Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle hit with $8,000 fine for campaign finance violations
Alameda is thinking about subsidizing the installation of a device intended to thwart catalytic converter thefts
CITY & COUNTY NEWS
ALAMEDA COUNTY
—YOU DOWN WITH FPPC?—Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle received a whopping $8,073 fine levied last month by the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) for campaign finance reporting violations. Over the course of roughly three years, Valle’s campaign failed to report in a timely manner $216,620 in contributions and $81,822 in expenditures, according to an FPPC investigation.
—Valle accepted 15 stipulated counts of violations, including the late reporting of seven semi-annual campaign statements, two pre-election filings, and six Form 497 late contribution statements that are required to be publicly reported within 24 hours of their receipt. Valle’s wife, Barbara Aro-Valle, served as his campaign committee’s treasurer and is named in the FPPC investigation.
—Valle’s fine is large and covers parts of 2017 through 2020. Valle ran unopposed in the 2018 June primary and is again not facing an opponent in this June’s primary. Valle’s District 2 represents Hayward and Tri-Cities areas. The lack of true campaign during this period of infractions suggests the errors may have been attributed to carelessness.
—Rather than contest the 15 campaign finance violations, Valle agreed to a stipulation requiring him to pay the fine. The FPPC investigator, however, “found no evidence of intent to conceal,” according to the stipulation, decision, and order report.
—But Valle’s campaign exhibited a consistent lackadaisical manner when it came to filing campaign finance reports in a timely manner. In 2018, Valle filed a 2017 year-end finance report three months late. The report included $59,611 in contributions and $24,545 in expenditures that were unknown at the time to the public.
—Valle filed two 2018 campaign finance reports nearly one year after they were due, including one report that did not initially include $24,688 in contributions. Two others were filed three months after the fact, among them was the omission of $38,214 in contributions to Valle’s campaign for a filing covering 2018, and $44,575 in contributions and $23,007 in expenditures from 2019 that was not immediately known by the public.
—Four of the six late 24-hour contributions were received in the middle of the June 2018 primary season in February and March. They totaled $11,000 in contributions to Valle’s campaign and were never reported, according to the FPPC investigation. The two others required to be reported within 24 hours of receipts occurred in May 2018 and totaled $3,750. Those reports, however, were filed two and three days late.
—The appearance of a FPPC fine as large as $8,000 always raises eyebrows. A few years back, former AC Transit Board Director Mark Williams was slapped with a $60,000 fine for basically never filing any reports. But on the flip side, a FPPC fine issued in 2016 to Fremont Mayor Lily Mei and Fremont Councilmember Vinnie Bacon were, in comparison, paltry to Williams’ and Valle’s fines. Mei and Bacon agreed to fines of $1,046 and 2,381, respectively, but paid a large price politically for their errors.
ALAMEDA
—CRIME PEVENTION CAT-NIP—Several city councils in the East Bay have held hearings in recent weeks over the rise of catalytic converter thefts in their communities. Among the solutions is etching the Vehicle Identification Number on catalytic converters, marking them with a special paint, and installing a metal cage around them. Alameda, however, is thinking about going further than any other local city in fighting what is becoming an increasingly significant quality of life issue.
—Alameda councilmembers on Tuesday directed city staff to study whether the city is able to fund a program to help residents stem the rise of thefts by subsidizing the installation of metal cages around catalytic converters. An Alameda police captain told the council that he does not know of any city that has tried this type of program. The cost could be significant, he said. Somewhere between $100 and “a few hundred dollars.” Alameda Councilmember John Knox White first broached the specific proposal, asking for a “budget request that is not small.” Knox White said such a program would stop the thefts before they occur.
—The council’s direction to staff passed, 4-1, with Councilmember Tony Daysog, voting no. “I don’t think this a good idea in terms of city hall funds,” Daysog said. Residents are worried about crime, but they don’t want a handout, he added. Much is to be resolved on the issue. Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft ,who supported the council direction, questioned whether the program might become an “administrative nightmare.”
—CITY MANAGER VACANCY—Alameda City Hall seems to be still sorting out the abrupt departure of City Manager Eric Levitt. Two weeks ago, the Fullerton City Council announced the hiring of Levitt to the surprise of Alameda officials. So who will take over, at least, on an interim basis? It’s unknown. The Alameda City Council decided in a lengthy closed session meeting on Tuesday evening to put off the matter until its April 19 meeting. Presumably an interim appointment will be made then, along with the beginning of a search for a permanent city manager. However, the council decided on Tuesday to keep the search in-house rather than to hire an often expensive job recruiting firm. This move may signal the next permanent city manager could be an in-house candidate.
HAYWARD
—EXPECT RATE INCREASE—Amid contract negotiations between Hayward officials and Waste Management, Hayward Mayor Barbara Halliday called out the elephant in the room on Tuesday night. Following a lengthy discussion about the pace of negotiations for a new 10-year contract, which has a soft deadline for the summer, Halliday said residents will receive a rate increase either in the fall or the beginning of next year. Just how much that increase will be is one of the unresolved questions in the negotiations, according to city staff.
—Over the past decade, garbage rates in Hayward have increased between 2.5 percent and 3 percent. A cost-savings plan for resident, proposed by city staff, entails closing a downtown Waste Management office previously used for in-person payments of garbage bills. The office has been closed since the start of the pandemic and averaged 17 customers a day, according to city staff. Despite the ability to pass cost savings on to customers, several Hayward councilmembers said they support keeping the office open.
ELECTION 2022
ALAMEDA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
—PAMELA PRICE PHONE HOME—Kate Capshaw-Spielberg, the actress and wife of film director Steven Spielberg, gave $1,675 to Contra Costa Count District Attorney Diana Becton, a noted progressive DA. Capshaw-Spielberg recently contributed to another progressive DA candidate in Sacramento named Alana Mathews. Recall that Spielberg directed “The Color Purple” and purple is Alameda County DA candidate Pamela Price’s favorite color. Price is also in the class of progressive DAs, like Becton. Might Price be in line for a contribution from Capshaw-Spielberg and other wealthy donors interested in reforming DA offices in the state? This scenario happened four years ago when Price received strong support from an IE created by George Soros to oppose Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
—MONEYBALL—Alameda County District 3 supervisorial candidate Surlene Grant recently contributed $20,000 to her own campaign. The contribution was received by the campaign on Mar. 31, the reporting deadline for the past three months. The timing of the transaction could speak volumes for the state of Grant’s finances. A large, last minute contribution by the candidate usually means the campaign is attempting to goose their numbers.
—For example, JoAnn Walker, a candidate in the Alameda County sheriff’s race, larded her recent year-end finance report with a $80,000 loan, making it appear like her finances were competitive with her two opponents… Alysse Castro, who is challenging Alameda County Superintendent L.K. Monroe, received $1,500 from the IBEW Local 595 PAC Small Contributor Committee.
—Like Grant, Monroe gave her own campaign a $15,000 contribution. Unlike Grant, Monroe’s contribution was filed on April 5 and does not count toward the Mar. 31 filing report.