‘Notoriously slow:’ Lengthy investigations into California politicians leave voters in the dark

Jennie Skelton, partner and co-founder at Politicom Law LLP, far left, talks during a panel discussion at an event marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of California’s Fair Political Practices Commission at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento on Sept. 11, 2024. Photo by Jungho Kim for CalMatters In summary

A CalMatters analysis shows that California’s campaign finance watchdog has sometimes taken years to resolve cases, sometimes after politicians have won election or left office. Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State. A $1,044 outing at a glitzy Hollywood nightclub. A $1,316 meal at a Los Angeles steak and seafood restaurant. A $4,500 experience to see the L.A. Dodgers. Isaac Galvan paid for them all — with campaign cash, a state probe found.

In his nine years on the Compton City Council, Galvan frequently spent campaign donations for personal purposes, kept shoddy financial records and repeatedly failed to disclose donors and expenditures accurately and on time, if at all, the California Fair Political Practices Commission concluded in its investigation .

But […]

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