Michele Martinez’s Employment Record Questioned

With press releases from the Michele Martinez for Assembly campaign making changes to their boilerplate regarding her employment status, we did some digging into Martinez’s career outside of her work on the Santa Ana City Council.  And according to the Statement of Economic Interest’s (Form 700) that she filed on March 5, 2012, 69th Assembly district candidate Martinez is, technically, unemployed.  She reported that she has no source of financial support for her day-to-day living expenses, other than her stipend for serving on the Santa Ana city council.

In her most recent press release her campaign issued, the boilerplate reads: “She works as the Director of the Alliance for a Healthy Orange County (AHOC).” If that were a paid position, one would assume that Ms. Martinez would have reported that on her Form 700. Ms. Martinez did report that she had made a loan to her Assembly campaign, which we know to have been for just under $16,000.

On March 6, 2012, Martinez reported on her Form 700 report for 2011 (City Council) that she had been employed by Alliance for Healthy Orange County (NuPAC) during 2011, earning between $10,000 and $100,000 in salary. Martinez reported on her 2010 Form 700 that she worked for OneOC as Director of the Obesity Prevention Plan, earning between $10,000 and $100,000 in salary.

We have since learned that her employment as Director of the Obesity Prevention Plan and Alliance for Healthy Orange County (NuPAC) is actually under the same non-profit agency, OneOC. It’s not clear why Martinez would report OneOC as her employer on her Form 700 in 2010, and AHOC in 2011, when AHOC operates under the fiscal sponsorship of OneOC. By reporting her employment under an organizational name that is not that of a corporate entity, she hides from disclosure the actual name of her employer. The Martinez camp rarely returns phone calls we place so if they’d like to clarify our reporting with a statement of explanation, they can do so in the comments section below.

So what does this status in employment mean?

  1. Does Ms. Martinez actually have a paid job now, or at any time this year?
  2. If not, how does she support herself and afford to loan her campaign almost $16,000?
  3. If she does have a paid job, why did she not report this on her Form 700? It’s not like she can say she didn’t understand the form she’s been filling it out for the past six years.
  4. Finally, our review of her campaign finance reports still show no report of campaign related travel expenses. This is confusing because it is widely known that she has made numerous fundraising and campaign excursions, including the one that placed her on a train to Northern California in January, where she was overheard bragging about her success. Such expenditures are required to be reported. Why hasn’t she done so?  If she’s combining campaign travel with City Business, are taxpayers paying for her campaign travel in addition to city business travel?

Her LinkedIn page, which serves as a resume of sorts for potential employers, is paper thin with no mention of private sector experience.

Martinez’s campaign issued a recent call to arms for fundraising in the wake of the large IEs for candidates Tom Daly and Julio Perez.  The message content is posted below:

Friends and Supporters,

 Just out of curiosity we took a look at expenditures being made in support of our opponents.  And what we found was pretty astounding.  It’s even more apparent now that we sure are climbing an up hill battle as we’re noticing a trend of big spending as the election approaches.  My opponents have received a big boost from Independent expenditures of over 600K from outsiders to help boost their agenda.  

THIS IS WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST!!!  We need your help!  We’re just 24 short days until the primary election date and while the majority of the voters will be voting by mail within the next couple of weeks we still have a lot of canvassing, phone calls and information to get out there.  It’s a shame that the candidates with the most money to spend are considered to have the best shot at winning.  But while we’re certainly not going to outspend our opponents (bolded; our emphasis, LiberalOC)…we have the confidence that what we are doing will get us the victory.  Help us leave no stone unturned…contribute today! www.michelecmartinez.com

We’ve come up with a master plan to reach as many people as possible in the last few weeks and we need your help to execute it!  Our volunteer staff is hitting the ground and occupying the phone lines getting our information out.  Call our office at (714) 564-0130 to find out how you can help!  Volunteer opportunities are available M-Th 11:00am – 9:00pm, Saturday 10:00am – 2:00pm and Sunday 3:00pm – 7:00pm.

 Come show your support, sign-up to volunteer and pick up a lawn sign at one of these upcoming neighborhood events:

Meet & Greet at Chava’s House!

Saturday, May 12th from 2:00pm – 3:00pm

609 E Occidental St., Santa Ana

 

Meet & Greet at the Home of Councilman David Benavides

Saturday, May 19th from 2:30 – 4:00pm

637 S. Daisy Ave., Santa Ana

So we’re a few weeks out from the election and the campaign has just now come up with a master plan?   Some of the blogsphere commentary asks why the powers that be in Sacramento “fear” a little known city council woman, and we think that view is misplaced.  The money is going towards the candidates with the best shot at winning the top two slots.

Of all of the candidates in the AD-69 race, getting elected means a bigger paycheck than what they currently make with the lone exception of Tom Daly, who would actually be taking a pay cut if he’s elected.

That all said, this leaves us wondering if Martinez is only running for Assembly because she needs a real paying job.

7 Comments

  1. As I said before she needs to go back to selling weed again. This politics job sure don’t fit her pistol.

  2. Unemployed and unable to handle her own finances — why would we want to vote for her making her just another career politician. I won’t be voting for any politican from Santa Ana — Daly gets my vote.

  3. I agree in part with “That’s a No Vote” for Michele; Problem is s/he follows up with claiming support for just the original career politician: Tom Daly. Daly has been pigging out at the tax payer funded trough forever, and shows no sign of slowing down. Talk about a “Career Politician”. Wow!

  4. @thats a no vote:

    Not all of us official candidates are career politicians from Santa Ana.

    I am non-partisan and pro-solutions focused in my approach.

    Francisco “Paco” Barragan
    For State Assembly 2012 – 69th AD

    PROFILE:
    http://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscobarragancpacia

    OC Register Voter Guide
    http://www.ocregister.com/news/-351403–.html?appSession=11394433055391&RecordID=93&PageID=3&PrevPageID=2&cpipage=1&CPIsortType=&CPIorderBy=&cbCurrentRecordPosition=1

  5. @ Dan:

    1) The Form 990 for OneOC for 2010 shows the 5 highest compensated officers or employees. The lowest of the 5 is Valerie Fryer, Director of Finance at $88,220.
    Thus, since range on Form 700 is $10K – $100K, Michele would have earned a salary ranging from $10K to $88K in 2010 from OneOC.

    http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2010/952/021/2010-952021700-07a9af29-9.pdf

    2) Her position is also very confusing almost like a SHELL GAME.
    AHOC (Alliance for Healthy OC) is also identified as NuPAC, which is also identified as Orange County Obesity Prevention Plan (on 2011 Form 700).

    And in Santa Ana website she is identified as the Director of the Orange County Nutrition and Physical Activity Collaborative (NuPAC) Obesity Prevention Plan.

    And then there is this sentence in AHOC’s mission page:
    A) That AHOC will “work with NuPAC and other stakeholders to revise the Orange County Obesity Prevention Plan”. SO MICHELLE IS BEING PAID TO WORK WITH HERSELF.

    B) And “AHOC will work with cities to collaborate and coordinate with . . . SCAG …” So MICHELE IS BEING PAID BY AHOC and SCAG [on her Form 700) to lobby herself. (

    DOUBLE DIPPING like Mayor Pulido???)

    http://www.ochealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/AHOC-Goals-20121.pdf

    Very convoluted indeed.

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