Panel Fines 2 for Misreporting Campaign Funds
The state’s political watchdog Thursday fined Assemblyman David Knowles (R-Cameron Park) and former Assemblyman Peter Chacon (D-San Diego) for faulty reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures.
The Fair Political Practices Commission levied a $6,000 fine against Knowles and his political committee for filing late contribution reports and a $14,000 fine against Chacon for filing false campaign expenditure reports and failing to report gifts.
In the largest penalties announced Thursday, the FPPC fined an Oakland architecture and planning company $40,000 for its role as an intermediary in a scheme to launder local campaign contributions.
Chacon was fined for filing misleading contribution reports in 1989, and hiding personal spending of campaign funds by listing it as work-related travel. He also attempted to conceal the amount of personal purchases by recording them below the $100 reporting threshold, according to the FPPC.
The commission also said Chacon failed to properly report gifts and maintain adequate credit card documentation.
Knowles and his organization were penalized $6,000 for filing late contribution reports preceding the 1990 primary and general elections, involving a total of $10,700 in donations. Knowles’ district covers a rural area of Northern California.
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