Three lawmakers cited for campaign, gift violations

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State Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) and two other state lawmakers have agreed to pay fines for violating campaign reporting rules, according to documents released Monday by California’s ethics watchdog agency.

Strickland agreed to pay $3,000 in fines to the state Fair Political Practices Commission after admitting he sent out a mass mailer attacking a political foe without properly identifying on the mailer that it was paid for by his campaign.

The 2008 mailer attacked the record of Hannah-Beth Jackson, who was the Democratic candidate in the state Senate election.

In recommending the fine, the commission staff said the mass mailing ‘deprived the public of the knowledge of the true source of the negative campaign piece and thus, appears to be at worst intentional and at best negligent, particularly given the sophistication of Respondent Strickland as a current member of the California State Legislature, and a former Member of the Legislature at the time of the campaign activity in question.’

The commission is scheduled to consider the agreement with Stickland at its April 8 meeting, at which time it will also consider imposing fines of $200 each against Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) and former Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines (R-Clovis) for failing to disclose gifts from sources that lobby the Legislature.

Villines did not disclose receiving $256 worth of tickets, refreshments and parking for a Sacramento Kings basketball game from AT&T, while Hollingsworth failed to report receiving airport parking worth $110 from the city of Los Angeles.

-- Patrick McGreevy