Ethics questions dog Democrat running for California governor

By Christopher Cadelago : politico – excerpt

Democrat Toni Atkins, a former legislative leader, may have violated campaign finance rules, according to a former watchdog.

WHO HASN’T BROKEN CAMPAIGN FINANCE RULES?

SACRAMENTO, California — A California Democrat vying to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom may have run afoul of state law by sending thousands of campaign dollars to a company owned by her spouse.

Toni Atkins, the powerful former legislative leader from San Diego, paid $22,500 to the Global Policy Leadership Academy, where her longtime spouse, Jennifer LeSar, is the firm’s chief executive officer and its sole shareholder, disclosures reviewed by POLITICO show. Atkins described the money as going toward a trip to Vienna, Austria, in 2022…

California law bars officeholders from using campaign funds for personal reasons such as giving to a spouse or domestic partner, experts said. The Global Policy Leadership Academy is part of a portfolio of affordable housing and economic development companies owned by LeSar.…(more)

Getting caught seems to be a slap on the wrist and a fine that doesn’t fit the crime. There are very few white collar criminals in prison and the public either never hears about the transgressions or has a very short memory.