A key backer of a measure that would create an ethics commission as a watchdog for county campaign finances alerted the Fair Political Practices Commission Wednesday that her organization made a mistake in omitting who paid for a robocall in favor of the measure.
The call, which went out to about 200,000 voters, touched off another round of feuding between Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who has made no secret of his intention to run for his former boss’ job.
Rackauckas on Tuesday sent a letter to Leon Page, the county’s attorney, complaining about the May 26 robocall and demanding to know if any county funds were used to record or distribute it. The ad fails to disclose how it was financed, which is required by law.
Shirley Grindle, one of the driving forces behind Measure A, said she self-reported the violation to the FPPC.
“There were three or four people working on that robocall script and they never ran it through me, and I put out the word everything should come through me because I’m reporting all this campaign stuff,” Grindle told City News Service. “I did not know about the script and the ‘paid for’ (line) was omitted from the robocall. I’m about ready to tan some hide, but I didn’t screw up. I have reported our omission to the FPPC by letter.”
Grindle said she wasn’t aware of the error until Tuesday when Rackauckas raised the issue.
It’s likely the FPPC will send a warning letter advising the organizing committee behind Measure A to not make the mistake again, Grindle said.
Grindle acknowledged her embarrassment over the mistake, noting she chastised Denis Bilodeau, the chief of staff for Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson, for the same mistake a year ago.
“I filed a complaint just to show him he’s wrong,” after Bilodeau questioned whether it was necessary, Grindle said.
Attorney Bill Mitchell, another key figure in the Measure A push, gave a more detailed picture of how Citizens for OC Ethics Commission has paid for the robocall and print ads. The robocall cost about $5,000 and the group has spent about $4,500 to $5,000 on ads in local newspapers, Mitchell said.
Grindle said the money has come from a variety of sources, including herself and Mitchell. She said she donated $1,100 herself and that other contributions have come from attorneys, a former member of the Coastal Commission and a public relations committee, among others.
Faubel Public Affairs donated $2,000 to the cause.
“Roger Faubel has always been a good-government supporter,” Grindle said.
Grindle insisted she has reported all of the contributions in a timely manner. She denied speculation that the group was holding on to some uncashed checks, which would be a violation.
“I have reported everything that has been sent to me and as far as I know nobody is holding up any funds because I’ve threatened them with death because I do not want to be the one to screw this up,” Grindle said.
For many years, Grindle has seen to the enforcement of the TINCUP, or Time is Now Clean Up Politics, ordinance. Measure A is an outgrowth of that effort.
“It kept most of the candidates playing by the same set of rules and saved the county from hiring somebody to do it, but I’m not going to be here forever and it’s time for them to step up to the plate,” Grindle said.
Voters will be asked to approve the commission, which would enforce TINCUP. Grindle has complained for years that Rackauckas would not enforce the ordinance.
Mitchell noted that Rackauckas pledged when he first ran for district attorney that he would be less aggressive than his predecessor when enforcing campaign finance laws after a raid of the home of then-Assemblyman Scott Baugh, which some saw as overkill.
Mitchell said Measure A is “to some degree an indictment of his poor performance as a DA.”
Rackauckas criticized Spitzer for what he saw was a misrepresentation of himself as a current assistant district attorney, a job Spitzer held until Rackauckas fired him in 2010. Rackauckas’ chief of staff, Susan Kang Schroeder, has pointed out that Spitzer, on his own ballot statement for supervisor, referred to himself as an assistant district attorney in the present tense. He also indicates that he is chairman of the board of supervisors, a post current held by Supervisor Lisa Bartlett.
Rackauckas said he is prohibited from taking a political stance on ballot measures and that Spitzer must record another robocall to voters setting the record straight that his office has not endorsed the measure.
Spitzer fired back Tuesday that Rackauckas was retaliating against him for criticizing the top prosecutor for the way he has handled the so-called snitch scandal involving issues with the use of jailhouse informants in prosecuting cases, the most well-known being the one against Scott Dekraai, the worst mass killer in the county’s history.
— City News Service