October 31, 2012 
ISSUE 30
Greetings!
 
Business interests donate $50,000 to help pass bond  
Outside Contractors Fueled School Bond

Oct. 26, 2012 | By Mark Noack | www.hmbreview.com   

Measure S funding

Source: California Fair Political Practices Commission
 

EXCERPT: As soon as this week, the Cabrillo Unified School District will receive $18 million as the first installment of construction bond money earned in a successful election campaign earlier this year. It is the beginning of a massive upgrade for the Coastside's public schools. The money is the first portion of Measure S money. ... ... But alongside local educators, parents and students, there are stakeholders that stand to gain from a wave of spending on school improvements. They are the private firms and companies from across California that contributed generously to the campaign for the largest bond in local history and are now poised to profit from that relationship.

     A review of campaign finance records shows that private firms in architecture, engineering, financial consulting and law, all with a stake in school construction, contributed a total of $50,000 to the "Yes on Measure S" campaign. That sum amounted to about half the money used by measure proponents to rally support among Coastside voters.

     Some of those companies wrote checks to help pass Measure S while they were already working on preparing the bond on behalf of the school district. The San Francisco law firm Dannis Woliver Kelley donated $7,500 in April to help pass the bond, two months after its legal team won a $124,000 contract to serve as bond counsel for Measure S. The financial powerhouse Piper Jaffray contributed $20,000 in May, one month after it signed a contract with the district worth $810,000 to issue the bonds on the market. ...       To read the complete article visit: 

Campaign Finance Links
You can review who making contributions, to where, how are they spending the money, and if are there conflicts-of-interest issues. District campaign disclosures are usually filed with the county. City officials file their campaign disclosures with the city.  You can review copies of campaign disclosures and Form 700 (Statements of economic interests). 
     To look up Campaign Finance on the Secretary of State Website:
 www.cal-access.sos.ca.gov/campaign   -- To search use the top left yellow-orange Cal-Access search box.
     Federal Election Commission - Candidate & Committee Viewer:
www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/candcmte_info.shtml
     Here is sample language to do a public request if needed:  
Pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Gov't Code � 6250, et. seq.), I hereby request copies of the following public records, as such are defined by Government Code section 6252(e) and (f):
(list the documentation you are requesting)
     For concerns or questions regarding campaign finance please visit the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC): www.fppc.ca.gov/

NBC San Diego: IRS Reviews $105 Poway Bond

Oct. 26, 2012 | By Rory Devine | http://www.nbcsandiego.com
EXCERPT: The Internal Revenue Service is now looking into that $105 million Poway school bond that will end up costing Poway taxpayers close to one billion dollars.   A letter from the Internal Revenue Service tells the Poway Unified School District it will examine its bond issuances to determine if they comply with federal tax requirements. Part of the audit could include whether there is extra debt that voters didn't approve. ...  

     Reporter Will Carless from our media partner Voice of San Diego, first broke the story. He says one question for the IRS is how, exactly, the upfront money was spent. "What the IRS is looking to see is whether it was actually spent on what it said it was spent on, or whether it went to buy buildings or laptops or whatever," Carless explained.

     The distinction is important. According to Carless, the District says it spent the money on the cost of financing Prop C, plus pay off interest on previous bonds. There is a question as to whether that is legal; the state Attorney General sent a letter to the District saying it is not legal. ... 

     NBC 7 reached to the District, but did not receive a call back from the District's Superintendent, nor from the District's attorneys who are handling the audit. ... 

To read the complete article & see NBC video please visit:   
In This Issue
Contributors to Bond Measure Gain from Bond Contracts
Campaign Finance
IRS Audits Poway Bond

CaLBOC Board Meeting 

November 9, 2012 

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