Boland Offers Apology for Saying Agency Was a Backer

An aide to Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) said Friday the lawmaker will apologize to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for a “clerical error” that resulted in the state agency being listed as a supporter of her reelection campaign.

Although state agencies like the conservancy are barred by law from endorsing political candidates, the conservancy was listed as a Boland supporter on a program handed out Thursday at Boland’s $75-a-plate campaign lunch at the Odyssey restaurant in Granada Hills.

Three top conservancy officials did buy $600 worth of tickets to the event, but conservancy Executive Director Joseph T. Edmiston said they were shocked to see the agency named on the program for the luncheon, which was also attended by Gov. Pete Wilson.

In a letter to Boland on Thursday, Edmiston stressed that the donations “were entirely personal, involving no public funds. . . . As an agency of the State of California we neither support nor oppose candidates,” he wrote.

“It’s not my best morning,” Edmiston said Friday, following news of the gaffe. “I have to pay for bad publicity.”

“It’s embarrassing because it was an error by our campaign staff,” said Boland’s chief of staff, Scott Wilk. “Our campaign is going to issue a letter to them apologizing,” he said.

“We got a little egg on our face . . . but certainly there was no nefarious intention here.”

Edmiston said he bought five tickets for the event and that agency officials Belinda Faustinos and Rorie Ann bought three more. The event netted Boland nearly $20,000.

Boland, Edmiston said, has been helpful to the conservancy, which acquires park and trail sites in the Santa Monicas and other hills and mountains ringing the San Fernando Valley.