LANCASTER – Former Lancaster Council Member Sandra Johnson agreed to a $1,500 fine for failing to comply with state campaign reporting requirements in her 2012 City Council re-election campaign, the Fair Political Practices Commission announced Monday.
According to the stipulated agreement proposed by the FPPC’s Enforcement Division, Johnson violated the Political Reform Act by failing to disclose occupation and employer information on campaign statements for 20 individual contributors.
A Franchise Tax Board audit of “Sandra Johnson for City Council 2012” (for the period of January 2011 to June 2012) found that the 20 contributors to Johnson’s campaign accounted for $14,600 in donations, representing approximately 28 percent of the total contributions received.
“This is a significant amount of the total contributions received,” the FPPC’s Enforcement Division stated in the agreement, claiming the omissions represent “part of a pattern of non-disclosure; as occupation and employer information was not provided for individual contributors on three successive campaign statements.”
However, the FPPC said Johnson’s committee “by in large, complied with the Act’s campaign reporting requirements,” revealing through the audit that her campaign had received contributions of approximately $52,301, while making expenditures of approximately $27,747.
The Enforcement Division also noted in the agreement with Johnson that no evidence suggests a deliberate concealment of contributor information or an intent to deceive the public, rather “just a misunderstanding of the law by a group with little prior experience with the Act.”
FPPC officials outlined the severity of campaign reporting requirements, explaining that candidates are required to itemize contributions totaling $100 or more on each semi-annual and pre-election campaign statement, disclosing a contributor’s full name, street address, occupation, employer’s name, and the date and amount of each contribution.
“The Enforcement Division works diligently to investigate a wide range of abuses in order to expose violations of the law,” FPPC Chief of Enforcement Galena West stated in an email to The AV Times. “Whether it’s laundered campaign contributions or candidates trying to get around contribution limits, these illegal activities deprive voters of vital information and we will hold the violators responsible.”
Jaycob T. Bytel, the FPPC’s External Affairs Coordinator, told The AV Times that the commission will not vote to finalize the stipulated agreement until its next meeting on Aug. 20. “Until then, the stipulation is proposed language and not finalized,” he said.
Kimberly Underwood, an accounting specialist at University of Antelope Valley, was also named in the agreement for her role as treasurer in Johnson’s campaign.
The stipulation agreement resolves “all factual and legal issues raised in this matter,” while also reaching a final disposition to determine the liability of the respondents, the FPPC stated.
Related story: Lancaster council member Ken Mann agrees to FPPC fine for 2012 campaign fund violation
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danny gutierrez says
I’ve known her family all my life and by saying that I understand all the problems she’s going through now
yabba says
I did not have a good gut feeling when I first heard of Mrs. Johnson being in the Lancaster City Council. It was just weird that she (Johnson) was pushing UAV, and to date I’ve not seen any reports as to whether this college does follow thru with graduates. How employable? Where are they getting jobs?
It’s not fair if nothing legal is done since it sends a negative message regarding the city of Lancaster, and all the puppets of Rex.
William says
Does anyone on planet Earth think that Lancaster is a ‘college town’?
They’ve got>
-Antelope Valley College
-University of Phoenix
-University of the Antelope Valley
-Shirleen’s Beauty School*
I made up the last one but what the heck.
You’d think the populace would be much smarter than to have rex as their mayor.
PJ says
It’s hard to read negative comments about someone I know is a truly good person. Within the article it states that the Enforcement Division also noted that no evidence suggests a deliberate concealment of contributor information or an intent to deceive the public, rather just a misunderstanding of the law by a group with little prior experience with the Act. What was the point of writing the article when it was an honest mistake? Mrs. Johnson has done so much for this community. She did so before she was on Council, during Council and after she stepped down to devote her time to the school that she and her husband built from the ground up. I have had the opportunity to get to know Sandra Johnson over the last several years and I’ve never known a more honest, hard working, genuine person. Anyone that knows her will say the same thing. It’s really a shame that she stepped down from Politics because she could have done so much more for our community. But yet she continues to do it in private. She and her husband started Caring for the Community 8 years ago that began with the family distributing flyers themselves and coming up with food and toys for families in need. I believe there were maybe 30 people in attendance. I’ve volunteered for the event along with other volunteers the last 5 years and it’s gone to serving over 2000 people. Some families said that is was their only meal for the day. Mrs. Johnson is literally there before the sun comes up and is the last to leave. This is just one way that she gives back to the community that she grew up in. She doesn’t just show up for a photo opp, she is there hands on never taking a break. I’ve seen first hand her generosity to people in need. She is so busy with running the school and so hands on with everything, not just the school but her family as well. And still she takes time for others in ways that no one else sees. She does it because she is compassionate for others not for a pat on the back. So to hear negative comments about her or the school that she truly loves is so sad to me. I believe that using social media in a negative way is so detrimental to everyone. The person that is contributing negative comments, especially not knowing the facts, the person it’s directed to and the community as a whole. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all lifted each other up instead of tearing each other down? If people got a thrill out of helping people instead of trashing people? But it’s not a perfect world unfortunately. I’m grateful that I live in a country where people are entitled to voice their opinion but not to the point of being a bully.
