On May 7, the California Republican Party notified a U.S. District Court that its trademark infringement lawsuit has been settled. The Asian American Small Business PAC had put the well-known stylized elephant logo on some campaign literature. Although the campaign literature was ostensibly issued in support of a Republican candidate for State Senate in a special election, the Republican Party did not support that candidate, who was the only Republican on the ballot. The Republican candidate herself had stopped campaigning and did not want voters to vote for her. The Asian American Small Business PAC, it was believed, actually supported one particular Democrat in the race, and wanted to persuade Republican voters to vote for the Republican so they would be less likely to vote for another Democrat in the race who is more conservative.
The case is California Republican Party v Asian American Small Business PAC, e.d., 2:15cv-505. There is little case law on whether trademark law protects political party names and symbols. The details of the settlement will not be made public, but it is likely the PAC paid the Republican Party some money in order to have the case dismissed.
The PAC had reported the “independent” expenditures that it had ostensibly made in support of Hertle, the Republican; as well as it had made in opposition to STeve Glazer, a Democrat that they opposed.
I haven’t found anything that indicates whether the labor unions supported Susan Bonilla over Joan Buchanan, or vice versa, Their main objective was trying to block Glazer from advancing.
The independent expenditures against Glazer are now being funneled through the campaign fund of a failed Democratic assembly candidate from 2014, Tim Sbranti.