California State Senator Carole Migden was just fined $350,000.00 for her numerous violations of the Political Reform Act. You may remember Senator Migden as the “crazy driver” on Interstate 80 who was driving erratically and crashed into another car and didn’t take the time to assess the other party. Multiple calls to CHP via cellular telephones reported Migden as driving all over the place, including scraping the guardrail on at least two occasions. Did the tax payers have to pay to repair Migden’s state vehicle? Should we request the records to find out? There was a large question of whether Migden was on her cellphone at the time and I proposed using the Legislative Records Act to obtain the call history and usage times.
Matthew Yi of the San Francisco Chronicle reports:
State Sen. Carole Migden has been fined $350,000 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the largest penalty ever levied against a candidate for state office, for dozens of violations ranging from taking campaign funds for personal use to failing to itemize political expenses, the watchdog agency said Tuesday.
The agency’s investigation was prompted in part by a complaint filed last fall by fellow San Francisco Democrat Mark Leno, an assemblyman who is one of two Democrats trying to oust Migden in the June primary. The other challenger for the Third District Senate seat, which stretches from San Francisco to Sonoma County, is former San Rafael Assemblyman Joe Nation.
The FPPC’s initial probe concerned $397,000 in campaign credit card expenses that the senator failed to itemize. State law requires candidates to list the names and addresses of vendors being paid with a credit card for expenditures of more than $100.
But commission investigators found other violations, 89 in all, as well, the agency said. They included receiving contributions for her first Senate run before filing official papers to declare her candidacy, inaccurate disclosures of cash payments and taking $16,317 of campaign funds for the personal use of herself and an aide.
But you have to love what her mouthpiece, attorney James Harrison said his client’s violations are little more than bookkeeping errors. To the tune of $397,000? RIGHT.
Here are the DOCUMENTS relating to her chronic misuse:
ORDER | Migden signed it
EX. 1 | Some details
EX. 2 | The juicy stuff
Here are her priors (taken directly from the California Fair Political Practices Commission website):
MIGDEN, CAROLE, CAROLE MIGDEN LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE, AND ROGER SANDERS, FPPC NO. 2004/302 (2006)
84200.5(a) – One (1) count
84203(a) and (b) – Four (4) counts
85309(a) – Nine (9) counts
85309(c) – Eight (8) counts
$47,500 fine
Carole Migden was a successful candidate for the 1st District of the Board of Equalization in the November 5, 2002, General Election. Carole Migden Leadership Committee was the Controlled Committee of Migden. Roger Sanders was the treasurer for Carole Migden Leadership Committee. Respondents failed to: file a pre-election campaign statement; file late contribution reports; file online or electronic reports disclosing contributions of $1,000 or more received during the 90-day period before an election within 24-hours of receipt; and file online or electronic reports disclosing contributions of $5,000 or more received outside the 90-day period before an election within 10 business days of receipt. Order | Exhibit
MIGDEN, CAROLE, FRIENDS OF CAROLE MIGDEN, AND ROGER SANDERS, FPPC No. 2004/302 (2006)
84200.5(a) – Three (3) counts
84200.3(a) and 84200.4(b) – One (1) count
84203(a) and (b) – Five (5) counts
85309(a) – Ten (10) counts
85309(c) – Two (2) counts
$47,100 fine
Respondent Carole Migden was a successful candidate for the 3rd State Senate District in the November 2, 2004, General Election. Friends of Carole Migden is Migden’s controlled committee. Roger Sanders is the treasurer for Friends of Carole Migden. Respondents failed to: file pre-election campaign statements; file an “odd-year” campaign report; file late contribution reports; file online or electronic reports disclosing contributions of $1,000 or more received during the 90-day period before an election within 24-hours of receipt; and file online or electronic reports disclosing contributions of $5,000 or more received outside the 90-day period before an election within 10 business days of receipt. Order | Exhibit
MIGDEN, CAROLE, RE-ELECT ASSEMBLYWOMAN CAROLE MIGDEN, 01/705, (2002)
84203 - Eight ( 
counts
$16,000 fine
Re-Elect Assemblywoman Carole Migden of San Francisco failed to file eight late contribution reports in 2000. Order and Exhibit.
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March 19th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
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