By Robert Haugh
Noelani Pearl Hunt (formerly Sallings) is an outgoing Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) Board member. She’s going out paying a big fine for failing to file campaign finance reports.
The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is the state agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance rules. Here’s what they concluded in their investigation of Hunt:
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.
The good news for Hunt is that she admitted fault and her fine was reduced to $5,600. She’s personally responsible for the fine.
Hunt 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.
Stampolis
Chris Stampolis is a former SCUSD board member and just lost his bid the be Santa Clara City Clerk. He had two committees that failed to file FPPC reports. The FPPC has fined him a total of $21,000. Here’s what the FPPC concluded:
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).
But Stampolis won’t admit it’s his fault. He’s asked for an administrative law judge to review the matter. It’s his right, but it sounds like a waste of everyone’s time.
The judge will make a recommendation to the FPPC on the findings of fact, law and penalty. The FPPC will then make the final determination on the case. Here’s a link to the FPPC staff memo and accusations against Stampolis.
Stampolis has been controversial for decades. He’s had lots of harassment complaints against him about his treatment of women and SCUSD employees.
Stampolis will be personally responsible for any FPPC fines, too.
Editor’s Note: We first reported these fines back in August.
[…] committees that failed to file FPPC reports. But Stampolis won’t admit it’s his fault. He’s asked for an administrative law judge to review the matter. […]
Not to mention Stampolis is wasting tax payer money by asking a judge to review the matter. He should have to pay for that as well. Stop wasting my money (taxes).
Glad Sallings/Hunt/Pearl or whatever her name is is gone. Matthews put her on that charter review committee and she never showed up. Funny how both Matthews and Sallings are gone now. Sallings road peoples coattails to get where she got and never did anything when she got there only try and help her union buddies. Good riddance. She didn’t offer anything but hurt, grief and insult to those that helped her. Don’t’ let the door hit you on the way out.
I was on the 2016 Charter Review Committee and after a number of meetings we came to grips with the reality that we did not have time to complete a re-districting. If we had tried we would have wasted the time alloted and accomplished nothing. Many of us believed this redistricting was being pushed by a former mayor that wanted some council members aced out of re-election by disqualifying them by district.