Story of the Week: DA Looks into Shirakawa’s Missing Campaign Forms

The District Attorney’s Office could soon be joining the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) in investigating County Supervisor George Shirakawa for his failure to file campaign disclosure forms the last four years. This week the DA requested all correspondence between Shirakawa’s office and the county Registrar of Voters, the Mercury News reports.

The Merc has been following up on the story Metro broke last month, which found that Shirakawa chose not to file forms the last four years disclosing how he has raised money to pay off a $110,000 debt he incurred during his 2008 supervisor campaign. Most troubling is that a third of that debt consisted of personal loans Shirakawa made to the campaign, meaning he was basically collecting unknown quantities of money from unknown sources that could have influenced his decisions on the board.

Another issue raised in Metro’s report was Shirakawa’s nepotistic policy of paying two of his daughters, a close friend and the mother of one of his children more than $50,000 in campaign cash. The latter of that group, Linda Delgado, received the most money— $22,924.90 in salary and expenses for just the 2008 campaign. One might expect a campaign treasurer should make sure forms are filed on time for that kind of compensation.

Shirakawa denies anything illegal occurred, but it’s impossible to tell considering he still has eight outstanding forms. The Merc’s most recent article quotes former FPPC official Bob Stern, who takes issue with the Registrar of Voters (ROV) failure to notify the FPPC—or the DA’s Office—of Shirakawa’s blatant disregard of state law, which requires him to file his campaign forms by certain deadlines. The FPPC launched an investigation within days of Metro’s original report, and Shirakawa potentially faces fines of tens of thousands of dollars.

An interesting note in the article is Stern’s suggestion that if Shirakawa continues to delay in hand over his forms, “the FPPC’s office can address that problem through its subpoena power, which allows its investigators to delve into Shirakawa’s bank records, personal communications and any other records that could be related to his campaign filings.”

Taking out Shirakawa and his chief of staff Eddie Garcia, who has his own delinquent filings with the ROV and an unaccounted cash balance of $11,843 relating to an East Side school board position Shirakawa helped get him appointed to twice, below is a list of all delinquent filers that turned up in a search of the county ROV’s late filer drawer last month.

The ROV literally has a full drawer for people who haven’t closed out a campaign/committee and have outstanding forms.

The Deadbeat List:

Fred Tovar, who ran for and won a trustee seat for San Jose/Evergreen Community College in 2002, still owes filings dating back to 2004 and 2005. Notes in his file show he owed $1,930 in late filings.

Tovar was treasurer for the campaign as of 2008, when he filed forms for the first half of 2006 listing no contributions accepted or expenditures. The same non-amounts were listed in the last half of 2006 forms and all of 2007.

He also owes filings for his campaign to become Gilroy school board member, where he still serves. Notes in his ROV file say he did not respond to six letters requesting action on his “Committee to elect Fred Tovar.” Notes also said he would be referred to the FPPC.

Andrew Ratermann, who ran for a seat on the Santa Clara school board in 2010, still owes disclosure forms for the last half of 2009 and all of 2010. Forms that he did file, covering the period of Jan. 1, 2010 through Sept. 30, 2010, show that Ratermann received $4,015 but only spent $3,353, leaving him with a cash balance.

Additionally, the Committee to Elect Andrew Ratermann, Santa Clara Unified still owes forms for 2008, 2009 and 2010. Incomplete forms he did file show an outstanding debt of $9,500 from a loan received, and a cash balance of $1,066.

Frank Jewett, who ran for a trustee seat in 2004 for the West Valley-Mission Community College District, still owes forms from for the last half of 2004 through all of 2008. Jewett was referred to the FPPC, which said in a letter to the ROV to notify them if Jewett becomes politically active again. He was sent a bill in 2005 for $1,910 from the ROV.

Lizandro Carrasco, who ran for a Luther Burbank school board seat in 2010, still owes a campaign disclosure form for Oct. 17, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2010.

Philip Renteria, who ran for a Franklin McKinley school board seat in 2004, still owes campaign disclosure forms for all of 2006, the last half of 2007 and all of 2008.

David Roberson, who ran for a Moreland school board seat in 2004, still owes forms for the last period of 2004 through 2011.

Jessica Lee, who ran for a Sunnyvale school board seat, did not file forms for all of 2004, which resulted in a $200 fine. She listed no contributions or expenditures in the last half of 2004, but the ROV sent her a letter on March 20, 2008, saying she didn’t file semi annuals for 2005, 2006 and 2007. She also did not file forms for all of 2008.

Johne Baird, who ran for a seat on the Santa Clara Valley Water District board in 2006, still owes disclosure forms for 2006 and 2007.

Sandra Stattion, who ran for an Alum Rock school board seat in 2008, still owes forms for all of 2009 and first half of 2010.

