State defers election penalties

By Hannah Wever
Review Staff Writer
Published: July 3, 2008

The State Board of Elections met last week to discuss allegations against local political action committees of campaign violations in last November’s general election. But at that June 24 meeting, the board of elections was unable to reach a decision and ultimately chose to visit the matter again at a future meeting.
The board met to consider results of a state police investigation, and whether or not to levy civil penalties against two Orange County political action committees.
The investigation concluded that during last year’s general election (in which all five of the county’s constitutional officers and three seats on the board of supervisors were eligible for election) expenditures authorized by the Orange County Taxpayers Alliance (OCTA) and the Orange County Citizens Committee (OC3) were not reported to the local electoral board. In addition to campaign finance disclosure violations, the state police investigation also concluded that the OCTA failed to comply with requirements for media advertisements regarding election-related newspaper advertisements and websites.
The three-member board was prepared to vote on recommendations of fines for the two PACs, but when one member recused herself and another abstained from the vote, the matter had to be tabled until the board meets again next month.
State Board of Elections Secretary Nancy Rodrigues said she had a personal relationship with individuals involved and recused herself.
The board’s vice chairman, Harold Pyon abstained from the vote after claiming he needed to see evidence-the print ads paid for by the PACs-in their original orientation, not the reproductions provided in the police report.
Board Chairman Jean Cunningham voted in favor of imposing fines in the amount of $4,600 against the OCTA, and $8,500 against the OC3, but without another vote, the motion died.
The State Board of Elections will revisit the matter at their July meeting.