California election regulators have proposed a $104,000 fine for a Commerce councilwoman accused of illegally transferring campaign funds into her personal bank account. It is the largest financial penalty ever levied against a local elected official in California.
The Fair Political Practices Commission said Baca Del Rio has already missed a deadline to respond to the allegations or negotiate a settlement. If she doesn’t pay the judgment, the agency could take a number of steps to obtain the money, including placing a lien on her home.
Baca Del Rio insists she has been cooperative.
“I didn’t even know of [the penalty] until just a few minutes ago,” she said, calling the initial complaint politically motivated.
Baca Del Rio is accused of violating the state’s Political Reform Act on 24 counts, including allegations that she used campaign cash to re-do her kitchen. She has called that an innocent mix-up.
Commerce is no stranger to public wrongdoing. Since 2010, two members of the City Council have pleaded guilty to separate corruption charges. Baca Del Rio herself was recalled in 2008 and then re-elected the following year. In 2011, she was fined $26,000 for for failing to file her campaign disclosures by state deadlines.
The FPPC is scheduled to approve the judgment July 21.
Read more about the judgment here.