Re “Hutchinson Asserts He Invited Sebastian. ‘I Never Received One’”
[img]2305|right|Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson||no_popup[/img]Nearly a week after community activist Earl Ofari Hutchson’s tilted candidates forum on last Saturday’s KPFK (90.7) radio program – when everyone was present except the strong favorite, who was not acknowledged – new information has emerged this morning.
Sources told the newspaper that Pedro Baez, described as an aide to Dr. Hutchinson, verbally invited the lopsided winner of Tuesday’s special election to the state Assembly.
But Sebastian Ridley-Thomas declined to answer – telling Mr. Baez to send the request to his campaign manager, Fred MacFarlane, who handles all such correspondence.
Mr. MacFarlane told the newspaper an invitation never arrived.
Of even more compelling interest to Ridley-Thomas supporters was the fact that throughout his weekly program, Dr. Hutchinson never disclosed that he was heavily invested in the campaign of Mr. Ridley-Thomas’s nearest rival, former City Councilman Christopher Armenta. (The newspaper’s earlier story carried photos of Armenta for Assembly lawn signs at Dr. Hutchinson’s residence, including one in his front yard.
Further, the sources said, Dr. Hutchinson has had a beef with Mr. Ridley-Thomas’s father, County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas since the latter’s days on the Los Angeles City Council in the last century.
Even more fascinating, Dr. Hutchinson was described as “a close friend and neighbor” of Bernard Parks, L.A. City Counciilman, who tried very hard to push Mr. Armenta over the finish line ahead of the son of a man with whom he has quibbled for years.
