The number of candidates for countywide office in 2014 who have been charged with campaign finance reporting violations has jumped to eight following the state Fair Political Practices Commission’s citation and fining of San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon and Fourth District Supervisor Curt Hagman.
Of note is that five of those eight individuals were ones who hold or aspired to law enforcement office. The California Fair Political Practices Commission fined McMahon and Hagman $1,500 each for transgressions pertaining to irregularities in campaign finance reporting or funding violations that occurred last year and further fined McMahon’s and Hagman’s treasurers, Marvin Reiter and John Fugatt, respectively, as well.
The McMahon and Hagman matters were given final adjudication at the Fair Political Practices Commission’s August 20 meeting after McMahon, Hagman, Reiter and Fugatt stipulated to the violations and paid the fines.
McMahon and Reiter ran afoul of the state’s regulations through McMahon accepting a $500 political contribution in the form of a cashier’s check and a $100 contribution in the form of a money order, neither of which were drawn from the bank account of the contributors.
McMahon characterized his campaign’s action as “a mistake.”
Hagman and Fugatt were fined for accepting an $8,200 cashier’s check that was not drawn from the bank account of the contributor.
In May, the commission imposed fines of $6,000 against the Rancho Cucamonga Professional Firefighters Association IAFF Local 2274 PAC; $5,000 against district attorney Mike Ramos; $3,000 against San Bernardino County Sheriff candidate Clifton L. Harris and $1,500 against San Bernardino County Sheriff candidate Paul Schrader; $1,500 against county supervisor candidate Randolph Beasley; $1,500 against district attorney candidate Grover Merritt; and $150 against county auditor/controller/treasurer-tax collector Larry Walker. All proposed fines stem from the 2014 election cycle.
The fines against McMahon and Hagman bring to a total $16,500 in fines assessed against County candidates in the 2014 election cycle.
Since January 2013, the county has had a contract with the state Fair Political Practices Commission to monitor county elected officials and county political candidates with regard to compliance with state and county campaign finance law and ordinances. The county has paid the commission $113,159.06 for its services during the 31 months the contract has been in effect.