Advocating with Intelligence
Misinformation, extreme bias, and hate-motivated incidents continue to pose a serious threat in California—reflecting persistent national trends and underscoring the urgent need for a coordinated, evidence-based response.
Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) nonprofit dedicated to countering extremism and advancing transparency and lawful governance in the use of public funds and political influence.
As a watchdog and research organization, IAN equips communities with the tools, resources, and strategic support needed to drive effective advocacy. By fostering collaboration across diverse constituencies, IAN strengthens civic engagement, expands reach, and delivers solutions rooted in shared values.
Together, we can build a more informed, resilient, and safer California.
Civic Actions
Why Is UTLA Co-Sponsoring the May Day Rally With Terror-Supporting Palestinian Youth Movement?
Standing for immigrant rights is essential.
Standing with a terror-supporting organization is unacceptable.
What is UTLA?
United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) represents over 29,000 public school educators in LAUSD — the second-largest school district in the country. It is funded by member dues, drawn from salaries that are themselves publicly funded, giving UTLA a distinct responsibility to reflect public trust.
On its website, UTLA’s purpose is to:“Ensure equity in public education, uphold educators’ rights, advance the well-being of students, and strengthen communities.”
Who Is the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)?
PYM, like UTLA, is one of the official co-sponsors of the May Day Rally. PYM has a documented history of glorifying terrorism:
- PYM was the main organizer of the 2024 People’s Conference for Palestine, where:
- Speakers celebrated the October 7 Hamas terror attack, praised suicide bombers and called for “eternal glory to our martyrs.”
- Conference rooms were named after convicted terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
- A California professor was praised by the PYM moderator after stating: All the Palestinian resistance groups are coming together… Hamas, Islamic Jihad… they intend to defeat not only the Israeli mighty army, but U.S. imperialism itself ... .I think we need to be fully supportive with the resistance and stand by it so we can achieve the victory we will.
Throughout the rest of the weekend, conference organizers and panelists repeatedly expressed their support for violence against Israel and glorified U.S.-designated terror groups and their leaders, often to rousing applause from conference attendees.
-Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Why UTLA's Association with PYM Matters
Many organizations are co-sponsoring the May Day Rally. In fact, a number of the rally’s
co-sponsors are led by current UTLA members, including the rally host, Community
Self-Defense Coalition - LA, Association of Raza Educators, Educators for Justice in Palestine, and others.
But UTLA is not just another community group or activist network — it is the official union of public school educators, and it should be held to a higher standard. UTLA’s name carries institutional weight, especially for families, students, and taxpayers who expect moral clarity from education leaders. When UTLA puts its name alongside a terror-supporting organization, it sends a dangerous message: that violence and extremism are acceptable within the bounds of public education values.
UTLA's Pattern of Troubling Affiliations
UTLA’s affiliation with the Palestinian Youth Movement is not an isolated incident. UTLA has also stood with CODEPINK, an organization facing heightened scrutiny over potential ties to Chinese government influence networks, raising credible concerns among journalists and members of Congress about foreign influence on its activities.
What Needs to Happen
- UTLA leadership must explain its affiliation with the May 1 rally and whether it endorses the participation of PYM.
- Union members, parents, and the public deserve transparency and accountability.
- It’s time to ask: Where does UTLA draw the line — is it still aligned with its own mission and the values of public education, or is it being co-opted by extremists?
UTLA does not belong at the same table — let alone under the same banner —
as groups that glorify terrorism and reject peace.
IAN In the Media
December 16, 2024 / New York Post
By Susan George
A bill that would choke off funding for terror-supporting nonprofits has stalled in Congress — amid the lies of its potential targets.
The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, HR 9495, passed the House last month.
Critics have labeled the legislation a “nonprofit killer,” intentionally misleading both the public and lawmakers about its specifics in an effort to derail it.
Continue reading here.
Susan George is the CEO of Intelligent Advocacy Network.
March 17, 2025 / San Diego Jewish World
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – A San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN), has filed a letter of objection with the U.S. Department of Justice challenging the Council of American Islamic Relations-California as an agency qualified to help Afghan refugees to settle in the United States.
IAN CEO Susan George of San Francisco and Board Member Julie Marzouk of Irvine signed a 10-page single-spaced typed complaint on Thursday, March 13, requesting that the DOJ conduct a forensic audit to determine how CAIR-California accounted for millions of dollars in public funds it previously administered in the program.
Before DOJ recertifies CAIR-California as an administrator for the refugee program, it should also determine whether CAIR’S outspoken verbal support of Hamas is in the public interest, Marzouk told San Diego Jewish World.
Continue reading here.
Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.
By John Baker
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has faced scrutiny for receiving over $7 million in taxpayer money intended for humanitarian efforts in California. The Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN) filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, calling for an investigation into the CAIR California chapter’s management of these funds. The complaint alleges that the Greater Los Angeles chapter improperly received the funds.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) stated, “CAIR’s leadership has a long history of spewing vile antisemitism and anti-Zionist rhetoric, including openly praising the Hamas terrorists that brutally attacked Israel, murdering, raping, and kidnapping more than 1,200 people on October 7 [2023].”
Continue reading here.
John Baker covers U.S. politics & news for content partner Modern Newsstand LLC.
March 14, 2025 / New York Post
By Isabel Vincent
A Muslim charity with links to Hamas was awarded more than $7.2 million in taxpayer cash, which has now disappeared, according to a watchdog group.
An “immediate investigation” needs to be launched into The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) California chapter’s use of funds, according to the watchdog, who sent a complaint to the Department of Justice Thursday.
According to the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN), a California-based, non-partisan advocacy group, the money was given to the chapter to help re-settle impoverished immigrants in California between 2022 and 2024.
In what appears to be a sleight of hand, the money – $7,217,968.44 — was sent to CAIR-Greater Los Angeles and not to CAIR-CA, which was the only group eligible to receive it, according to the complaint.
Continue reading here.
Isabel Vincent is a senior reporter at the New York Post.
By Susan George
Every year, thousands of asylum seekers arrive in the United States, often fleeing war, persecution and violence — only to face a legal system they cannot navigate. To address this, the Department of Justice created an accreditation program that allows nonprofits to provide legal services through the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
These organizations often serve as the only legal lifeline for vulnerable immigrants.
But what if those charged with defending the vulnerable are abusing that responsibility? That is what is happening with the Council on American-Islamic Relations-California, which has potentially misused taxpayer dollars and is led by people who publicly cheer on Hamas.
Continue reading here.
Susan George is the CEO of Intelligent Advocacy Network.
By Susan George
In October 2024, a group of educators
gathered in Tucson for a three-day institute titled Teaching Land Back! From Turtle Island to Palestine, co-hosted by the Teach Palestine Project of the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) and the Xicanx Institute for Teaching and Organizing (XITO). As the promotional materials put it:
Continue reading here.
Susan George is the CEO of Intelligent Advocacy Network.