Fresno-area school board candidate faces investigation over union contributions
The California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating allegations that a candidate running for Central Unified School District’s board of trustees failed to disclose 2016 campaign contributions from the teachers union led by his wife.
The FPPC notified Richard Martinez on Sept. 15 about a complaint and confirmed its investigation on Sept. 28, according to documents obtained by The Bee. Reached by phone on Thursday, Martinez said there was an oversight in filing, and he’s working to correct it.
Martinez is running for the Area 6 seat currently held by Terry Cox, who is not seeking reelection. There are four candidates in the race: Sandra Flores, Martinez, Jeremy Mehling and Stacy Williams.
The FPPC complaint was filed by Emily Cameron, who is working on Williams’ campaign.
The FPPC is a nonpartisan and independent organization that regulates campaign financing, conflicts of interest, lobbying and governmental ethics according to the Political Reform Act.
Central Unified covers 88 square miles west of Highway 99 and serves nearly 16,000 children in new neighborhoods that have popped up on the fringes of Fresno over the last decade and across rural areas into the unincorporated town of Biola. Area 6 stretches south of Highway 180 and pivots eastward along McKinley and Clinton avenues toward Highway 99.
Cameron filed the complaint to promote a level playing field in the election, she said.
“If everybody else is doing the work, then he needs to do it, too,” Cameron said. “If you’re omitting something that shouldn’t be that big of a deal to disclose, then it presents a worrying question of, ‘Is there something else?’”
Martinez defended his qualifications for the position.
“If they’re so concerned about what I’m doing, they can come to me directly and we can talk about issues related to the school district,” he said.
Disclosures
Martinez filed a form in 2016 declaring he would raise less than $2,000 for his campaign for school trustee.
However, the Central Unified Teachers Association political action committee reported several non-monetary contributions to his campaign that amounted to more than $8,000. The contributions included signs, voter data and mailers.
Martinez noted the union filed its forms correctly.
His wife, Judee Martinez, is the union president. But, Richard Martinez said the union has committees for endorsements and its PAC, and his wife was not involved in those activities.
The Bee was unable to reach Judee Martinez by phone, and no one from the union responded to an email from The Bee before publication of this story.
Richard Martinez said the union endorsed him in 2016 and again this year.
Martinez lost to Cox in 2016. In 2018, Martinez was fourth in a four-person race for a seat on the Fresno County Board of Education. Kimberly Tapscott-Munson won that election.
Opponents respond
Williams called the investigation and filing discrepancies “worrisome.”
“I think it’s important because we’re serving the public,” she said. “Transparency, integrity, following policies and procedures and legal requirements are so important to our job as public servants and leaders. The community’s trust in us is super important.”
Mehling said in an emailed statement through his consultant that filing campaign disclosures is one of the basic tasks required of a candidate.
“It’s disturbing to learn that my opponent is under investigation for failing to follow through on the most basic task a candidate has to do, which is to report donations truthfully and accurately,” Mehling said. “If he can’t manage a campaign account of thousands of dollars, how will he do with a budget of $180 million? Central Unified’s kids deserve better.”
Flores did not respond to a request for comment.