LANCASTER – The Fair Political Practices Commission announced Monday that Lancaster council member Kenneth Mann agreed to a $3,500 fine for violating campaign fund restrictions in connection to his 2012 re-election campaign.
The FPPC stated in the agreement that Mann will pay a $3,500 administrative penalty for violating the Political Reform Act “by making an expenditure of campaign funds in the amount of $5,000, which conferred a substantial personal benefit on” the council member. [View the proposed stipulation, decision and order here.]
In their report, the FPPC said that the agreement resolves all “factual and legal issues raised in this matter and to reach a final disposition without the necessity of holding an administrative hearing to determine the liability of the Respondent.”
Following Mann’s successful re-election to the Lancaster City Council on April 10, 2012, the case was brought to the FPPC’s attention out of the Franchise Tax Board’s audit of Mann’s candidate-controlled committee, Re-elect Mann for City Council 2012.
The FPPC’s Enforcement Division investigated Mann’s alleged violation of the Political Reform Act following the tax board’s report that campaign contributions totaled $52,419, while expenditures totaled $24,021 for the period of July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2012, according to the report.
The FPPC provided only a generic description of the violation, saying, Mann “issued a check, payable to himself, in the amount of $5,000 on October 25, 2011, and deposited this check into his personal bank account. He stated that this money was intended as a personal loan, to pay for expenses that were not related to his campaign.”
The FPPC report goes on to state that “on December 21, 2011, almost two months later, [Mann] repaid the same amount to the campaign bank account. The expenditure and repayment were not disclosed on the semi-annual campaign statement filed for the period ending December 31, 2011.”
The commission will vote to approve the agreement at their next meeting.
According to Jay Alan Wierenga, communications director for the Fair Political Practices Commission, the fine is paid to the State General Fund and the “entire agreement is not final until the full Commission votes on whether to accept it at its next hearing,” on Thursday, March 19. “Generally speaking, the full Commission votes to accept most agreements,” Wierenga added.
A response from Mann was not received by Monday evening following several attempts to reach the council member.
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B Smith says
Mann is the worst of all crooks because he is simply dumb. I’m amazed Rex even keeps this fool around.
Son of the Anti Rex says
If you do what Rex tells you to do, you get to stay. Even if you do not believe his nonsense. It is pretty simple.
Aminutz says
Gentlemen and Ladies…
Wonder who found the transaction and reported it to the state?
John says
It was the Franchise Tax Board that reported it.
Son of the Anti Rex says
sorta like when Rex bought the McMahon furniture building when he was on the redevelopment board. bought property in a redevelopment zone which is a violation of state law. but only haters will beat that story with a stick. Rex says the matter is settled.
James P. Biddle says
Aw quit your bitchin’! Rex gave you chirpy birdie sounds on da BLVD. And you want more.
Be lucky you got that.
Son of the Anti Rex says
you are so right james p. biddle. how quickly i forget all that rex has done for us. he made us a christian community, saddled us with enormous redevelopment debt, gave us birdie sounds, took our money and bought us a spy plane. some people just don’t appreciate what they got.
William says
The problem arises when it was noticed that those are ‘cuckoo bird’ sounds.
Who’d a thunk it?
Birdman says
Cuckoo is right. Here’s an excerpt from a Wall St. Journal article in 2012 that shed’s some light into the ‘thinking’ behind the crazed idea of birdie sounds.
A California City Is Into Tweeting—Chirping, Actually—in a Big Way
Lancaster Mayor Thinks Piped-In Bird Song Reduces Crime; Here’s the Evidence
By
John Letzing
January 17, 2012
LANCASTER, Calif.—Crime is down in this city on the desert fringe of Los Angeles County, and Mayor R. Rex Parris is sure he knows one reason: It’s the chirping.
“Do you feel that?” he asked as he inched forward in his cowboy boots on a city sidewalk, anticipating a calming sensation from the faint sound of birds above his head.
The chirps subconsciously discourage criminality, Mr. Parris says: “Everybody is now in a better mood, a better place.”
Those chirps aren’t from here. The mayor bought them in recordings from England, and for the past 10 months he has had his city play them over 70 speakers along a half mile of Lancaster Boulevard, blended with mellow synthesizer tones, five hours a day.
His claim: The bird song and music calm citizens by fine-tuning brain chemicals.
CUCKOO! CUCKOO! CUCKOO!
Listen to a sound composition utilizing bird songs that is being regularly broadcast in an area of downtown Lancaster, Calif., in a bid to soothe locals and create a safer environment.
