Did Mayor Hamilton Break the Law?

A complaint was filed last week with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) alleging that Mayor Andrew Hamilton violated the provisions by using funds from his 2014 campaign to defend the recall election of Scott Voigts and Dwight Robinson. Hamilton distributed flyers asking residents to support the anti-recall movement. While the FPPC regulations allow for Hamilton to use his 2014 campaign funds to defend his own recall, the complaint alleges there is no provision allowing him to use this money to defend the recall of anyone else. To do this, the complaint alleges, Hamilton was required to open a new Committee.

Ironically, Hamilton's efforts yielded few results.

This is the second complaint against Hamilton this year. The previous complaint is still under investigation. There is also an investigation pending against the anti-recall group run by David Ellis, alleging that they began activity prior to organizing their committee.

Meanwhile, the recall supporters gathered enough signatures to meet the State requirements, and Voigts, Hamilton, and Robinson may soon face a special election.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a Town Hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be on August 13 at 2 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.

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