MISSION VIEJO : Curtis Seeks Inquiry Into Recall Attempt

After months of accusing the Mission Viejo Co. of being the sole sponsor of a recall campaign against him, City Councilman Robert A. Curtis this week called for an investigation of the developer by the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

Curtis claims that the Mission Viejo Co. was the primary source of the $156,000 raised by the Coalition to Recall Councilman Curtis to finance a successful petition drive this fall. The councilman will face a recall election Feb. 27.

“The Mission Viejo Co. has been calling all the shots,” Curtis said. “Any decent investigation with subpoena power to interview people and to pull documents will reveal that.”

State law requires that any political campaign group receiving “all or nearly all of its revenue” from a single source must identify that party as a sponsor, said FPPC spokeswoman Sandra Michioku.

Michioku confirmed that the agency had received Curtis’ complaint but declined to say whether the FPPC would investigate the allegations.

In his letter to FPPC Chairman John H. Larson, dated Dec. 12, Curtis said that voters “have a right to know that (the coalition) is sponsored by the Mission Viejo Co.”

Representatives of the company and the coalition denied Curtis’ charges.

“This is just another desperate allegation on his part,” said Helen Monroe, leader of the recall group which has accused Curtis of improperly trying to annex Aegean Hills, a 593-acre development just outside Mission Viejo’s borders.

“He obviously feels that other developers are incapable of making a decision by themselves,” she said. “That’s an insult to American business.”

Wendy Wetzel, a Mission Viejo Co. spokeswoman, said the firm has “scrupulously complied with all campaign-reporting laws and our attorneys will be happy to discuss any of our (campaign financial) reports with the FPPC.”

“We believe Curtis is politicking again to divert attention from his attempt to annex Aegean Hills without giving Mission Viejo residents a chance to vote,” she added.

According to Curtis, the Mission Viejo Co. has forced business partners and subcontractors to contribute to the recall campaign.

“Their donation just becomes a cost of doing business with the Mission Viejo Co.,” he alleged.

Wetzel denied the charge.

“Individual companies make their own decisions,” she said.

The action is the third complaint filed with government political watchdogs against the recall forces.

The Orange County district attorney’s office is still investigating separate complaints of campaign violations against the coalition.

One complaint alleges that the coalition misled voters by using a city seal on campaign mailers.