ELECTIONS OXNARD : Inquiry Sought Over Contributions

Oxnard City Clerk Mabi Plisky has asked Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury to investigate charges that supporters of a 5% utility tax increase failed to report several non-monetary campaign contributions.

The complaint contends that Citizens for Public Safety, a group that supports the tax, failed to report in campaign statements filed last week the donation of office space at a discount price, printing services, utility costs and $200 in postage stamps, among other things.

The two-page complaint filed by Curtis P. Davison, treasurer for Oxnard Residents for Responsible Government, a group opposed to the measure, was sent to Plisky last week.

Plisky said she forwarded the complaint to the district attorney’s office after discussing the matter with representatives of the state Fair Political Practices Commission on Tuesday.

Special Assistant Dist. Atty. Donald Coleman said Tuesday that he has not seen the complaint.

He said if his office determines that there has been a violation of state campaign reporting laws he can file criminal or civil charges depending on whether the violations were willful.

“However, until I see the complaint I really can’t say what will happen,” he said.

Bill Gallaher, a member of Citizens for Public Safety and president of the Oxnard Firefighters Assn., said the group erroneously failed to report a $200 non-monetary donation but denied there were other omissions in the campaign statements filed last week.

He accused Davison of misleading the voters by raising the accusations.

“We are not going to do anything illegal,” Gallaher said. “It would be kind of silly for us to consider something like that.”

The tax increase is designed to ease Oxnard’s financial crisis by raising $5 million annually. City officials have warned that if Measure C is not approved June 5, the city will have to drastically cut personnel, possibly including police officers and firefighters, to avoid a $2.8-million deficit next year.

Citizens for Public Safety, a pro-tax group, filed a 13-page statement last week, detailing $31,700 in contributions, mostly from developers, public employee groups and city officials. The statement reports no non-monetary contributions.

The group warns that if the tax increase is not approved the city may be forced to cut police and fire services and close a library, a youth boxing center and a museum.

Opponents of the tax, including Oxnard Residents for Responsible Government and the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce, say the city’s financial crisis is due to mismanagement.

Davison said he does not have documented proof that the Citizens for Public Safety failed to report contributions, only that he had heard of possible omissions through associates and people familiar with the campaign.

Davison’s complaint alleges that Citizens for Public Safety failed to report six non-monetary contributions:

* Discount office space provided by the Told Corp. for a campaign headquarters.

* The cost of utilities for the campaign headquarters. The complaint said the utility bills are being paid by Warmington Homes, an Orange County developer.

* The cost of printing invitations for a fund-raiser at the Tower Club. The complaint said the invitations were paid for by The Dolphin Group, a West Los Angeles public relations firm.

* The cost of renting the Tower Club for the fund-raiser. The complaint said Mayor Nao Takasugi reserved the club under his own membership.

* The cost of strategy breakfast meetings held by Takasugi to persuade business leaders to support the tax measure.

* $200 in postage stamps paid for by the Oxnard Peace Officers Assn.

Gallaher said the cost of renting a campaign headquarters, utilities for the headquarters and invitations for the fund-raiser were not reported because all the bills have yet to be paid. He said once the bills are paid the group will report it in a separate campaign statement.

He said he does not expect the Told Corp. or Warmington Homes to pay for any of these costs.

He said the Tower Club was rented under Takasugi’s membership but he said the group will pay the rental charge when the bill is received.

As for the strategy breakfast meetings, Takasugi and Gallaher said that each participant in the meetings paid for his or her own breakfast.