Complaints filed, Friday against Antioch teachers union, Gibson-Gray, Motts over campaign finance reports; Motts responds with copy of on-time report

By Allen Payton

Antioch School Board candidates Crystal Sawyer-White and Fernando Navarro, an appointed Board Trustee, filed complaints with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), on Friday, against the Antioch Education Association (AEA) for not filing the required financial disclosure forms. Sawyer-White also filed a complaint for Board President Diane Gibson-Gray not filing her reports properly,

Complaints Against AEA

As a result of a Herald article about the campaign finances in the school board race for next Tuesday’s election, published on Thursday, in which it was revealed the AEA had not filed any financial forms for this election as required by state law, Sawyer-White complained to the agency, which oversees enforcement of the Political Reform Act.

Navarro filed a separate complaint with the FPPC about the AEA’s lack of financial disclosure.

The Antioch teachers union did not file required forms for either their contribution to former school board member Joy Motts’ campaign in the amount of $2,003, as reported in her 460 form, nor for the expenditure for a mailer supporting Motts, Gibson-Gray and former school board member Gary Hack.

Calls to Robert Strickler, President of the AEA asking him why the forms weren’t filed, or if they were, where were they filed and requesting a copy, as well as comments on the complaints, on Friday afternoon, were not returned by publication time.

Complaint Against Motts is Moot

Navarro also filed a complaint against Motts for not filing her required form 460 report for the period ending on October 22nd, which was due on October 27th. Attempts to reach both Motts and her campaign treasurer, former Antioch Mayor Don Freitas, on Thursday, asking if the report had been filed, if not why not and requesting a copy, if it had been, were unsuccessful.

When reached for comment, Navarro stated he filed the complaints “because she hasn’t reported and I’d be interested what her donations would look like.”

“It’s about transparency,” he added. “Hopefully they’re not dragging their feet and playing out the clock right before the election.”

Navarro said in his complaint against the teachers union he wrote “that they’re not reporting their donations and for the mailer.”

“I would be interested in seeing how much they spent and the amounts they contributed to the candidates they endorsed multiple, multiple times,” he continued. “The public has a right to know.”

“If a check for $125 to my campaign makes a scandal and is such an outrage, I would like to see what amounts the others received,” Navarro added. “It’s the epitome of hypocrisy. At least I was being honest reporting the contributions I received.”

Just before 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Motts’ campaign manager, Cliff Glickman called and said that her 460 form was filed on time and then provide a copy of it for the Herald to post. He also said they don’t know why it hasn’t been posted on the county’s website.

When reached for comment about this latest information, Navarro responded by asking “Is it online? I’d like to see it. I’d like to see her donations. It’s only fair.”

Asked if once he saw a copy of Motts’ report, would he rescind his complaint, Navarro said, “Of course. I’m just making sure we’re all being transparent.”

Please see a copy of her report, here: motts-460-102216

County Clerk Explains

When reached for comment about why Motts’ 460 form was not on the County Elections office website, and if they were having a problem with the website, County Clerk Joe Canciamilla responded, “No.”

“Number one there’s nothing that requires us to post the reports on our website,” he explained. “We do that as a matter of convenience. They are available to see in our office. We’re trying to get everyone to file electronically.”

“I was actually in the lobby when she (Motts) and Diane Gibson-Gray came in to file and they were filing by paper, because their treasurers were having trouble filing online,” Canciamilla stated. “We’re just behind in scanning in the reports, because everyone is on election duty, right now.”

“We’ve been transitioning over to all electronic, so when people submit by paper, we have to go through a whole process to get them uploaded to the website,” he added. “We’re hoping to have them all up on the website, this weekend.”

Motts’ latest report was still not on the County Elections office website as of 7:00 p.m. Friday. Search the campaign finance disclosure portion of their website by clicking, here.

Complaint Against Gibson-Gray

The complaint Sawyer-White filed against Gibson-Gray was a result of the same Herald article. In that article it was revealed the school board president had improperly reported her expenditures, by either paying her husband Ken Gray, which is illegal, or reimbursing him in amounts more than $500 without disclosing who was actually the recipient of the campaign funds, as required by state law.

Gibson-Gray refused to answer questions emailed to her on Thursday asking if the expenditures were payments to her husband or reimbursements, and who was the recipient of the two expenditures over $500. A call to her campaign treasurer, Bob Martin asking the same questions on Friday, was not returned before publication time. She also did not respond to attempts to reach her for a comment on this article on Friday afternoon.

