Sacramento Area Local News

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) ― Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for an investigation into a community organization group that has recently been plagued by scandals and accusations.

Schwarzenegger urged California Attorney General Jerry Brown to "launch a full investigation" into ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- over recent reports of impropriety, including a hidden-camera video posted online that purports to show ACORN employees advising a couple posing as a pimp and prostitute how to launder their earnings.

"As you may be aware, the most recent report has come out of San Bernardino," Gov. Schwarzenegger said in a letter to Brown. "My administration stands ready to assist in any way necessary."

The video was one of the latest in a series that has already led to the firing of four ACORN employees in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. It was created by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles and posted on BigGovernment.com, where O'Keefe identifies himself as an activist filmmaker.

The most recent video, released Wednesday on Fox News, was filmed in San Diego. A man appearing to pose as a pimp asks a worker if Tijuana, Mexico, is the best place to bring underage girls into the U.S. The man replies, "yes," saying he has a lot of friends there who can assist.

ACORN said Wednesday it is ordering an independent investigation into the recent reports.

The group, which came under fire from conservatives for alleged voter fraud in 2008, said it is refusing new admissions into its service programs.

The group conducted a massive voter registration effort last year and became a target of conservatives when some employees were accused of submitting false registration forms with names such as "Mickey Mouse." ACORN has said only a handful of employees submitted false registration forms and did so in a bid to boost their pay.

ACORN will work with its advisory council, which includes prominent supporters of President Barack Obama, such as John Podesta, president of the nonprofit Center for American Progress, and Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, to name an independent auditor and investigator, ACORN chief executive Bertha Lewis said in a written statement.

The investigation will examine all the systems and processes called into question by the video, Lewis said.

In addition, ACORN won't accept new admissions into its community service programs, effective immediately, and within the next few days will conduct staff training, she said.

Lewis said the steps were being taken in response to "the indefensible action of a handful of our employees."

The moves are among several developments in recent days involving ACORN, a liberal-leaning group that is a popular target for Republicans. In addition to the hidden-camera video, it is under scrutiny for several voter-registration fraud cases.

Some Republicans are urging the Justice Department to investigate ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now . The Senate voted Monday to block the Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN, and the Census Bureau last week severed its ties with the group for the 2010 national head-count.

Asked Wednesday about the controversy, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that "obviously the conduct that you see on those tapes is completely unacceptable."

"I think everyone would agree with that. The administration takes accountability extremely seriously," Gibbs said. "I think the Census Bureau evaluated and determined that this group could not meet the bureau's goal of achieving a fair and accurate count in 2010."

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said he's asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to repeal a nearly $1 million grant it awarded to ACORN earlier this month.

FEMA awarded $997,402 to ACORN in New Orleans on Sept. 4 as part of its Fire Prevention and Safety Grants program. The group plans to use the money to assess fire safety in the homes of low and moderate-income families and hand out smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and other fire prevention gear, ACORN's Brennan Griffin said.

FEMA had no immediate comment on Bilirakis' request.

Gibbs said he assumed that federal agencies "constantly evaluate to ensure that any grantee is living up to what has to happen in order to fulfill that grant application."

The video released Monday was among several that have prompted the firing of at least four ACORN employees in Baltimore and Washington. It was created by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles and posted on BigGovernment.com, where O'Keefe identifies himself as an activist filmmaker.

In the film, O'Keefe and Giles enter an ACORN office in Brooklyn and O'Keefe can be heard stating that "we have a unique life situation" and asking if the pair qualify for housing help.

The ACORN housing coordinator and office administrator apparently urge the couple to lie about the woman's profession, with the housing coordinator suggesting that the woman launder the money.

"We have all been deeply disturbed by what we've seen in some of these videos," Lewis said, adding that the group "will go to whatever lengths necessary to re-establish the public trust."

The full text of Gov. Schwarzenegger's letter to Attorney General Jerry Brown is reprinted below:

Dear Mr. Attorney General,

Over the past few days, I have seen a series of news stories regarding the ACORN organization that have concerned me greatly. As you may be aware, the most recent report has come out of San Bernardino. Given this, I believe it is appropriate that your office launch a full investigation into ACORN's activities in California. My administration stands ready to assist in any way necessary.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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