The county’s GOP leadership has revoked the charter of the Redondo Beach-based Beach Cities Republican Club for attacking members of its executive committee.
No specifics were offered on the nature of the attacks nor would Jason Maruca, executive director of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, provide more information.
“This matter pertains to an internal issue,” he said. “We’re not going to be issuing a statement or commenting on the matter.”
However, the club issued a short statement on its Facebook page that said its executive committee made the decision to “pull the charter” because chartered organizations are required to be in compliance with its bylaws.
“(The) Republican Party of Los Angeles County attempted to work with the Beach Cities Republican Club to resolve this situation,” the statement reads in part. “Specifically, BCR President Arthur Schaper was given a list of steps the club could have taken to come back into compliance with RPLAC, however those steps were declined by Mr. Schaper. Instead, the leadership of BCR continued to attack RPLAC and its members.”
It’s unclear what bylaw the local Republican club violated.
Schaper did not return an email seeking comment.
But Schaper, a Torrance resident who writes under the name Arthur Christopher Schaper, is well known locally as a fiery conservative, orator and blogger.
“Arthur seems to like a good battle,” said David Hadley, a former local assemblyman and president of the Beach Cities Republican Club. “Arthur is an activist. I am aware of some of the attacks on individual people.”
Schaper also is the California director for a group called Mass Resistance, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has called an anti-gay hate group.
In a December article, the Orange County Weekly said Schaper was “fast becoming one of Southern California’s most obnoxious conservative, Bible-quoting activists.”
In several January blog posts an unrepentent Schaper ranted against the charter revocation, calling it “treachery which undermines volunteer clubs and takes the lead to revoke charters for light and transient reasons.”
“This whole charter business has turned out to be a smokescreen for well-dressed irrelevance,” Schaper wrote. “The Beach Cities Republicans has gained more numbers, fame, and influence after losing the ‘revered’ charter.”
It’s unknown if that claim is accurate.
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