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Within the wake of a particular recall election and a June 7 main that noticed practically $2 million spent on native campaigning, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors appeared prepared to speak about placing limits on marketing campaign contributions.
However after listening to from County Counsel Rubin Cruse Jr., who informed supervisors on Tuesday that they don’t have the authority to cap contributions to impartial political motion committees or restrict their spending, the board determined to do nothing.
State election legislation caps contributions to particular person candidates at $4,900. That’s the default restrict for cities or counties if there aren’t any native ordinances in place, which is the case in Shasta County.
Nevertheless, a metropolis or county can set limits larger or decrease than the state’s $4,900 cap.
However election legislation doesn’t restrict the sum of money a person may give to an impartial political motion committee.
“The principle space the board has management over are on contributions made on to candidates or their managed committees,” Cruse mentioned throughout Tuesday’s board assembly.
Supervisors requested for Cruse to deliver extra info on marketing campaign finance guidelines on July 12, the identical assembly wherein the board voted 3-2 to just accept the outcomes of the June 7 main after greater than six hours of feedback from audio system who principally known as the outcomes into query.
Supervisors Patrick Jones and Tim Garman voted in opposition to accepting the outcomes.
The June 7 main and profitable recall of Supervisor Leonard Moty in February noticed unprecedented quantities of marketing campaign donations move into Shasta County. A lot of the cash was spent on native TV and radio spots.
Monetary disclosure statements present that the Shasta Common Goal Committee and Liberty Committee spent a mixed $1.35 million on the recall and the first, once they backed six “non-establishment” candidates. The identical group that backed the recall was behind the Liberty Committee, which was established in January, 5 months earlier than the June main.
Most of that cash, or $830,000, got here from Reverge Anselmo, the rich Connecticut donor who used to personal Anselmo Vineyards east of Redding and had a long-running courtroom battle with Shasta County over his development exercise on a greater than 2,000-acre cattle ranch and vineyard.
Anselmo additionally gave $100,000 to Jones’ profitable 2020 District Four supervisorial marketing campaign. Jones acquired the donation from Anselmo earlier than the state legislation capping particular person donations at $4,900 went into impact on Jan. 1, 2021.
These big donations triggered an investigation after the California Truthful Political Practices Fee acquired a grievance.
Anselmo is being investigated for allegations that he did not file as a significant donor in 2020, 2021 and 2022. FPPC spokesman Jay Wierenga mentioned the company opened the investigation after receiving a grievance in Could, and it’s nonetheless open.
Additionally nonetheless open is a FPPC investigation alleging marketing campaign legislation violations by pro-recall teams Crimson, White and Blueprint, Recall Shasta and Shasta Common Goal Committee, Wierenga mentioned. That grievance was lodged in Could 2021.
Wierenga mentioned he couldn’t touch upon open investigations.
In the meantime, Shasta Common Goal Committee and the Liberty Committee outspent ShastaVote and Shasta Ahead, two opposing PACs, by a 3-to-1 margin throughout the recall and June 7 main campaigns. Shasta Ahead was established to combat the recall of Moty. ShastaVote was established throughout the main marketing campaign.
ShastaVote and ShastaForward spent about $450,000 mixed in these two elections, monetary disclosure filings confirmed. The 2 largest donors to ShastaVote have been Sierra Pacific Industries ($150,000) and the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians ($100,000), which function Rolling Hills On line casino in Corning.
Feelings are nonetheless uncooked from the recall of Moty and the June 7 main.
Susanne Baremore informed supervisors that “the legislation is the legislation” relating to marketing campaign finance, however she implored the board to assist heal the group, which she mentioned was ripped aside by the 2 elections.
“Let’s get us again to a spot the place we’re having civil debate and civil discourse and we’re speaking about points,” she mentioned.
Supervisor Garman countered that the group was damaged earlier than the recall.
He added that the board of supervisors immediately is in a greater place than the place it was earlier than Moty was recalled. Garman changed Moty on the board.
“I believe our group is beginning to heal,” Garman mentioned.
Each District Three Supervisor Mary Rickert and District 1 Supervisor Joe Chimenti took exception to that. Rickert and Chimenti additionally have been targets of a recall, however supporters couldn’t get sufficient signatures to place their names on the poll.
“I recognize the civility that you just’ve dropped at the board, however I need to be very clear that there was a really distinct motion that created an amazing quantity of hostility and divide on this chamber,” Chimenti mentioned to Garman.
“The motion that put you right here created the divide, and I don’t assume we are able to ever look previous that,” he mentioned, including once more that his feedback weren’t a mirrored image on Garman.
Rickert, who was elected to characterize District Three in 2016, mentioned the board didn’t want fixing earlier than the recall.
“We labored as a board very nicely collectively for a few years and we weren’t damaged,” she mentioned.
David Benda covers enterprise, improvement and the rest that comes up for the USA TODAY Community in Redding. He additionally writes the weekly “Buzz on the Road” column. He’s a part of a workforce of devoted reporters that examine wrongdoing, cowl breaking information and inform different tales about your group. Attain him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by telephone at 1-530-338-8323. To assist and maintain this work, please subscribe immediately.
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