It’s become readily apparent with the stipulation in the Joseph Canciamilla case that Galena West, Chief of Enforcement & Neal Bucknell, Senior Commission Counsel of the Fair Political Practices Commission are not taking the charges seriously and proposing lenient sentences.
In the last two years, we’ve had TWO elected officials in Contra Costa County (Mark Peterson & Joseph Canciamilla) admit wrong doing with regards to their campaign funds and each has signed & transmitted documents they signed “under penalty of perjury” to the FPPC blatantly lying to the commission to hide their wrongdoing… spending campaign funds for personal gain!
Yet in both cases, the penalty is simply repaying the stolen funds and paying a fine.
When an ordinary citizen lies under penalty of perjury, the book is thrown at them. Why are these elected officials, who are supposed to be held to the highest of standards, being given light sentences and not convicted for perjury? Committing or suborning perjury in California is a felony and is punishable by up to four years in jail.
It’s high time the state makes a bold statement to ALL elected officials that the state intends to hold them to the highest standard and prosecute them to the full extent of the law! You commit campaign finance violations and you will spend time in jail!
– Bill Schilz