I previously wrote about former City Council Member Thomas Small and the Culver City Forward. (8/20/20 [Culver City Forward is not what it seems], 2/4/21 [City Attorney uses questionable methods].) Culver City Forward is the tax-exempt organization formed and funded by developer Michael Hackman of Hackman Capital Partners, which Hackman turned over to Small, while Small was voting on at least one Hackman project before the City Council, but failing to disclose the relationship.
IRS Publication 557, at pages 18 – 20, states, in part, that Culver City Forward “must make available for public inspection, upon request and without charge, a copy of its original and amended annual information returns. … An annual information return includes an exact copy of the return (Forms 990 …), and amended return if any, and all schedules, attachments, and supporting documents filed with the IRS.
Those Form 990s reveal information concerning a tax-exempt organization’s operations, e.g., how much comes in and where it goes. Form 990 requires the filer to state, under penalty of perjury, how it makes copies publicly available, e.g., on its website, upon request. It is not currently available on Culver City Forward’s website.
For the third time, I recently requested Culver City Forward to provide me with a copy of its Form 990 filings. On the two prior occasions, Culver City Forward totally ignored my request. Perhaps, this time, it will be different.
— Les Greenberg, Esquire
310-838-9037
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