County : Campaign Gift Law Delays Contract Vote

The awarding of a contract to expand a branch jail has been delayed because one bidder is over the campaign contribution limit to three supervisors, county officials said Thursday.

The Fluor Corp. contributed $3,750 to Supervisor Roger R. Stanton in 1983, a total of $2,900 to Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder during 1983 and 1984 and a total of $9,753.25 to Supervisor Bruce Nestande during 1983 and 1984, according to county records.

The TIN CUP (Time Is Now, Clean Up Politics) law passed by the county in 1978 bars supervisors from voting on issues affecting a contributor from whom they have received more than $1,622 over a four-year period.

It takes three votes to award a contract, but with three board members over the TIN CUP limit, only two supervisors, Ralph B. Clark and Thomas F. Riley, appeared eligible to vote.

Fluor submitted a proposal to supervise construction of three dormitories at the James A. Musick branch jail near El Toro as part of a package in which WMFL, a Seattle company, and USTEC, a Mountain View, Calif., firm, would do architectural and engineering work.

Two other coalitions of companies also bid for the architecture, engineering and construction contract, which the county has budgeted at $7 million.

The contract was to have been scheduled next Tuesday but was postponed because “it does take three votes” to award a contract, said Deputy County Counsel Terry C. Andrus.

Andrus said he wanted to research similar cases in state law and opinions by the state attorney general before recommending what the supervisors should do next month.