Weaver hit with $9K fine

CITY HALL — City Councilman Dave Weaver has agreed to pay the state $9,000 for violating campaign finance law during his 2005 City Council election bid, according to a proposed settlement with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, which must still approve the deal.

State election officials opened their investigation in 2006 and determined that Weaver violated financial reporting and fundraising laws. The commission is scheduled to review the proposed settlement agreement Dec. 10. Election officials had previously declined to give details on the investigation or settlement amount until the meeting’s agenda was released Monday.

The agreement has already been signed by Weaver and commission Executive Director Roman Porter.

Commission investigators found that Weaver had violated state law during the 2005 campaign because he received $500 cash contributions — candidates can accept cash donations of only $99 or less — and that he failed to maintain proper campaign financial records, according to the commission report.

Investigators also found that he had accepted an “excessive gift,” according to the report. Penalties levied by the commission can carry up to $5,000 per violation.

“This is a proposed penalty that has been agreed to by the respondent and by commission staff, and it will go before the commission for direct consideration,” Porter said.

In early 2006, Weaver self-reported himself to the state Fair Political Practices Commission after being prompted by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, according to the commission report on the proposed settlement.

A case was then opened, which also investigated an additional complaint filed against him.

Weaver has repeatedly attributed the violations to “stupidity” and misunderstanding of the law.

“If I’ve done something wrong, I admit it, but it’s usually out of not reading all the papers,” he said in an earlier interview.

Created by the Political Reform Act of 1974, the state agency regulates and investigates campaign finance and conflict-of-interest violations of laws.

Though the agency must look into all of the thousands of complaints received annually, not all end up being the subject of formal investigations by its enforcement division.

In the commission exhibit, the three counts against Weaver were described as “serious violations.”