The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Monday, April 11, 2011 

A prominent Filipino-American school-board official and her campaign treasurer were cited and fined by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for failure to report a loan of $18,000. Last year, school board member Arlie Ricasa was named by Assembly Member Marty Block as "woman of the year" for his assembly district, praising her as a "role model" for the youth.  

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FOR CAMPAIGN REPORTING VIOLATION

California Fines Fil-Am School Board Member

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)

and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)

T ORONTO -- A local school-board official who claims to be the "highest-ranking Filipino American elected in San Diego" has been fined by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for what it said was "campaign-reporting violations."

The commission informed the Philippine Village Voice and its associated online news outlets that Arlie Ricasa was slapped with a $2,000 fine for failure to report money loaned to her campaign for the California State Assembly in 2008.

Ricasa's committee treasurer, Kinde Durkee, was also cited and fined for the same violation.

Ricasa and Durkee "failed to disclose an $18,000 loan received from Durkee & Associates, LLC, on the semi-annual campaign statement filed for the reporting period May 18, 2008 through June 30, 2008," according to a press statement made available late Monday (April 11, 2011) afternoon.

Ms. Ricasa is currently president of the board of trustees of the Sweetwater Union High School District, the second largest secondary school district in the United States.

In March last year, she was honored by Assembly member Marty Block as his "woman of the year" for his assembly district. The award is routinely dispensed by politicians as a way of recognizing individuals for whatever reason.

“Arlie is a remarkable college administrator, public servant, community volunteer, mother and wife who is a role model for youth and residents of our district,” Block then said in his website.

Ms. Ricasa, whose parents hail from Cavite province, has been repeatedly defeated in elections for the California State Assembly.

In 2008, Arlie Ricasa was a candidate for California State Assembly, 78th District. "Arlie Ricasa 2008" was her candidate-controlled committee and Kinde Durkee was the committee’s treasurer. # # #

(© Copyright by Romeo P. Marquez, Editor, Philippine Village Voice, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. E-mail: TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail.com, PhilVoiceNews@aol.com or CurrentsBreakingNews@gmail.com).

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For other stories, please visit: 

1. http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/ 

2. http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/

3. http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/

4. http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/ 

5. http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/