More Power to the FPPC : ‘Clean government’ group is nailed, but other miscreants go unnoticed

Californians Against Corruption, a reflexive pro-gun group that last year spearheaded a deceptive and mean-spirited bid to unseat former state Sen. President David A. Roberti, has been slapped by the state Fair Political Practices Commission with a 404-count complaint for intentionally violating state campaign rules. In the words of state investigators, the case is the “worst and most flagrant” in FPPC history.

It was bad enough that the self-styled corruption crusaders launched a recall election to carry out a single-issue political vendetta against Roberti for his role in passing California’s historic 1989 ban on military-style assault weapons. But the organization also wasted nearly $1 million of taxpayers’ money to stage their recall outside of the regular election cycle when Roberti, under term limits, was required to leave his San Fernando Valley Senate seat within months anyway.

According to a laundry list of FPPC charges, the group--which insisted that its aim was to clean up government--engaged in political behavior that was anything but tidy. The complaint filed by state ethics watchdogs says that Californians Against Corruption violated campaign disclosure laws by hiding the amount and sources of contributions to its cause. One of the largest contributors was the National Rifle Assn., which gave $5,000.

Pro-gun forces were not averse to exploiting the recall process for their own narrow aims. Their apparent disregard of campaign disclosure rules raises the larger issue of whether current ethics laws play into the hands of those who are willing to pay the small price it takes--$2,000 per violation for late filing--to keep their financial sources hidden from the public until after an election has been held.

In this instance, Californians Against Corruption faces the prospect of record-breaking fines totaling more than $800,000. But too often violations slip by unnoticed.

To help others think twice, the state should raise the ceiling on fines for campaign disclosure violations and give the FPPC authority to undertake criminal prosecution.