Councilman Santos Garcia Found in Violation of Government Code and Fined by the State

MADERA – As we reported multiple times earlier in the year, despite receiving several late notices from Madera County Clerk Rebecca Martinez, Madera City Councilman Santos Garcia failed to file his California Form 460 (Campaign disclosures) for the period of October 21, 2018, to December 31, 2018, when it was due on January 31, 2019. In fact, the councilman was six months late in filing his disclosures which tell voters where the money, in this case nearly $18,000, for his campaign came from.

Madera County Elections Division Manager Stephanie Sibley indicated a $100 fine was in the process of being generated if the candidate does not file his disclosures. According to Madera County Clerk Martinez, since the candidate eventually did file and this was his first offense, she waved the fine this time as she has in the past for other first time candidates. However, the state of California wasn’t so forgiving.

On August 15, 2019 the California Fair Political Practices Commission Chief Enforcement Officer Galena West and Political Reform Consultant Chloe Hackert found Garcia and his campaign treasure Violet Grimaldo to be in violation of California Government Code Section 84200, failure to timely file a semiannual campaign statement for the reporting period of October 21, 2018, through December 31, 2018. The councilman was fined $274, substantially less than the $2000 - $5000 amount Sibley indicated the FPPC could have fined in May of 2019.

In the Matter of Santos 4 Madera City Council 2018, Santos Garcia, and Violet Grimaldo; FPPC No. 19/0778. Staff: Chief of Enforcement Galena West and Political Reform Consultant Chloe Hackert. Santos Garcia was a successful candidate for Madera City Council in the November 6, 2018, General Election. Santos 4 Madera City Council 2018 is his candidate-controlled committee. Violet Grimaldo is the Committee’s treasurer. The Committee, Garcia, and Grimaldo failed to timely file a semiannual campaign statement for the reporting period of October 21, 2018, through December 31, 2018, in violation of Government Code Section 84200 (1 count). Fine: $274.

Previous 460 disclosure filings show that most of Councilman Garcia’s money has come from local labor unions and local developer Khalid Chaudhry. He also received a nearly $3000 in-kind donation of neighborhood Canvasser’s from Valley Forward, a 501C4 non-profit organization of the FRESNO-MADERA-TULARE-KINGS LABOR COUNCIL. Valley Forward used paid volunteers to conduct a ballot harvesting initiative which has been credited in the local media as being the force that changed many elections here in the Central Valley.

Violet Grimaldo, who Facebook lists as a staff accountant at My Union Works, was the treasurer for the Garcia campaign and received $1000 for her services. However when asked about the overdue filings she had no clue about any late paperwork for the councilman. She told BVN that she no longer works for the campaign since it concluded in November and anything after Election Day would have been handled by Garcia himself.

According to multiple sources at Madera’s City Hall, Garcia is ramping up for his next campaign. This time the councilman, who has not even completed a half a term on the City Council, is going to make a run for the Mayor’s seat. With incumbent Andy Medellin working on his re-election bid and political newcomers Ron Montoya and Alex Salazar talking about a run, the ballot should be quite crowded next November if Garcia enters that race.

If Garcia does take a run at the mayor’s seat, he still has a lot of unanswered questions about unsubstantiated allegations of illegal actions from the 2018 Garcia campaign on Election Day. The campaign has been accused of paying homeless and prostitutes to register and vote on Election Day, and ballot harvesting of union members by the Valley Forward organization.

But Garcia isn’t one that likes to answer questions. When he was asked why it took so long for Santos and his campaign to file his disclosures, the councilman said it was none of our business. So much for the transparency he demanded of the city council and mayor during his campaign. Maybe Mr. Garcia needs a lesson on the role of the Fourth Estate in our political process. Maybe he is getting one right now.