Former California Controller Candidate Faces $80,000 Campaign Fine
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -California's political watchdog threatened Monday to impose an $80,000 fine against a former Republican state lawmaker accused of funneling money to his campaign through county GOP committees.
The Fair Political Practices Commission announced the proposed penalty against former state Assemblyman and Sen. Tony Strickland.
Strickland waived his right to a hearing in March and has refused to participate in settlement negotiations, agency spokesman Jay Wierenga said. Strickland has until May 19 to respond to FPPC attempts to negotiate a lower fine.
The agency found that Strickland and his campaign treasurer, Lysa Ray, directed three people who had reached a $6,500 contribution limit to channel money for his 2010 bid for state controller through the Stanislaus County and Ventura County Republican Party committees.
The tactic obscured the sources of $65,000 in contributions given to the parties "on the condition or with the agreement that the contribution would be ultimately contributed to Strickland for Controller," the agency wrote in its report.
The investigation of Strickland involved bank and campaign statements, telephone and other records.
He had been pushing to reach a $2 million fundraising milestone.
Strickland did not return messages from The Associated Press left with his political action committee, Strong America PAC. Pluvious Group, a political fundraising firm that Strickland hired in 2010, also did not return calls seeking comment Monday.
Strickland served in the California Legislature for 10 years between 1998 and 2012. He lost the 2010 controller's race with 36 percent of the vote to Democrat John Chiang, who had 55 percent.
Strickland also ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2012 and 2014. He now heads a political action committee that raises money for congressional candidates.
The FPPC previously fined Strickland $6,000 for failing to report more than $116,000 in late contributions to his 1999 campaign for Assembly, according to Wierenga, and $3,000 for failing to disclose that he was the source of a mass mailer attack on then-opponent Hannah-Beth Jackson.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
