A former councilman of National City, California, was cited and fined by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for neglecting to file the election-campaign statement. The commission slapped a $2,000 fine on Fideles Ungab, his campaign committee and his treasurer, Gil Anthony Ungab, for their failure to report after the November 2008 election in which Ungab lost.

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"HIS ACTIONS APPEAR TO BE NEGLIGENT, NOT INTENTIONAL"

California Commission Slaps Fine on Former Filipino-American Councilman

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Member, Asian American Journalists Association

T ORONTO - A former member of the National City (California) Council has been fined by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for not filing periodic reports about his election campaign, the commission announced on Thursday (Oct. 14, 2010).

In a statement to the Philippine Village Voice, the Sacramento-based commission said the action of former Councilman Fideles Ungab appeared "to be negligent, not intentional" in not filing his semi-annual campaign statement during his run for office two years ago.

The reporting period covered the months from Oct. 19, 2008, to December 31, 2008. In the November 2008 election, Ungab sought the same office in National City for which he had been previously elected as councilman, a fact that made Filipinos proud. Filipino Americans comprise 20-percent of National City's estimated 60,000-population.

The five-member commission said Ungab, his committee (The Committee to Elect Fideles Ungab) and its treasurer, Gil Anthony Ungab, were jointly fined $2,000. The amount was just 20-percent of the maximum administrative penalty of $10,000.

Ungab's lack of prior history of violating the law, the "relatively small" amount involved in the reporting and his apparent negligence were cited by the commission as mitigating factors in lowering the fine.

The bipartisan commission enforces California's Political Reform Act which governs disclosure of political campaign contributions and spending by candidates and ballot measure committees. It  also sets ethics rules for state and local government officials that impose strict limits on decisions or votes that affect the official's financial interests.

Ungab was one of four individuals and organizations cited and fined by the commission for campaign reporting violations. # # #

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