Hollister
– The California Fair Political Practices Commission cleared
former San Benito County Supervisor Richard Scagliotti of
wrongdoing three years after a complaint was filed accusing the
developer of failing to disclose his economic interest in the
Churchill Nut Plant, which he bought and sold for a h
efty profit during his tenure on the San Benito County Board of
Supervisors.
Hollister – The California Fair Political Practices Commission cleared former San Benito County Supervisor Richard Scagliotti of wrongdoing three years after a complaint was filed accusing the developer of failing to disclose his economic interest in the Churchill Nut Plant, which he bought and sold for a hefty profit during his tenure on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors.
Scagliotti, who has been at the center of an ongoing corruption lawsuit filed against the county in 2003, said “people forget to do things sometimes” and that he never tried to hide his interest in the property.
FPPC Commission Counsel Margaret Figeroid wrote in a letter to Scagliotti’s attorney that “based on the age of the allegations and after reviewing our caseload and limited resources, we have decided to close this matter without formal enforcement action.” A copy of the letter, dated Oct. 11, was recently obtained by the Free Lance.
“This is just one more thing that proves I didn’t do anything wrong,” Scagliotti told the Free Lance on Thursday.
Figeroid wrote in the letter that “a review of Mr. Scagliotti’s 2000 and 2001 SEI’s revealed that he did not disclose his interest in the property located at 1400 Orchard Road. However, the statements were amended in March 2005 to include that information.”
The complaint accusing Scagliotti of violating the Political Reform Act was filed in 2003.
Scagliotti bought the property in August of 2000 and sold it in March of 2001, after it had been rezoned, for a $1.4 million profit. Since details of the sale became public, Scagliotti has been at the center of an ongoing county corruption lawsuit filed on behalf of an anonymous group by Monterey attorney Mike Pekin. The attorney filed suit against the county in 2003 alleging that Scagliotti used his position on the Board of Supervisors to quickly rezone the property and make a substantial profit.
Scagliotti said he hopes the FPPC’s letter puts and end to Pekin’s allegations against him.
“I’m looking forward to the end of all this,” he said.
Pekin told the Free Lance on Thursday that he had not seen the letter, but that he was surprised by the FPPC’s decision.
“It’s bizarre that the FPPC would clear a politician for something like this. Why disclose anything if you could wait till you got caught and then declare the property?” Pekin said.
Pekin said the FPPC’s letter would not derail his case against the county and Scagliotti.
“In my case, he’s going to be found guilty,” he said.
Pekin’s lawsuit against the county and Scagliotti is still pending. It has morphed several times as plaintiffs dropped out of the case and has never gone to trial. The lawsuit also spawned legal action against Pekin and the anonymous group Los Valientes, the original plaintiff in the case. In 2004, San Benito County District Attorney John Sarsfield filed suit against Pekin, his law firm and the anonymous group, alleging that they violated the civil rights of eight elected officials and local business owners, including Scagliotti. Sarsfield has since been removed from the case by a judge’s order. The case has been handed off to the California Attorney General’s Office.
Sarsfield, although no longer involved in the case, told the Free Lance that he believes the FPPC letter vindicates Scagliotti and justifies his 2003 decision not to look into Pekin’s allegations of corruption.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
br******@fr***********.com
.