Tim Scott says
Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas. Rex and his rubber stamp council cheat to maintain their position. That’s such common knowledge that i agree, it was almost pointless to write an article about it. The fact that law enforcement couldn’t come up with sufficient evidence to dispute her “ignorance of the law” excuse is really a moot point.
KayDee says
I think Sandra Johnson is a fine example for this community and I was saddened when she left the Lancaster council. She was truly a breath of fresh air in that group and I really wished she could have found some way to make it work in her schedule and remain a council woman. With all that being said, I still believe it was necessary to put this story out there. The media must serve as the public’s watchdog and we as a community need to hold all our lawmakers accountable even when they make inadvertent missteps. This story doesn’t tear down Mrs. Johnson at all. It shows she is human, she made a mistake and she promptly corrected it. No harm no foul, but I needed to know that. The people who latch on to this story to attack Mrs. Johnson obviously didn’t read the story. I am not one of them. I admire her more!
Tim Scott says
Her “honest mistake” and her “inexperienced staff” are a core element in the Lancaster council system. Rex picks a crony, tells them how to run and finances their campaign (illegally). The INTENT is that they can say they “just didn’t know” if anyone notices when it starts to smell. Meanwhile, Rex maintains a steady flow of rubber stamps while leading Lancaster ever deeper into the abyss.
Claire says
where is your proof that this is something other than what the article says. Just a bunch of groundless allegations without proof, or doesn’t that matter anymore. Guilty as charged according to Tim Scott.
Tim Scott says
Watch a Lancaster city council meeting. Watch the voting history. Pay attention to the world around you Claire.
All you have to do is watch the “ticket” in the Lancaster city council elections. The ones who are all on the signs together are funded by Rex. They get elected together, they vote together, and they get reelected together…unless someone crosses Rex. All it takes is one vote against THE MAN and the next election cycle they are replaced on ‘the ticket.’
If you choose not to pay attention to what goes on I can’t really blame you, since you have said you live in Palmdale, but just because you choose not to pay attention doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening.
William says
I’m so glad Claire went on record discounting groundless allegations without proof.
So far, no one in the Obama administration has been convicted of anything despite hundreds of ‘groundless allegations’ engineered by the GOP and promoted heavily by fox ‘news’ such as the Benghazi ‘scandal’ and no proof ever provided that held up on close examination.
What a relief.
I sure hope Claire doesn’t write about any ‘groundless allegations’ about Hillary here in the future.
Claire says
Were is your proof Tim? The proof to dispute this article. The question to you is simple Tim. This article is not about city counsel meetings. your answer is vague, purposely. Don’t come down on me because you really don’t have proof. Unsubstantiated allegations are not proof. You are being a false witness.
William says
Hey, Claire.
Where is YOUR proof that ‘secular liberalism’ is undermining the country?
You said that. Are you bearing false witness yourself?
See how this works, Claire. You accuse others of the very stuff that you do and when we call you on it, well,
we are ‘bullies’. Yeah, right.
Well, bully for us.
I’ve explained to you that ‘secular liberalism’ is precisely what our Founding Fathers based this country on despite not using those exact words. The definitions of those words i=are revealed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and not in your bible.
In fact, the Treaty of Tripoli says that this country is in no way a Christian country. I know. I know. You guys keep trying to make that be true but it isn’t. You guys try to make lots of things be true that aren’t and will never be so.
Then, you play ‘victim’ when people disagree with your beliefs and claims based on your beliefs. Beliefs aren’t real. Got it.
William says
From now on, Claire has to provide ‘proof’ for all her opinions and claims like she demanded of Tim Scott.
We’ll see if that happens in this lifetime.
She demands answers to silly questions and demands proof, not allegations. Let’s see how long she can go following her own rules that she sets down for others.
Isn’t that how the faithful do things? “Do as I say, not as I do” applies to Claire.
Willy says
William,
I have read the AV Times for several years. I constantly comb through the comments section of practically every article I read, and I have noticed a very consistent trend – your negativity and combative nature. I am a democrat. I share liberal beliefs. I do not agree with the majority of republican views; however, you do nothing to advance the democratic party. You’re an antagonist. You constantly challenge others’ personal opinions yet you do not provide the very evidence for your statements that you adamantly demand from others. Quite frankly, its hypocritical. My suggestion to you is if you are genuinely interested in changing local and global politics, you might want to start by being more positive, less antagonistic, and more willing to understand other people who may have different beliefs than us. Isn’t that what makes America great? People being entitled to their own opinions. I don’t agree with my neighbors political opinions, but we can discuss politics in a respectful, mature, and professional way. I suggest you try that approach. Maybe you will be able to get your opinion across in a way that actually advances our political party instead of pushing people away from our core beliefs. This is my first comment on any article I have ever read, and I believe it will be my last. I will not be getting into one of the infamous AV Times feuds as many other users frequently get in.
