Commerce Councilwoman faces bigger penalty than Villaraigosa

  COMMERCE (CNS) – California election regulators are proposing the
largest-ever financial penalty against a local elected official in the case of
Commerce Councilwoman Tina Baca Del Rio, who is accused of illegally
transferring campaign funds into her personal bank account and other
violations, it was reported today.
Baca Del Rio is facing a $104,000 judgment from the state Fair Political
Practices Commission, the Los Angeles Times reported. Officials also
allege she missed deadlines to respond to the allegations and come to a
negotiated settlement with the watchdog agency.
It’s a rare case of the commission proposing a default action against a
politician, according to The Times. Public officials accused of wrongdoing by
the commission usually settle with it on an agreed fine. Baca Del Rio’s penalty dwarfs the $40,000 fine levied in 2011 on former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who agreed to a settlement, for failing to disclose free tickets to sports and entertainment events.
If Baca Del Rio doesn’t pay the judgment, the watchdog could try to take
other actions to collect, such as placing a lien against her house.
Baca Del Rio told The Times she has been responsive to
commission officials. She also said the complaint filed with the agency against
her that triggered the investigation was politically motivated and orchestrated
by an opposing faction.
Baca Del Rio, who was recalled from the Commerce City Council in the
2008 general election, then reelected the following year, is accused of
violating the state’s Political Reform Act on 24 counts, most of them for not
timely and properly filing campaign finance disclosures between 2011 and 2013,
or failing to file them at all. Four of those violations stem from allegations
that she spent campaign funds on a home kitchen remodel and also transferred
$8,134 in campaign cash into her personal bank account.
Of the total fine, $20,000 is for allegedly misusing campaign funds.
It’s the part of the fine that she can’t use campaign funds to pay, meaning it
will have to come from her own pocket.