Councilman Admits Filings Were Deficient : Politics: National City’s Jess E. Van Deventer, target of a private investigator, releases amended disclosure statements. The originals listed only about a third of his extensive property holdings.

National City Councilman Jess E. Van Deventer reported only about a third of his extensive property holdings and also failed to report 14 sources of income in his 1988 economic disclosure statement.

The “glaring omissions” were made public when Van Deventer, a businessman with financial interests ranging from construction to rental property, released amended disclosure statements he had filed for 1985-88.

He announced the new filings Tuesday night at a City Council meeting, saying publicly that “my previously filed statements are deficient in certain aspects.” Van Deventer and his attorney, George Schultz, blamed the omissions on “previous advisers” who took care of the councilman’s disclosure statements.

Van Deventer has been the subject of a six-month investigation by an Orange County private investigator, who has been hired by a yet-unnamed National City businessman to probe the councilman’s financial and property interests.

On Wednesday, Linda Miller, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said the office has received reports about Van Deventer, but stressed that he is not under investigation.

Both Van Deventer and Schultz said they are aware of the investigation. However, Van Deventer insists that his decision to correct his previous filings was not prompted by the inquiry.

“That did not play a role in what I did, none at all,” he said. “A few months ago, my lawyer and I started checking out the people that I had hired in the past to do my statements. During that checking, numerous things came to light, and I was concerned that things were not done properly, and we wanted to correct them.”

Schultz, who acknowledged that the original 1988 filing contained some “glaring omissions,” minimized Van Deventer’s fault in preparing the statements.

“I’m not saying that he’s not responsible. I would say that the people preparing them weren’t completely accurate, and Jess didn’t do a good job of reviewing them adequately before he signed them,” Schultz said. “But where’s the damage?”

In 1988, Van Deventer listed interests in only four National City properties, including three on East 17th Street. Under the state’s reporting laws, politicians are not required to report their personal residences. The amended filing listed eight additional properties that he either owns or has an interest in. All of the newly listed properties except one are in National City.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Van Deventer acknowledged that some of the properties are in the city’s redevelopment area. To avoid a conflict of interest, he said, he has decided not to participate in votes involving future redevelopment projects “until this matter is sorted out by my attorney.”

“Of primary concern at the present time is the status of certain property interests which I have acquired” in the redevelopment area, he told the council.

On Wednesday, Van Deventer said that he, or the properties he owns, did not benefit from his previous votes on redevelopment projects.

“There was never a conflict of interests. . . . As far as the taxpayers are concerned, I never voted improperly,” he said.

In 1988, Van Deventer listed income from only four sources. The amended statement lists 14 additional sources of income, ranging from rents collected from commercial property he owns to interest from loans made to individuals and businesses. Ten of the new incomes were listed at more than $10,000 each.

The new 1988 statement also lists four previously unreported loans received by Van Deventer. Three of them were for more than $10,000, and one was paid off in 1988. Van Deventer posted several of his commercial properties as security for the loans; individual properties were used as security for up to three loans from different lenders.

Van Deventer also failed to list income from four rental properties in the original statement. Each property generates more than $10,000 in income a year.

Originally, Van Deventer listed only two investments--Vancon Corp. and Vancon Trust. The corporation is listed as a construction company, while the trust is listed as a property management and financing business. The construction company is listed as being worth more than $100,000 on both the original and amended forms, but the trust company’s value is listed at more than $100,000 in the new form and between $10,000 and $100,000 in the old one.

The amended form also includes four additional investments, including an individual retirement account, ranging in value from $1,000 to $100,000.

Attorney Schultz blamed Pacific Professionals, a San Diego accounting firm that represented Van Deventer, for causing confusion in the disclosure statements. In previous statements, some of the properties were listed as owned by Pacific Professionals, with Van Deventer holding deeds of trust on the properties, Schultz said.

“The holdings were listed under deeds of trust, when in fact he was the owner. There was no deliberate attempt to mislead anybody. . . . We were very concerned to get these properties back in Jess’ name. That was our primary concern,” he said.

Accountant Jerry Sagawa, who owns Pacific Professionals, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

According to tax records, several of the properties owned in National City by Van Deventer and his wife, Sharon, have Pacific Professional’s mailing address on 5th Avenue in San Diego.

Schultz said Van Deventer recently obtained title to the properties previously held by Pacific Professionals.

He said Van Deventer volunteered on his own to amend his previous statements, once he recognized that there were “serious deficiencies in the old filings.”

National City Atty. George Eiser and the state Fair Political Practices Commission were notified that the corrected statements would be filed, Schultz said.

“This wasn’t a situation where someone came in and told us, ‘Amend the statements or else,’ ” he said.