By Robert Haugh

The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is the state agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance rules. They are considering slapping Noelani Pearl Hunt (formerly Sallings) and Chris Stampolis with large fines.

Hunt

Hunt is the current Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) Board President and got herself caught up in some controversy this year when she said the City Council was racist for not creating council districts. She was also on the 2016 charter review committee that decided not to create them. But she only showed up to the first meeting, then didn’t do anything. Whoops.

Hunt is no stranger to controversy. In the summer of 2016, 10 Buchser Middle School teachers wrote a letter to the community saying they were concerned about “a stunning breach of ethics” by Hunt, who was then named Noelani Sallings, for an alleged extramarital affair with a Buchser teacher’s husband. Ouch. That’s a really unusual move for teachers.

Here’s what the FPPC says Hunt did wrong.

Sallings currently serves as a Governing Board Member and has previously served as a member for the Santa Clara Unified School District’s Measure J Oversight Committee from 2009 through 2014. The Committee and Sallings failed to timely file four semiannual campaign statements for the reporting period of July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017, in violation of Government Code Section 84200 (4 counts) and four Annual Statements of Economic Interests for the years of 2012 through 2015, in violation of Government Code Section 87300 (4 counts). Total Proposed Penalty: $22,000.

Stampolis

Stampolis has long been a controversial figure in Santa Clara. He was a four-term school board member. Stampolis unsuccessfully filed legal and other complaints against the district a few times. A school principal got a restraining order against him after he threatened her. Wow. Stampolis was censured by his board colleagues for his behavior and he was prohibited from representing the district at events. Ouch.

Stampolis has also been rejected twice for appointments to the City Council in the last couple years. Only one council member, Patty Mahan, voted for him in any round. No kidding.

Here’s what the FPPC said Stampolis did wrong:

The Friends Committee and Stampolis failed to timely file two pre-election campaign statements for the reporting period of July 1, 2016 through October 22, 2016, in violation of Government Code Sections 84200.5 (2 counts) and one semiannual campaign statement for the reporting period of October 23, 2016 through December 31, 2016, in violation of Government Code Section 84200 (1 count). The 2012 Committee and Stampolis failed to timely file two pre-election campaign statements for the reporting period of July 1, 2016 through October 22, 2016, in violation of Government Code Sections 84200.5 (2 counts) and one semiannual campaign statement for the reporting period of October 23, 2016 through December 31, 2016, in violation of Government Code Section 84200 (1 count). Total Proposed Penalty: $21,000.

Stampolis showed up at the July 19 FPPC meeting to say that he was never served papers. The FPPC attorneys say that they have a document from a process server that says that he was. You can watch Stampolis in action on the YouTube link at the 4:30 and 22:22 marks.

The next FPPC hearing is August 16. Stay tuned.