Woo Fined $13,000 Over Campaign Reports

Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Mike Woo has agreed to pay a $13,000 fine stemming from a Fair Political Practices Commission complaint that his 1993 runoff campaign failed to file proper paperwork for more than 300 late contributions.

In the agreement, Woo acknowledges receiving more than $570,000 in last minute contributions, many of which “were not included on any late contribution reports and none [of which] were reported timely,” the stipulation states.

Woo said Tuesday that his campaign staff thought it was following the law regarding such contributions--and had received approval from the city’s Ethics Commission.

“Literally, just before the end of the statute of limitations, four years later, the state FPPC did an audit, had a different opinion and let us know,” Woo said. “So rather than contest it, we decided to agree to the settlement.”

By agreeing to the stipulation, which was entered last month and expected to be reviewed by the full commission this month, Woo avoided facing a $26,000 fine, the maximum penalty for the 13-count violation.

The audit found that there was no evidence of intentional misconduct, “only negligent campaign reporting violations,” the agreement states. “The majority of the contributions were reported prior to the election.”