Ventura Councilman Won’t Face Charges
Ventura Councilman Neal Andrews will not face criminal charges over allegations that he broke a city campaign law, officials announced Friday.
Despite the appearance of impropriety, Andrews did not knowingly violate the law when a political action committee that he helped form paid for two advertisements supporting his council campaign, Ventura County Dist. Atty. Greg Totten said in a prepared statement.
The allegations stemmed from ads that ran shortly before the November 2001 City Council election. The ads were purchased by Pacific Action Consortium, which was managed by a company owned by Andrews. The check for the ads was signed by Andrews.
As part of a settlement last year stemming from a civil lawsuit filed by the city, Andrews and Sharon Schnell, treasurer of Pacific Action Consortium, each agreed to pay the city $1,050, while not admitting wrongdoing.
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