San Gabriel Valley : Candidate, Husband Agree to $12,500 Fine

An unsuccessful 1992 Monterey Park City Council candidate and her husband have agreed to pay a $12,500 fine for failing to disclose campaign contributions, loans and other expenditures.

Attorney Bonnie Wai and her husband and campaign treasurer, Joseph Wong, admitted to 10 violations of the California Political Reform Act in an agreement approved Thursday by the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

Wai, 32, could not be reached Friday for comment.

In the April, 1992, election, Wai finished a distant third with nearly a thousand votes less than the winners, despite spending about $60,000 and having the endorsement of then-Mayor Sam Kiang. Thursday’s agreement said about half of Wai’s war chest was involved in the violations.

According to the agreement, the couple failed during the campaign to list the source of 72 contributions of more than $100, as required by state law, that totaled $21,312.

Other violations included a $10,000 Wong loan to the campaign that was not disclosed by the reporting deadline. The couple also acknowledged failing to report other cash contributions and the use of their personal credit cards and checking account to pay campaign bills. They were later reimbursed for those expenditures.