11/05/16 7:30 AM UPDATE: In a comment on this article, last night at 9:52 PM, Martin wrote, “The financial information listed on Gibson-Gray’s reports are correct to the best of my knowledge. Expenditures to Ken Gray were for reimbursement for actual expenses and not payment for any services. The two expense in excess of $500.00. One in the amount of $1,105.05 is itemized as follows: $485.05 to Bellici Designs for yard signs, $600.00 for an internet ad to ETC and $20.00 for zip ties. The second one in the amount of $650.00 was for print ads in the Bay Area News Group. I neglected to include Bellici Designs and Bay Area News Group as a sub-vendor. An amended report has been submitted.”

Attempts to reach Sawyer-White for comment were also unsuccessful.

According to Navarro, all four complaints were filed on the FPPC’s website. An email was sent to the FPPC after 5:00 p.m. on Friday asking for any information they can provide about the complaints. Calls will be made to the FPPC on Monday when they’re offices are open, again.

Check back later for updates to this report.


the attachments to this post:

motts-460-102216
motts-460-102216


7 Comments to “Complaints filed, Friday against Antioch teachers union, Gibson-Gray, Motts over campaign finance reports; Motts responds with copy of on-time report”

  1. Martha Steele Spellman says:

    Mr. Navarro, Ms Sawyer-White and Mr.Terry need to own up to the more than $2,100 in expenditures for EACH of them by the California Charter Schools Association. Additionally, they have been the beneficiaries of expensive mailers (estimated at between $7,000 and $12,000 for each mailer) also from the Charter Schools Association. Where’s your transparency in that? This newspaper has chosen not to follow that money trail. Makes you wonder about this one-sided reportage by the Antioch Herald who has endorsed these three.

    • Publisher says:

      Ms. Spellman,
      Thank you for reading the Herald and your comment.
      However, it appears you didn’t read the article I wrote and posted yesterday about the campaign finances in the school board race with the headline “Charter schools, teachers union are largest spenders in Antioch School Board race,” which includes the available information of how much has been spent by all sides in the campaign, and all the available financial disclosure reports, at that time. I will be adding Ms. Motts’ report and information, which was obtained, tonight, in a few minutes.
      Here’s a link to it – http://antiochherald.com/2016/11/p24451/
      Allen Payton, Publisher

    • Fernando Navarro says:

      Ms Steele Spellman, Let me get this straight. You publicly and privately chastised me and demanded that I recuse myself for receiving $125 from a private citizen. (nowhere did the check say rocket ship or ccsa). and yet your silence is deafening regarding the direct $2003. YES DIRECT..donations from A.E.A to Joy Motts. Time will tell what has been schmoozed to other candidates. Considering the collective Unions are bidding for a multi Million dollar contract negotiation. Who really, is buying who?

      • Karl dietzel says:

        I want to echo fernandos post.
        I had the chance to be part of a rocketship presentation ,
        The question about the $ 225 dollars came up, and was answered as follows.
        Any official donation would have been a violation of the none for
        Profit status . Rocketship employees can off course donate to
        Any candidate of their choice.

        • Publisher says:

          Karl,
          Just as an FYI, the contribution to Navarro’s and Terry’s campaigns did not come from a Rocketship employee. Rather he is a board member.
          Allen Payton, Publisher

  2. Bob Martin says:

    The financial information listed on Gibson-Gray’s reports are correct to the best of my knowledge. Expenditures to Ken Gray were for reimbursement for actual expenses and not payment for any services.

    The two expense in excess of $500.00. One in the amount of $1,105.05 is itemized as follows: $485.05 to Bellici Designs for yard signs, $600.00 for an internet ad to ETC and $20.00 for zip ties. The second one in the amount of $650.00 was for print ads in the Bay Area News Group. I neglected to include Bellici Designs and Bay Area News Group as a sub-vendor. An amended report has been submitted.

    I will note that of the $6,844.00 that Gibson-Gray has received in contributions $4,000.00 is money that she has loaned her campaign and that her total expenses are $2,430.83.

    • Publisher says:

      Bob,
      Thank you for that information. It has been added to the article and will be added to the article on the campaign finances for school board candidates, posted on Thursday.
      In that article Diane’s $4,000 loan to her campaign was mentioned.
      Allen Payton, Publisher

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