California pols react to Monterey Park shooting + FPPC weighs several potential fines
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
CALIFORNIA POLS REACT TO YET ANOTHER MASS SHOOTING
Monterey Park, California was the scene Saturday for the latest episode of catastrophic gun violence in America, with 12 people killed including the 72-year-old shooter.
Since Jan. 1, there have been 37 mass shootings (defined as four or more victims shot), including five mass murders (defined as four or more victims killed), according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted a widely-shared sentiment, writing that “Monterey Park should have had a night of joyful celebration of the Lunar New Year. Instead, they were the victims of a horrific and heartless act of gun violence. “
On Monday, he expressed exhaustion with having to have post-shooting press conferences.
“I can’t keep doing them,” Newsom said, according to a tweet from KCRA’s Ashley Zavala. “Saying the same thing over and over and over again, it’s insane.” He called it “comical” that the U.S. still has not done anything about “weapons of pure mass destruction,” according to Zavala.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein in a tweet offered up her thoughts for the victims “whose lives were shattered by the latest incident in our nation’s epidemic of gun violence,” while Sen. Alex Padilla visited with Monterey Park community members to express support.
“We won’t let this horrific act dim the vibrant spirit of this community, and we will do everything we can to help them recover,” Padilla wrote in a tweet.
Meanwhile, Rep. Judy Chu, whose district includes Monterey Park, said that the shooting “has torn a hole through all of our hearts.”
“While there is so much we do not yet know, we do know this occurred at a time that should have been very special to Asian Americans in this country and around the world. Lunar New Year is the highlight of the year for Asian American communities, and a time of celebration and of being with our families,” she said in a statement.
One prominent California politician who has yet to say anything in public is new U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
As of Monday afternoon, the Bakersfield Republican had yet to tweet or release a public statement about the shooting.
FPPC WEIGHS FINES FOR CALIFORNIA POLS
This week, the California Fair Political Practices Commission will consider handing out fines to some politicians, including Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti and twice-unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox.
First up, Dodd, who was re-elected in 2020.
“In 2017 and 2018, Dodd was a member of the California State Senate. During this time, numerous charitable donations of $5,000 or more were made to the Salvation Army and the Napa Valley Education Foundation at Dodd’s behest,” according to the FPPC.
These payments totaled more than $481,000.
State law requires that when elected officials solicit charitable payments, they have to be timely reported. Dodd failed to do so within the statutory 30 days of payment, though he did do so later, according to the FPPC.
The proposed fine for this? $7,500.
Next up is Patti, a Republican who serves on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and who unsuccessfully ran for California’s 9th Congressional District against Democratic incumbent Rep. Josh Harder.
Patti failed to timely file 24-hour contribution reports, as well as credit card charges and payments to subvendors, from July 2016 through June 2021, according to the FPPC.
“This case involves failure — on the part of Patti, his committee, and (Committee Treasurer Kimm) Lovelace — to timely file four pre-election campaign statements, more than two dozen 24-hour reports, and one semi-annual campaign statement,” according to the FPPC.
The reporting violations later were corrected in connection with the settlement of the case.
The total proposed penalty for Patti? $12,000.
Finally, John Cox, the Republican millionaire who was his party’s 2018 nominee against Gavin Newsom, and who later unsuccessfully attempted to replace Newsom in the 2021 recall election.
A Franchise Tax Board audit found that Cox’s campaign failed to disclose the occupation or employer information for contributions totaling more than $233,000 from more than 1,100 individuals.
His proposed fine? $4,500.
The commission meets this Thursday at 10 a.m. to mete out judgments.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Jill and I are praying for those killed and injured in last night’s deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park. I’m monitoring this situation closely as it develops, and urge the community to follow guidance from local officials and law enforcement in the hours ahead.”
- President Joe Biden, via Twitter.
Best of The Bee:
“I have walked those streets”: Monterey Park shooting devastates Sacramento Asian communities, via Sawsan Morrar.
Caltrans says it is struggling to keep up with the number of homeless encampments popping up on its properties and is seeking millions of dollars to help clear them, via Maggie Angst and Lindsey Holden.
Remember last year’s nationwide infant formula shortage? Assemblywoman Lori Wilson does, and she has introduced a bill aimed at preventing a recurrence in California, via Andrew Sheeler.
Who let the dog out? That would be the Folsom Fire Department. U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, visited the department’s Station 35 on Friday to award certificates of congressional recognition to firefighters who went “above and beyond the call of duty” after saving the life of a local dog, according to a news release from Kiley’s office, via Alex Muegge.