In this No on Prop 21 ad, Cmdr. Michael Kerr expresses disgust at an ad by extreme rent control proponents that uses an actor to portray a war hero.

The CAA-led campaign to defeat Proposition 21 released a pair of TV commercials this week highlighting U.S. veterans’ opposition to the extreme rent control measure and blasting a misleading ad by rent control proponents.

A No on Prop 21 ad released Thursday slams a deceptive commercial from the yes campaign in which an actor portrays a war hero supporting the initiative.

Titled “Sickening,” the No on Prop 21 ad features Cmdr. Michael Kerr of Fresno, who served in the U.S. Army as a satellite network controller. Kerr has been an active member of the Disabled American Veterans, Department of California for the past decade.

In the ad, Kerr expresses his disgust at the misleading commercial.

“In this ad for Prop 21, this guy’s not even a veteran. He’s an actor trying to trick you. And it’s sickening. Just like Prop 21 — pretending to be something it isn’t,” Kerr says in the No on Prop 21 ad. “California veterans oppose prop 21. Because it makes the housing crisis worse — with no plan to build affordable housing or help bring homeless vets off our streets. Stand with the men and women who actually wore our country’s uniform. No on 21.”

Nowhere in the misleading ad do proponents disclose that the “war hero” is an actor. The ad prompted veterans to file complaints with state and local prosecutors alleging a violation of the “Stolen Valor Act,” which prohibits such impersonations of military veterans.

The ad featuring Kerr was the second No on Prop 21 ad released this week that features a real veteran.

The first ad features Col. Lou Carmona of Rancho Murieta, a retired U.S. Army pilot who served 32 years in the Army before retiring as a colonel in 2018. Carmona deployed to Bosnia in the late 1990s and did three tours in Iraq/Afghanistan/Kuwait. He also flew Blackhawk helicopters in the National Guard.

In this No on Prop 21 ad, Col. Lou Carmona explains why veterans are largely opposed to the radical rent control measure.

“We have so many veterans living on our streets in California. The cost of housing is out of control. Prop 21 will make things even worse when many vets are already on the brink. Prop 21 will stop new housing from being built,” the retired colonel says in the ad. “And 21 hurts renters and has no protections for veterans or seniors. And no plan to help homeless vets or create the housing we need. We served our country and deserve a place to call home. That’s why veterans’ groups across California say No on 21.”