Red Bluff >> State Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, and Tehama County Supervisor Bob Williams and have been fined $10,000 and $13,000 respectively for campaign finance violations stemming from Williams’ unsuccessful 2012 run for the California Assembly.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission released a report this week on its website detailing “an earmarked, over-the-limit contribution” to Williams’ campaign totaling $4,320 to pay for a radio advertisement supporting Williams. Individual contributions are limited to $3,900, which Nielsen made. The larger contribution was made through the Tehama County Republican Central Committee and was earmarked for Williams in violation of campaign finance law, the report said.
In addition, Nielsen filed a campaign statement for the first half of 2012 “erroneously reporting information regarding that contribution,” the report said.
For his part, Williams, Friends of Williams and Friends of Williams treasurer David Bauer violated rules when they accepted the over-the-limit contribution from Taxpayers for Nielsen and filed a campaign statement for May 20 through June 30, 2012, erroneously reporting information regarding that contribution.
“I’m just happy that the matter’s finally resolved,” Williams said Tuesday.
Williams said the controversy was politically motivated by his opponent in the race, Dan Logue. Logue went on to win the 3rd Assembly seat.
Williams said he hired a professional treasurer to avoid any impropriety during the campaign and he was adamant that nobody involved with his campaign, including himself and Bauer, did anything wrong.
The Tehama GOP and its treasurer Roger Marsh, acting as the intermediary of Taxpayers for Nielsen, failed to disclose both the intermediary and the original contributor information for the $4,320 contribution from Taxpayers for Nielsen to Friends of Williams, the report said.
Tehama GOP, Marsh and Linda Alston, who took over as treasurer in February 2013, filed an original and an amended campaign statement erroneously reporting that Tehama GOP made a contribution to Friends of Williams, instead of disclosing that Tehama GOP was the intermediary for the contribution made by Nielsen to Williams, the report said.
“Taken as whole, the evidence shows deliberate conduct which resulted in serious violations of the (Political Reform) Act regarding the radio advertisement,” the report says in its conclusion.
In a separate incident Nielsen accepted a gift of tickets to an NBA game from the lobbying firm Sloat Higgins Jensen & Associates, which is not allowed.
A breakdown of Nielsen’s fines shows $4,500 each for the earmarked contribution and erroneously reporting the contribution and $1,000 for accepting the NBA tickets as a gift.
Williams and Friends of Williams were fined for accepting the donation and filing an incorrect campaign report, at the rate of $2,500 for each violation.
Tehama GOP was fined $4,000 each for failing to disclose the source of the earmarked contribution and filing an incorrect campaign report.
A call to Nielsen’s campaign office was not returned as of deadline Tuesday.