Aliso Viejo Candidate Cries Foul Over Campaign Fund

A candidate for Aliso Viejo City Council has filed a complaint with the state, alleging that three rivals have been using money raised for a companion campaign for cityhood.

Russell Reinhart filed the complaint this month with the state Fair Political Practices Commission, alleging that candidates Carmen L. Vali, Cynthia Pickett and William Phillips were using funds raised by a political action committee to make Aliso Viejo the 34th city in Orange County. Reinhart and the three are vying with eight other candidates for five council seats, should voters approve cityhood.

Vali, Pickett and Phillips were involved in an earlier committee, Aliso Viejo Cityhood 2000, which gathered signatures to put the issue on the March 6 ballot. The group later changed its name to Aliso Viejo Committee for Cityhood and changed its status to a political action committee.

Papers filed with the California secretary of state’s office declare that the committee was formed to support Aliso Viejo’s incorporation and a candidate slate of Vali, Pickett and Phillips.

The FPPC sent Reinhart a letter on Feb. 7 confirming receipt of his complaint and saying that the allegations would be investigated. Aliso Viejo for Cityhood Chairman Barry Adams maintains the group has done nothing wrong.

“What [Reinhart is] saying and what is reality are two different things,” Adams said. “We are very confident that we are working within the guidelines of the FPPC, and we hope that they are doing the same.”

At issue is whether the council candidates have accepted money from the cityhood committee.

The law allows political action committees to endorse candidates, provided the endorsement is included in the statement of organization filed with the secretary of state’s office, said Jim Knox, executive director of California Common Cause, a political watchdog organization.

However, Reinhart and other candidates say the committee’s actions are misleading to voters.

“People are giving money to the [political action committee] thinking they’re supporting cityhood” while the money is used to help elect his opponents, Reinhart said.

Literature distributed by the committee encourages residents to vote for cityhood, then endorses Vali, Pickett and Phillips for election to the council.

No donations from the committee appear on any campaign statements filed by the three candidates with the county registrar of voters. However, all three have donated money to the committee.

“The PAC does not give money to the candidates,” Adams said. “And we would absolutely welcome any type of review by the FPPC.”

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Adams acknowledged that money donated to the committee does benefit Vali, Pickett and Williams over other candidates, but the committee has never concealed that, he said.

“We are endorsing the group of candidates who have supported the cityhood effort for the last five years,” Adams said. Candidate Rich Olquin, who is running with Reinhart on a slate of four candidates, said he donated to the committee not knowing it supported his opponents.

“Does that mean I gave to their campaigns?” Olquin said. “Can I get a refund?”

Pickett accused Reinhart of dirty tactics and said she welcomes an FPPC investigation.

Reinhart “is trying to create controversy around something that isn’t there, and it’s unfortunate because people aren’t dealing with the issues,” she said. “All it does is cloud the issues. You can cast aspersions on people and make them look like crooks--that’s the best way to take out a candidate.”