Four of five supervisors’ comments on their legally reported
campaign donations came in light of a Free Lance investigation that
found Lombardo
&
amp; Gilles, DMB-El Rancho San Benito’s local law firm,
organized two fundraisers for Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz during
his recent reelection campaign and offered to pick up a balance of
about $100 on the official’s election-night party, which the firm
also oversaw.
For the full story detailing Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz’s campaign support from Lombardo & Gilles, go here.
HOLLISTER
While just one county supervisor received an itemized donation directly from DMB-El Rancho San Benito in a recent campaign, two of five board members have acknowledged or reported accepting financial support from the builder’s law firm while another one has declined to identify contributors of $99 or less when asked about that particular business.
Supervisor Reb Monaco’s campaign finance reports show he accepted $1,413 for brochure printing from DMB Associates in February 2007. The official responded by reiterating his stance stated early last week to the Free Lance after acknowledging he also has received unitemized donations of $99 or less from the builder’s law firm – that he has told the developer and others who contribute they are “not buying a vote.”
Monaco, reelected in November 2006 to a second term in District 4, is among two county supervisors either acknowledging or who have reported accepting donations from Lombardo & Gilles – the firm representing DMB-El Rancho San Benito in its pursuit of a 6,800-unit development off Highway 25 north of Hollister – or the developer itself.
The other is Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz, who has reported accepting $300 from the law firm in April 2007.
Four of five supervisors’ comments on their legally reported campaign donations came in light of a Free Lance investigation that found Lombardo & Gilles, DMB-El Rancho San Benito’s local law firm, organized two fundraisers for De La Cruz during his recent reelection campaign and offered to pick up a balance of about $100 on the official’s election-night party, which the firm also oversaw.
De La Cruz has denied any “shenanigans” but conceded he would amend his reports to reflect missing campaign activity. He has not returned repeated phone calls from the Free Lance since the story broke on his donations.
So far, De La Cruz on his most recent reports due last week amended the documents to include a $189 in-kind donation from Lombardo & Gilles for “services to assist” a fundraiser in relation to a May 2008 event at Bedolla Family Vineyards. He also added a $250 in-kind donation from San Juan Oaks to the latest reports, which he did not disclose previously, for another fundraiser before his June victory.
De La Cruz still has not amended his reports to note any other in-kind donations from two fundraisers at Bedolla Family Vineyards. Its owner, Elias Bedolla, has confirmed he supplied the food and wine for at least one of the events last March, and a source familiar with the first fundraiser there in May 2007 estimated 100 people attended that party.
He also has not included any campaign activity from his June victory party after which Broken Wing owner Larry Otis, after first accepting attorney Jeff Gilles’ credit card to pay for the balance of “about $100,” tore up the bill and told him to consider it a contribution.
Botelho: Records show no donations
When informed of De La Cruz’s undisclosed donations, Supervisor Anthony Botelho initially had estimated accepting “a few” $99 checks from Lombardo & Gilles. When asked again Friday if he accepted more than $99 in total from the donor during a calendar year – which then requires candidates to identify that contributor – Botelho agreed to check his records further. He later said those records showed he actually did not receive any donations from the firm for his 2008 race.
“According to my records, I didn’t get anything from them,” Botelho said. “And I apologize to you. I just took it for granted that I probably got something from them. As it turns out, I didn’t.”
Supervisor Margie Barrios, meanwhile, has declined to disclose names of donors who contributed $99 or less. And Supervisor Pat Loe has denied accepting any support from the firm or DMB.
Barrios, the first-term supervisor elected in 2008, said she decided against identifying any of those donors because they expect their names to remain undisclosed when contributing.
While she had no itemized contributions from Lombardo & Gilles, Barrios said she would not verify whether the firm contributed unitemized donations because if she discloses one’s identity, she would “have to do the same for all of them.” She stressed, meanwhile, that donors contribute under $100 because they “do it with the knowledge it’s not going to be reportable.” Barrios said.
Barrios said she was unsure whether she accepted any unitemized donations from the firm and that she had not examined her records to find out since the initial Free Lance inquiry eight days ago, when she noted she would check those documents.
“I do not know if they did (donate) and I’m not even going to look because of the reason I just stated,” Barrios said.
Firm partner Jeff Gilles has responded to the De La Cruz donations by saying the business backs officials who support the agriculture industry. He also responded to the Free Lance request for an interview, about any unitemized donations the firm may have given, by responding in an e-mail: “We file reports as required by law. If you have specific questions regarding any filings we have made, please let me know.”
DMB official Mike Roberts has said he had been unaware of the law firm’s political involvement. Regarding the Monaco contribution, Roberts said he was unsure what led to the donation because he had not arrived as project manager until July.
Monaco’s side approached DMB
While three county supervisors have accepted Lombardo & Gilles’ donations, Monaco is the only one who received a reportable contribution of $100 or more from DMB, according to campaign documents.
Monaco said he believes the expense was for a mailer and he surmised it had been sent out during his campaign months prior, but that the bill came after the November 2006 election.
He said either he or someone from his campaign committee approached DMB about the donation.
“I authorized it,” he said. “I will stand up to that.”
Roberts, DMB’s vice president of corporate entitlements, recognized that DMB-El Rancho San Benito has a policy against donating to political candidates. He said he was uncertain why the business made the donation at the time and that he did not know whether the company policy had been in place two years ago.
“I can’t speak to what the policy was back in early 2007,” Roberts said.
Monaco noted, in attempting to recall that donation, how he is “probably glad they did” contribute. Asked if he had been concerned about DMB donating while pursuing the board’s approval, Monaco responded: “I’ve told everybody, ‘You are not buying a vote when you contribute to me.'”
Monaco also pointed out that he had received campaign support from Ken Gimelli, who owned property on which the Dell Webb development had been considered in that same election cycle, and how he voted against that project.
During the entire 2006 race against Tracie Cone and John Hodges, which Monaco described as “brutal,” the supervisor raised $55,865 in 2006 and $2,000 in 2005, according to campaign documents.
