State Again Asks Mayor for Meeting Over Funds

The state attorney general’s office has made a second request to interview Inglewood Mayor Edward Vincent as part of an investigation into possible misuse of campaign funds.

Eugene Hill, head of the government law division of the attorney general’s office in Sacramento, said he sent Vincent the second letter Thursday after Vincent did not respond to a Nov. 28 request for a meeting. Hill said the letter sets a deadline for Vincent to hold an informal meeting with investigators and provide any documentation that might clear up the matter.

“We want to reaffirm our interest in discussing the matter with him and attempting to resolve it in that manner,” Hill said. He did not disclose the deadline. In the request last month, officials asked Vincent to meet with them as soon as possible so that they could make a decision on the case by Dec. 15.

Vincent, who has denied any wrongdoing, declined to comment about not responding to the first letter. He said last week that he planned to meet with investigators but had not had time to reply to the letter. He had not responded as of this week, according to attorney general’s officials.

Focus on 1987 Trip

Investigators said their inquiry focuses on a 1987 trip that the mayor apparently billed to both the city and his campaign fund, and on the mayor’s use of campaign funds to repair a truck he owns. The expenses are documented on city records or campaign spending statements filed by Vincent.

Both instances may violate laws barring personal use of campaign funds.

The apparent double billing, reported in The Times in September, involved a 1987 tour of farmers markets in the Morro Bay area. City records show that Vincent was reimbursed $933.45 by the city for the Morro Bay trip, while campaign records show that he used $953.41 in campaign funds for it.

Last week, Vincent acknowledged for the first time that he may have inadvertently billed the trip to both the city and his campaign fund. He said he would provide information this week showing that he had not pocketed the city money, but had used it to reimburse people who visited farmers markets in Gardena, Chino and Colton on his behalf.

But this week, when asked several times about the promised information, the mayor declined to comment.

The attorney general’s office has also asked Vincent to file amended statements to explain about $50,000 in campaign travel expenses since 1983 that were not itemized to show the ultimate recipient, as required by law. Instead, the statements show large payments to American Express and an Inglewood travel agency. In addition, records show Vincent spent about $1,078 in campaign funds to repair the truck.

If the attorney general’s office does not get a meeting with Vincent, Hill said, options include subpoenaing travel expense records and requesting a formal deposition as part of the investigation. Officials could also choose to file a complaint alleging campaign law violations if they feel that is warranted, Hill said.

Because misuse of campaign funds is a violation of civil law, the action would take the form of a lawsuit filed by the attorney general’s office. The penalty for a violation is $500 or twice the amount of the unlawful expenditure, whichever is greater.