Group Charges That Núñez Violated Rules on Donations
The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights has requested an investigation into Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez's (D-Los Angeles) involvement in the allocation of donations to a charity, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Donors to Collective Space, the charity cited in FTCR's complaint, included Blue Cross of California and Zenith Insurance, a workers' compensation carrier. Blue Cross and Zenith were two of six Collective Space donors that had contributed the legal maximum $6,600 to Núñez's political committee.
FTCR alleges that Núñez improperly directed Collective Space to allocate the contributions to pet causes, including events that bore the speaker's name. FTCR is asking the state Fair Political Practices Commission to reprimand Núñez or modify state rules to bar such donations in the future (Vogel/Halper, Los Angeles Times, 1/23).
FTCR submitted the complaint on Tuesday, but the state did not formally accept the petition because a required element was missing. According to the Sacramento Bee, FTCR is expected to refile its complaint (Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 1/23).