First shot by Fargo in Sacramento mayor's race appears to miss

Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo, who launched a grenade at challenger Kevin Johnson by accusing him of owing $45,000 in overdue taxes, spent most of Thursday backtracking.

Pressed to support her claim, Fargo's campaign provided documents late in the day to make her case – but they didn't appear to be current. And none involved Johnson's personal finances.

They focused instead on his development projects in Oak Park – including the nonprofit St. HOPE Academy and his private company, Kynship Development Co.

The paperwork was a combination of state liens for unemployment taxes, construction liens by contractors seeking payment, delinquent utility charges and city code enforcement actions.

It was unclear from the documents if any of the money is still owed. In fact, many of the records show the particular problem had been cleared up.

On Thursday afternoon, Johnson called the mayor's charges unfortunate, saying he has taken responsibility for these problems and that there are no outstanding taxes or liens against him or his organizations.

The former NBA star said he was disappointed that the mayor leveled negative accusations "right off the bat."

"This is the reason a lot of people don't get involved in politics," Johnson said. "I would never make personal attacks about my opponent. I want to focus on the issues, on ideas and the best interest of the city."

The documents, delivered to The Bee after 6 p.m., capped a day in which the Fargo campaign changed course several times about whether it would provide the material – and just what it proved.

In a statement Thursday, Fargo said that Johnson should be held accountable for his record past and present, "which has included $45,000 in unpaid taxes, code enforcement violations and fines, and thousands of dollars in construction liens."

She accused him of not being forthcoming.

"He should come clean on his mistakes and oversights in business," she said.

The biggest single claim in Fargo's stack was a $20,000 mechanic's lien for the construction of the Guild Theatre in 2003. The liens for state unemployment taxes, totaling $11,331, were owed by the nonprofit agency.

An independent search by The Bee on Thursday showed no current outstanding liens or taxes. A Sacramento city spokesperson said Johnson's organizations had no code-enforcement liens or outstanding fines.

And Thursday was just the second day of the mayor's race.

Fargo's allegation was the first shot in a mayoral campaign expected to be as brutal as it is short – the race may be over after the June primary if one candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote. The filing deadline for candidates is today.

Political consultant Doug Elmets, who is not involved in the mayoral race, said the day's events backed up his predictions of an ugly battle for Sacramento's top job.

"This is not an auspicious start," said Elmets. "The mayor doesn't have much margin for error. If you're going to make an accusation, be sure it's airtight."

Johnson announced his candidacy at the Guild Theatre on Wednesday, and Fargo immediately leveled the charge that he was behind on his taxes and had liens. She offered no further details.

The Fargo campaign waffled all day Thursday on backing up its claims. Fargo campaign officials first said they would provide the documents, then said that Johnson should provide them.

Under pressure, harried spokesman Ryan Rauzon delivered the records to The Bee late in the day.

He acknowledged the $45,000 figure was just a rough estimate, based in part on a Bee article printed in October, and in fact included many debts that have been paid.

Besides Johnson and Fargo, four others have filed for mayor: Richard Jones, Leonard Padilla, Muriel Strand and Shawn Eldredge.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Dorothy Korber, (916) 321-1061. The Bee's Phillip Reese contributed to this report.