More On The Mysterious Anti-Bustamante IE

I've been following up on the mysterious independent expenditure against Carlos Bustamante that came late in the 1st Supervisor District special election. Orange County Healthcare, Education and Neighborhood Leaders PAC spent -- according to this Form 496 late IE report -- the sum of $12,745.04 on phone calls and mailers against Bustamante -- including this grossly inaccurate mailer the day before the election.

This whole IE is hinky for a number of reasons. If you enter the Orange County Healthcare, Education and Neighborhood Leaders PAC's ID number (1292061) into the Secretary of State's online database, it comes back as Irvine City, School and Neighborhood Leaders Committee. I've spoken with the treasurer of that PAC, Betty Presley, who told me she'd been called about a week before the election by someone asking her to transfer the PAC to another treasurer, Kelly Lawler. This person also asked Betty to keep his/her identity confidential -- a request Betty has honored.

The PAC was then re-named Orange County Healthcare, Education & Neighborhood Leaders PAC.

Now, the Irvine City, School and Neighborhood Leaders Committee was a PAC formed to help elect John Duong as Mayor of Irvine last year. According to the SOS website, it had an ending cash balance of $2,690.47. Whether that money wound up being spent against Carlos Bustamante isn't clear yet.

Now, several contributors to that PAC also endorsed Carlos Bustamante for supervisor, including the Lincoln Club and Red County/OC Blog contributor Chip Hanlon. They are understandably upset this PAC -- and possibly money they contributed to it -- were used to not only attack a Republican, but a Republican they had endorsed.

As I said, Betty Presley said she received the call to turn over the PAC the week before the election. Whoever made the request moved with the speed of light, because the expenditure dates for the phone banks and mailers are listed on the Form 496 as being Tuesday, January 30.

Where things get really hinky is with the dollar amounts.  As I mentioned, the Form 496 lists expenditures of $12,745.04. However, it only lists $6,000 in contributions: $2,000 from Garden Grove Galleria, LLC and $4,000 from Tam Lecong (who is Janet Nguyen's appointment to the Garden Grove Planning Commission, and made an abortive council run in 2004 at Janet's behest). [Interesting aside: Janet's campaign report lists Kristen Lecong and Phillip Lecong as each giving the maximum $1,500. I say interesting because it's unusual to see a County of Orange office assistant and Fry's Electronics sales guy, respectively, maxing out to a supervisor candidate. But I digress.]

So, you have nearly $13,000 in expenditures from this newly-converted IE committee, but only $6,000 in contributions. Even if one assumes the committee spent the $2,690 left over from the committee's past life as Irvine City, Schools and Neighborhood Leaders Committee, that leaves a little more than $4,000 in contributions unaccounted for.

I've left several messages with the campaign treasurer, Kelly Lawler, since last Thursday, but have yet to get a call back. I did speak today with Ted Yoon, one of the partners in the Garden Grove Galleria -- a shopping mall/residential development approved by the city in 2005 I believe . Mr. Yoon said he wrote the $2,000 check at the recommendation of the other partner in the Garden Grove Galleria, Charles Kim. Mr. Yoon did not know who solicited the contribution, and said I should ask Mr. Kim. I had called Mr. Kim prior to speaking to Mr. Yoon, and was told he was at lunch would return shortly. I left a message and little later got a hold of Mr. Yoon. I called Mr. Kim again after concluding my conversation with Mr. Yoon, and was told Mr. Kim was gone for the day.

I'll keep readers updated in case anyone actually calls me back to answer some very simple questions.

Comments

[Chip Hanlon]

Personally, I'm not screaming because I don't claim to be an expert in such things and there may well be an innocent explanation for this whole thing. I sincerely hope there is... common sense suggests this will point to some friends, if not.

Unfortunately, their near-silence thus far is worrisome.

To those folks: I can't speak for anyone else, of course, but I don't think this is going to go away... please just let us know what's up so we can drop it.