.
Minor crimes in Lancaster fell about 15% last year, compared with 2010, says the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, this city being part of the county, and serious crimes fell about 6%.
“We’re not seeing that impulse-control crime,” Mr. Parris says. “It has just been astonishing to us how the community has changed as a result of a one-half-mile stretch.”
William says
Thanks, Birdman
I didn’t know Wrecks said all that.
There are hardly any pedestrians on the blvd so how are bird sounds lowering crime all over the rest of Lancaster if very few people hear them?
Crime has been going down for years NATIONWIDE and Wrecks thinks it’s because of something he did.
How come Palmdale consistently has lower crime stats over the years than Lancaster WITHOUT the fake bird sounds?
Is Wrecks going to run on that record in the next off season election? Bird sounds?
Son of the Anti Rex says
it’s a good thing Rex had those two “pastors” do a survey which tried to make Jonathan Ervin look bad so Rex could send out those racist hit mailers to keep Mann in and Ervin out. Why would we want a veteran family mam who works in aerospace anyway when we can have more Rex yes men who follow their leader and break rules and laws for their own selfish gain. Some “Christian” community Rex is building.
bird says
FromParrisWithLove…Great comment! Lancaster is a microcosm of the United States of America.
Damien says
Can Ken pay the fine with campaign contribution money? :)
FromParrisWithLove says
A Lancaster city official has been caught doing something that didn’t conform to an ethical guideline….I am appalled…I would never suspect our dear city to become infiltrated by political filth…even Oscar Goodman would be shocked! As a town with a lawyer for mayor (only mayor to be represented via proxy, Skype and carrier pigeon from Malibu),we should trust the powers at the wheel to sort this kind of wrongdoing out of our “Christian community”…..my finger is now cussing me. I take it this guy is going to relinquish his title to the runner up, right? Ooh yeah…this society fines the rich and sends the working poor a new tax here and there…can’t drug test because it’s unconstitutional , they must rely of voluntary survey of their recipients to “ask”…that’s right…this dude,pays a fine when he was caught committing grand theft of funds to get him elected,probably on an honesty platform….sweet weeping Jesus on the cross….we love punishment don’t we?
John says
The money was not used to get him elected. He took money FROM his election campaign ($5,000) via a check in October 2011 into his personal bank account. This money was intended to be a personal loan to pay for personal expenses unrelated to his campaign. He paid it back almost two months later in December 2011. The expenditure and repayment was not disclosed on the semi-annual campaign statement.
This is hardly grand theft of funds that got him elected. After all, it would be stupid to leave a paper trail straight to your personal bank account if you were gonna steal it. This is a $3,500 mistake that Councilman Mann will have to pay for. Time to move on. Only the haters will beat this story with a stick. I say the matter is settled.
Son of the Anti Rex says
directly from the stipulation, decision, and order —
Personal Use of Campaign Funds
In this matter, Respondent issued a check, payable to himself, in the amount of $5,000 on October 25, 2011, and deposited this check into his personal bank account. He stated that this money was intended as a personal loan, to pay for expenses that were not related to his campaign. On December 21, 2011, almost two month later, Respondent repaid the same amount to the campaign bank account. The expenditure and repayment were not disclosed on the semi-annual campaign statement filed for the period ending December 31, 2011.
By making an expenditure to himself in the amount of $5,000 which conferred a substantial personal benefit on him, for purposes other than directly related to a political, legislative or governmental purpose, Respondent Mann violated Section 89512.
WalksLikeADuck says
My sincerest apologies….i must have misunderstood. In my mind, I ASSUMED that taking over about $900 here in ca constitutes grand theft….i take it this loan was taken out under the highest authority’s supervision….that’s why he’s getting fined and all….thus it’s not illegal. Since i can’t be there to see what he spent these funds on…I feel room for speculation is the last thing he would want.
I must have misunderstood that a political campaign was the process to get someone elected (unless you are insinuating that elections don’t really matter…wink wink). If i had donated to his fund and he turned around to use it for whatever his heart desired…I’d feel like i just handed a freebie to a panhandler.
In the end…”violation” would equal cuffs and a booking photo for anyone that isn’t in control of the vehicle swerving into the bridge abutment. They fined a man for stealing money (it’s legal and ethical cause he paid it back…yeah rob 711 then have a change of heart and take the money back..), when you know Damn well he has the means to pay….because he is a thief…the sheeple see no harm no foul…just like he wants you to!