Shirley Grindle Files FFPC Complaint Against FFFF for Political Reform Act Violation

Political campaign watchdog Shirley Grindle filed a complaint last Friday against Tony Bushala and the Friends for Fullerton’s Future (Committee 1270222) for continuing in campaign activity even though his political action committee, set up to derail the candidacy of Linda Ackerman, was terminated in February. Technical, Grindle sees Bushala’s actions as a violation of the Political Reform Act which covers independent expenditures.

In documents obtained by TheLiberalOC Sunday afternoon, Grindle’s March 26 complaint cites artwork and instructions for readers of the FFF blog to obtain lawn signs that attack Fourth District Supervisor candidates Harry Sidhu and Lorri Galloway on the FFFF blog, alledges that Bushala has exceeded the $1,000 threshold required for the value of hundreds of signs posted throughout the district and requires an IE to be formed.  The signs cary identifiers containing the words “Friends of the 4th” when Grindle says there is no record of any IE committee with that name having been formed.  Grindle further alledges that Tony Bushala “is the individual responsible for these signs.”

In the complaint to the FFPC, Grindle attaches printouts of the FFFF blog page as the source of the campaign signs which contains “the exact description of activity as in the State of Organization field for Committee 1270222.” She identifies Bushala as the principal officer of the Committee and the primary source of funding for the Committee using forms 460 attached to the complaint.  Grindle took photos of the signs to show they are exact replicas of the signs posted on Bushala’s blog.

(photo of Tony Bushala on left with now AD-72 State Rep. Chris Norby in Bushala’s backyard)

And, in a nice touch on Grindle’s part, she attached a copy of the March 18 letter Bushala sent to the DA’s office alledging fraudulent activity on the part of Harry Sidhu.  Grindle used the letter because it’s on FFFF letterhead and claims the letter was sent “under the auspices of a committee that no longer existed.”  Can Bushala justify his own fraudulent activity to call attention to what many don’t consider a violation on Sidhu’s part since he now lives in the home he’s registered to vote in when he turned in his camapign filings?

Bushala is backing Fullerton’s own Robert Shawn Nelson for the BoS job (we call him B.S. Nelson) even though Nelson would leave a special meeting of the Fullerton City Council in regards to serious budget cuts in order to attend a fundraiser at Bushala’s house. That’s a candidate that puts those he represents ahead of his own interests, right?! Nope.

B.S. Nelson reviews documents in Bushala’s backyard

Bushala can easily restart the PAC he closed in February or start a new one, but Grindle’s complaint is a perfect illustration of ow people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.