California lawmaker spent campaign cash on Asia vacation. Regulators say fines aren’t big enough

A former California lawmaker’s misuse of campaign cash for an Asia vacation and a Hawaii home remodeling project was “so egregious” that it warrants a “hellacious” penalty beyond what state law allows, a state campaign finance regulator said.

The rebuke was directed at former Assemblyman Joseph Canciamilla, who misspent $130,000 in political funds and was forced to pay the maximum penalty state law allows for a campaign finance violation, $150,000.

The Fair Political Practices Commission on Thursday affirmed the penalty, but commissioners said the fine wasn’t enough. They said they’ll consider asking the Legislature to increase the allowable penalty so that “future Canciamillas will pay an even steeper price.”

“This is a spectacular fall from grace,” Commissioner Frank Cardenas said. “It’s a breathtaking arrogance. There are particularly egregious issues here that appear to go, at least on their face, beyond mirror of civil law.”

Canciamilla served in the Capitol as a Democrat from 2000 to 2006 before he was appointed as the Contra Costa County clerk-recorder and registrar of voters in 2013. He is now registered as “No Party Preference.”

The campaign finance violations stemmed from two local fundraising committees he created, one in 2011 while he was a candidate for judge in the county’s Superior Court and the second in 2012 for his latest position.

Chief of Enforcement Galena West said the enforcement division has additionally referred the case to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office. The commission also said the county retirement board should review Canciamilla’s pension.

Canciamilla cooperated with the enforcement team, West said, and he resigned from his post as county clerk on Oct. 31.

“Mr. Canciamilla does not take this lightly,” said Canciamilla’s attorney, Andy Rockas. “Mr. Canciamilla has taken full responsibility for this situation, is humbled and embarrassed, and hopes the FPPC fines won’t severely overshadow his 46 years of public service to the residents of Contra Costa County.”

The commission launched a more thorough investigation in Canciamilla after the Political Reform Audit Program of the Franchise Tax Board initially noticed irregularities in his campaign finance reporting.

The commission found that between May 2011 and June 2015, the longtime politician had funneled the money from his committees for personal use, which included a vacation to Asia and airfare for Canciamilla and his spouse’s canceled trip to London and Washington, D.C. ,” documents show. It’s a violation of the Political Reform Act to blend campaign money with personal finances.

“Also, this spending included payments for personal credit card charges, which were incurred by Canciamilla in connection with the remodeling of a home that he owned in Hawaii,” the investigation includes.

The misuse of funds ”was concealed on campaign statements by other reporting violations including non-reporting and the over-statement of available cash on hand.”

A handful of Contra Costa residents lined up at the hearing to ask the commission for the strictest enforcement of the law, in order to “make this as painful for the offender as possible.”

“These are people who are supposed to understand the law. And he stole,” one woman said. “This is a basic moral issue. You don’t take things that don’t belong to you.”

This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 12:55 PM.