Digital ads invoke Uber, Lyft in state Senate races

By Megan Messerly

Published Monday, Aug. 8, 2016 | 5:30 p.m.

Updated Monday, Aug. 8, 2016 | 8:25 p.m.

A Republican political action committee is up with two new ads today attacking Democratic state Senate candidates Joyce Woodhouse and Nicole Cannizzaro, part of a digital campaign the group kicked off last week.

Woodhouse and Cannizzaro’s races are two of the biggest focuses for Senate Democrats this year as they fight to hold onto Woodhouse’s seat in District 5 and Cannizzaro tries to to snag the open seat in District 6, currently occupied by Republican State Sen. Mark Lipparelli who is not seeking re-election.

Woodhouse will go up against charter school principal Carrie Buck in November, while Cannizzaro faces Assemblywoman Victoria Seaman.

The two digital ads suggest electing Woodhouse and Cannizzaro could cause Uber and Lyft to cease operating in Nevada if they support extra regulations on the ride-sharing companies during the next legislative session. The ads come amid reports that FBI background checks for Uber and Lyft drivers may resurface during the next legislative session.

The ads are paid for by the Nevada Jobs Coalition, a political action committee largely funded by Gov. Brian Sandoval’s New Nevada PAC.

“Do you use Uber or Lyft?” one ad says. “You won’t be able to if Nicole Cannizzaro’s allies have their way.” The second ad uses similar language to talk about Woodhouse.

Taxicab companies and some legislators have argued that the pre-employment checks that Uber and Lyft conduct on their own of their drivers are not as comprehensive as FBI background checks. Other legislators, however, have said that imposing extra regulations is part of an effort by the taxi industry to drive Uber and Lyft out of the state.

Woodhouse, for her part, voted twice in favor of the legislation during the 2015 session that allowed Uber and Lyft to return to Nevada. Since Cannizzaro has never held office before, she has no record to point to on either Uber or Lyft.

Senate Minority Leader Aaron Ford, a Democrat, pushed for FBI background checks for Uber and Lyft during the 2015 legislative session and has said that he thinks the issue is “ripe for discussion” in 2017.

Ford has said that he was disappointed that a report presented to an interim legislative committee in April meant to compare Uber's and Lyft's background check procedures with the FBI's process wasn't fully completed due to a lack of statutory authority and funding.

In response to the ads, Peter Koltak, spokesman for the Senate Democratic caucus, said that Buck and Seaman should be "ashamed" of "hiding behind the dark money group launching these shamelessly false attacks." (Technically, the Nevada Jobs Coalition is not a "dark money" group since it has to disclose its donors, unlike other nonprofit organizations.)

"Joyce Woodhouse and Nicole Cannizzaro have dedicated their lives to public service, and they will lead the fight in the state Senate to bring more new economy jobs to Nevada," Koltak said in a statement.