Political Panel Fines Insurance Chief $50,000
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SACRAMENTO — The state Fair Political Practices Commission fined Insurance Commissioner Charles Quackenbush $50,000 on Wednesday for violations of campaign disclosure laws during his 1994 campaign.
The political watchdog panel approved the fine, to which Quackenbush had already agreed, on a 4-1 vote.
Commissioner Carol Scott cast the only “no” vote after voicing what she described as “significant concerns” about rumors that Quackenbush or his representatives might have improperly lobbied commission members to reduce the penalty.
The maximum fine for the violations Quackenbush acknowledged was $2,000 each for 31 counts, or a total of $62,000.
But commission attorney Mark Soble recommended less than the maximum fine on the grounds that Quackenbush had cooperated with the investigation and that there was no evidence of deliberate attempts to conceal contributions or expenditures.
“None of the violations appear to be intentional, but it does appear they did a sloppy job with a lot of mistakes,” Soble said.
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