William says
@Willy
If you’ve read the comments section as you’ve described, you might notice that I have frequently posted facts and sources for some of my comments.
You might have noticed that I typically call out people who state their ‘opinions’ as facts without any attributions or links.
You might have noticed that the people who I frequently interact with are totally impervious to facts presented to them and any careful reading of their and my comments/replies will illustrate that.
Look at Tim Scott’s replies to those who are complaining about the national debt and look at the little difference it makes to those he replies to.
I have pretty much given up on changing the minds of ‘faith-based’ political adherents.
I have little patience for people who make demonstrably untrue statements disguised as facts and not even offered as their ‘opinions’.
See Claire’s recent comment on ‘secular liberalism’ undermining this country. It was stated as a ‘fact’.
See wb’s comment stating the Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats crashed the economy in the short time frame from taking the majority in January 2007 and the collapse in the summer/fall of 2008, a mere 18 months.
When asked to provide any evidence of what they did he went on a 500 word diatribe against me instead.
I don’t whine and complain about the insults and attacks like those on the right do. I have actually invited them to keep on keepin’ on and then they accuse me of trying to curtail their free speech. Go figure that out. Any intelligent observer would notice that readily.
But, I have told someone to ‘back up his claim or don’t bother coming back’. Needless to say, he didn’t back it up and came back anyway. Some folks are like that.
PJ says
I agree. I reacted with emotion because I know Mrs. Johnson is a good person. I reacted more to the negative comments by others more than the actual article. But I agree that the media must serve as the public’s watchdog. Well said. As a child I stayed away from kids that gossiped and were mean to others and continue to live my life that way. The people that really know Sandra Johnson know the level of integrity she lives by and that’s the important thing.
Sheerah2020 says
Mrs. Johnson is a kind, honest, accomplished, hard-working woman. She has been active as a volunteer in our community and she is a person of her word. I believe the article indicates clearly that her staff was not experienced (she is not a professional politician) and mistakes were made. Lesson learned. End of story.
William says
“Kimberly Underwood, an accounting specialist at University of Antelope Valley, was also named in the agreement for her role as treasurer in Johnson’s campaign.”
An ‘accounting specialist’, eh?
““just a misunderstanding of the law by a group with little prior experience with the Act.”
One would think a ‘specialist’ would get informed about stuff she was unfamiliar with, wouldn’t one?
Is anyone surprised by this? Johnson had the smell of ‘funny business’ from the very start of her time on the council.
I keep wondering if the UAV is going to be investigated like some other for-profit sca…, I mean ‘universties’ have been.
And, why is Ron Smith almost a ghost nowadays? He was a big shot a while back. I guess as long as he’s a reliable “Yes” vote on everything rex wants, he’s got a steady postion on the council. What more does a Lancaster city council member have to do than that, I ask you?
At least Smith could pick up litter on the blvd of dreams to keep busy. Or, just leave the litter there.
peacefirst says
Shame on you! Did you read? The Enforcement Division also noted, “Just a misunderstanding of the law by a group with little prior experience with the Act.” This community thrives on tearing down good people; this is why the decent are fleeing this desert. Her biggest mistake was deciding to join the City Council and have the audacity to think she could make a difference in a community that is happy with the status quo. Sandra Johnson donates an enormous amount to the AV including feeding the hungry, toys, beds, clothes, free use of the UAV ballroom for many families that had no place to go for funeral repasts. She and her husband donate to many, many charitable causes in this Valley. Those of you that have been recipients should comment and let this web paper know this is bad journalism to attempt to disparage her character. I hope UAV discontinues advertising on your website. No need to respond to me because I will never, ever, visit this address again.
Question Lancaster Authority says
Didn’t Ken Mann get dinged with the same thing? Then you’ve got Rex buying a building that was in a redevelopment area while he was on the redevelopment board. That’s a no-no. What a council we have here.
William says
Why, that’s a city council in a ‘Christian community’
Thou shalt lie and worship the almighty $$$$s.
Thou shalt have no shame.
Thou shalt treat neighbors badly.
Thou shalt wear a beard to hide a weak chin.
Amen.
Tim Scott says
Rex will no doubt pay the fines for the rubber stamps he loads the council with. Or do you have some doubt about the actual origins of the laundered campaign contributions?