsky. Bauman was a successful political activist in Chicago, and his ideas have spread nationwide.
The national Faith in Action office helps the locals with campaigns like the rent control initiative they’ve proposed in Redwood City.
But to say that the Redwood City Faith In Action office is a grassroots operation is a little like saying the nearby McDonald’s is a mom-and-pop business.
When McDonald’s wants to pose as a local business, it will point to the fact that 95% of its 13,500 U.S. stores are owned by local franchisees, people like Lee Ann Freeman in Redwood City or Larry Triplett in East Palo Alto. But the menu items, promotions and even the decor of the stores are decided at company headquarters in Chicago.
Among the funders of the national Faith in Action are two entities associated with billionaire George Soros — the Open Society Policy Center and the Tides Foundation. Soros, who made his money running a hedge fund, financially supports district attorney candidates as part of his effort to abolish bail and defund the police. If you agree with Soros, then Faith in Action might be the right place for you. But before you get too excited about this rent control campaign, you ought to know the whole story.
Editor Dave Price’s column appears on Mondays.
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