Fresno PAC fined $1,000 for late campaign filing, but its mailer already did its damage | Opinion

An unregistered independent committee sent out a mailer that disparaged one of four candidates in the March 18 special election to fill an open seat on the Fresno City Council without adhering to campaign laws and got slapped with a $1,000 fine.

The damage had already been done by Tuesday when Fresno Future Forward PAC filed the necessary paperwork, a day after Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz announced his office was investigating the source of a malicious campaign flyer against candidate Brandon Vang.

Janz announced the $1,000 fine to committee treasurer Riley Moore on Tuesday afternoon for the untimely filing of campaign disclosures.

Janz, in his Monday morning press conference, reminded the media that his investigation was not focused on verifying the claims contained in the mailer, and the issuing of the fine concluded the investigation.

“My only goal here today is to seek compliance with our campaign finance laws so that voters have the ability to make a fair and informed decision about who they are choosing to be their next council member,” Janz said.

Independent committees are barred from coordinating campaigns with a candidate. Vang has not ruled out possible legal action against Fresno Future Forward PAC.

What we have here is a lesson on how to try to ruin the reputation of a candidate for a mere $4,439.51 (the amount the political action committee said it spent on mail), plus the printing — plus the $1,000 fine.

That seems like a small price to pay to try to control a race in which the winner will be among seven council members responsible for determining a $2 billion annual budget. Unfortunately, there is not much else Janz’s office can do.

We don’t know who is behind the dark money, or the total amount spent. The PAC won’t have to detail that information until July 31. The committee, in its filing, named Vang as the candidate it was endorsing or opposing.

What the mailer alleged

Fresno Bee reported the mailer contained serious but unconfirmed allegations against Vang. His campaign called them “completely false and deeply hurtful.”

The mailer, which was sent out earlier this month, includes allegations of statutory rape and includes a photo of confidential Fresno County records related to paternity and child support.

Vang, in an email statement to The Bee, vehemently denied those allegations.

“I want to be clear — these allegations are completely false and deeply hurtful,” he said. “I have always prioritized my family’s well-being and integrity. The child support case mentioned in the flyer involves my wife of 30 years and our son, who has lived with me his entire life.

“It is disheartening to see false claims used as political attacks, but I remain committed to honesty and serving our community with transparency,” Vang wrote.

In an interview Wednesday with Montalvo, Vang’s wife, May Lee, said the mailer’s accusations were false. “I’m very angry. I’m very upset,” she said. “This not only affects me, as his wife, but it affects our kids and I’m just really, really upset that this has happened.”

Vang, 52, has been a trustee with the Sanger Unified School District since 2016. The southeast Fresno race includes Fresno Unified School trustee, Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, 40; Southeast Community Economic Development Association CEO, José León Barraza, 74; and marketing and ad sales professional, Paul Condon, 49.

They are seeking to fill the two years remaining on former district representative Luis Chávez’s appointment, who was elected to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors last fall. The winning candidate must get 50% plus one of the vote, otherwise the top two finishers will be in a runoff election.