The committee Palo Alto Against Measure A still owes forms for 2009 and the first half of 2010.

The committee Protecting Our Workforce and Equal Rights still owe forms for all of 2009 and the first half of 2010.

Lane Liroff, who lost a Superior Court Judge runoff to Diane Ritchie, still owes forms for the last half of 2008, second half of 2009 and first half of 2010.

Denise Apuzzo, a school boarder for Gilroy Unified, still owes forms for the last half of 2009 and all of 2010.

The committee Public Policy Advisory Board still owes forms for all of 2007 and the first half of 2008.

The committee Asian American Political Involvement had a file but no forms.

The Latino Political Action Committee of Santa Clara County had a file but no forms.

The Santa Clara Unified Schools PAC still owes forms for all of 2008 and the first half of 2009. Documents that were filed show that Ratermann organized the group.

The Electrical Industry PAC still owes forms for all of 2008 and the first half of 2009.

The committee Evergreen Voters for Responsible Govt. still owes forms for the first half of 2009. The group, run by Hung Bao, was primarily formed to oppose candidate/officeholder Dave Cortese. From Jan. 1, 2008 through Oct. 18, 2008, the committee received $3,600 and spent $3,597. Retiree Tony Tran provided the $3,600 for an Oct. 24, 2008 mailer.

The committee Friends of Henry Manahan still owes forms for the first half of 2008.

The committee Manahan for Assembly 20th State Assembly District also owes a form for the first half of 2008.

The committee West Hills Property Rights Association still owes forms for the last half of 2009 and all of 2010. Thomas DiStefano, of Los Gatos, organized the group.

Cy Mann for County Board of Education in 2010 has a file but no forms.

The committee Elect Phyllis, Sunnyvale School District still owes forms for all of 2008 and the first half of 2009.

Josh Koehn is a former managing editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley.

4 Comments

  1. It’s been a full day, my friends. The Boy Scouts,  Masca.
    I recall, when La Oferta news paper was not allowed to be places at Macsa. I recall when Felix Alvarez pulled the plan out of the garbage for the grant to build MACSA, and received it. Once he got the grant he was Whacked. He was also whacked from any participation in the Mexican Heritage Corp. there after. We all know who was leading that failed group. Coto, Garza Zuezeta, Cota, Blanca.
    I am astonded that Joe Rodriguez was not dipatched to get the story for ua by the Merc.

    The Village Black Smith

    • I remember reading here in SJ inside about Alvarez’ MACSA fiasco.  Is he the same Alvarez who was later on the ARUSD Board who advocated for non-alcohol sponsored events for the Latino community?  I seem to recall that the powers that be in the self anointed Latino leadership didn’t take kindly to an advocate for dry events.

      Time to clean house on all these out-for-themselves Latino “Leaders”.  Lets start with Coto.  Move on to Shirakawa and then dump the tweedledum and tweedledumber combo of Campos & Campos.

  2. Interesting that Santa Clara Unified School Board member Andrew Ratermann is on this list.  He was also fined by the FPPC in 2010 for not filing his Form 700 – you can find that filing on the state website – Form 700 is a disclosure of income and assets so that the public can look for conflicts of interest.

    Currently, Ratermann has lent his name to bullying ads that have appeared during this campaign cycle in the nasty Santa Clara Weekly – Ratermann wants to keep the school board majority he currently commands, and doesn’t want anyone else on the board who will ask tough questions and not vote the way Ratermann wants, hence his participation in a highly negative campaign of hateful ads and a website that personally attacks one school board candidate.  Ratermann’s goal is to tear down one good candidate enough that the husband of the superintendent’s secretary will get elected – how independent of the administration and Ratermann would the husband of the supe’s secretary’s vote be?

    Someone should tell Ratermann that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. And the FPPC should really get on the backs of people who don’t file their campaign finance reports. The penalties for being late need to be substantially increased.

  3. School Board, Water Board, seekers of Political office and even Judicial seats and they can’t figure out the paperwork REQUIRED of them when seeking office? 

    Anyone who is in violation of filings for more than one year should be forced to resign th eoffice/seat if they were elected.  It is absolutely shameful that these people who tout themselves as the community’s best & brightest are either so ignorant that they cannot complete the paperwork or have such willful disregard for rules. 

    If you want to be a leader, especially an elected leader, you should have to play by the rules or suffer harsh and swift consequences.  Shame on the ROV for ignoring the situation, for not following up more closely and for still not acting even after the outing by the Metro article last week. 

    Is is possible that EVERYONE is asleep at the wheel in this county???

    Great job Metro for the initial investigation and please keep on the follow up. 

    Shirakawa and his smug Chief of Staff Garcia should be made example of.  Both have been in the political game for far too long to claim that it was simply oversight.  They are completely devious and manipulative of the public trust.  One thing is crystal clear, BOTH HAVE TO GO.

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