Fresno City Council candidate Ariana Martinez Lott has allegedly improperly coordinated with a progressive minor political party in violation of state campaign finance laws.
A person by the name of Marni Jacobs filed a complaint with Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz over campaign mailers sent out by the California Working Families Party that feature Martinez Lott.
Driving the news: Mailers appeared in Fresno mailboxes on Monday advocating for Fresno Building Healthy Communities CEO Sandra Celedon, who is running for the Assembly in District 31.
- The other side of the mailer promotes Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner, Michael Tubbs for Lt. Governor, Naindeep Singh for Fresno City Council District 1 and Martinez Lott for District 7.
- California Working Family Parties is also one of several groups hosting a phone bank in support of Celedon and Martinez Lott.
Why it matters: California campaign finance law requires all independent expenditures supporting candidates exceeding the $1,000 aggregate threshold to be filed with Form 496 with the City Clerk’s Office.
What they filed: While California Working Families Party did file a Form 496 with the city on Tuesday, it did not disclose its spending on the mailers.
- California Working Families Party disclosed $10,000 of digital advertisement spending on May 8. It did not include any other spending.
Go deeper: The complaint alleges that the California Working Families Party and the Martinez Lott campaign are also violating state law with the phone bank event.
- The complaint states that any related expenditures, such as mailers and text messages supporting Martinez Lott, must be treated as in-kind contributions to the campaign.
What we’re watching: Jacobs is requesting City Attorney Andrew Janz to investigate the alleged state law violations and to impose any appropriate fines and penalties for late and non-filings and for the coordination violations.
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