Torrance Fines PAC $2,859; All but $300 Is Suspended

A small Torrance political action committee that failed to file campaign disclosure statements has been fined $2,859 by the city clerk’s office, but all but $300 of the fine has been suspended.

City Clerk John A. Bramhall has written the group, Protect Our Property Committee, stating that he is assessing the $2,859 fine.

“However, due to your cooperation and promptness in correcting deficiencies, I am suspending $2,559 of this fine,” wrote Bramhall in the letter dated Monday.

The group’s treasurer, Frank Rizzardi, said Wednesday he would not comment on the fine until the Protect Our Property Committee meets within the next week.

Rizzardi did cite in the committee’s defense a July 12 letter from the California Fair Political Practices Commission, informing him that the panel had closed the case.

The commission’s letter states that Protect Our Property promptly filed its statements when informed it should do so by the city clerk. It also describes as “relatively small” the amount of activity by the committee.

“There did not appear to be an intent to deceive the public,” commission spokeswoman Sandra Michioku said Wednesday. But, although the state is not taking enforcement action, late fines could be imposed locally, she said.

The fracas over the statements began this spring, when City Councilman Bill Applegate, who was seeking reelection, complained about the committee. He said he could not find any records at City Hall on the committee, which had excluded him from an endorsement letter distributed by the group before the March city elections.

The city clerk’s office determined the committee had not filed disclosure statements since 1986. State law requires political action committees to file two reports a year.

In April, Rizzardi said he had believed the committee needed to file statements only if it donated $500 or more to a single candidate. Rizzardi told a reporter that a possible fine of $2,859 “is far above anything we’ve ever had in our treasury at one time.”

Bramhall said Wednesday “it seemed fair” to suspend the bulk of the fine because the group had been “very cooperative” and complied with the law after being told what was required.