Mayor Mourra Violates FPPC Filing Rules
City Council Majority Recently Censured and Sanctioned Their Colleague Kalimah Priforce for the Same Violation
Planning Commission Chair Also Violated FPPC Filing Rules
Breaking News
Emeryville’s Mayor, David Mourra, has not filed required FPPC political disclosure forms, a violation of state law, the Tattler has learned. The FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission), a state agency tasked with ensuring government transparency, acknowledged in a January 24th letter to the Tattler that Emeryville’s mayor is under investigation for failure to disclose as is required by law. Mr Mourra is very late in his filing as it turns out, having not filed required campaign disclosure forms since his election victory in 2022. The FPPC investigation comes as a result of a Tattler complaint.
The California Reform Act of 2024 mandates that all elected officials must continue to file FPPC disclosure forms even in the event that they have been elected and regardless of any subsequent donor contributions or lack of contributions.
The Tattler investigation also revealed Jordan Wax, the chair of Emeryville’s Planning Commission, failed to file a required FPPC 'Statement of Economic Interest' form on time, itself a violation of state law.
Some elected officials have presupposed that an inactive election campaign lets them off the hook for FPPC filings but state law is very clear that filing is still required. Violations of proper and timely FPPC filing rules have been very common among Emeryville politicians over the years. So much so that late filings would not normally be considered newsworthy except for the fact that Mayor Mourra and his colleagues on the City Council majority made much ballyhoo of recent late filings by Council member Kalimah Priforce to such an extent that they invoked Emeryville's new Code of Ethics to censure and sanction him for it. Now Mr Mourra, who seems to have unclean hands, finds himself in the same pickle.
The Tattler has an open Public Records Request filed with the City Clerk for details that will inform future editions of this ongoing story.
Mr Mourra was contacted for this story but he refused to comment.
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| Emeryville Mayor David Mourra Unclean Hands He sanctimoniously wagged his finger at his colleague Council member Priforce for violating the exact same state law as he did. |
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ReplyDeleteDoubt the FPPC responded to you or you would have posted the letter as proof.
ReplyDeleteReally? Are you going to retract that when you see it in the first follow up story? I'm thinking, NO, you won't. But that's OK, haters are more than welcome here at the Tattler. Even democracy haters. In the meantime, you might want to ask the Mayor if such a letter exists. Let us know what he says.
DeleteMayor Mourra closed his committee using the most recent 410 on the city website. You just don't know how the FPPC works. He no longer needs to file forms as he has no more economic activity.
ReplyDeleteLoad up your evidence that you think exonerates the Mayor and wait for the next Tattler follow up story. We're waiting to hear what the City Clerk says about Mr Mourra's filing. Once we get what she's going to give us, we'll release the first follow up story. And then another and then another. I't going to be drip drip drip for Mr Mourra. If we're going to censure and sanction one, we're going to censure and sanction them all....and that includes Council member Welch, Planning Commissioner Wax, Planning Commissioner Martinez and everyone else we find out that has violated the Code of Ethics. A cleansing firehose is coming to Emeryville City Hall.
DeleteI beg you to do the minimum amount of research before spreading misinformation. Priforce has the option to terminate his committee to not file forms like Mayor Mourra did but he didn't.
DeleteThe research is done. It's all in the can. This is just the opening gambit in this ongoing story. The story has to be built up, one at a time because Mr Mourra refuses to be interviewed because he is putting all of his faith in the City Clerk's advise (probably). We're waiting for the PRR from the City Clerk to see if this is why he seems confident enough to not respond. He did say some things to the Tattler but strictly off the record so now we just wait for the next shoe to drop.
DeleteFYI, the Tattler doesn't believe necessarily what a government official says. They've been shown to be wrong. Instead, we look to what the law says.
Have patience Tattler reader....the story will be revealed at the pace the dictated by a recalcitrant mayor but fear not: we will report what the actual law says after we get all the public documents that might be in the Mayor's defense coming from City Hall. The Tattler's confidence comes from our trust in the law.
His form closing the committee is literally on the city website. You don't need to file a public record request.
DeleteYes, we are aware of the FPPC form you are referencing. It is immaterial to the fact that Mr Mourra is in violation for filing his disclosure forms on time. Every politician in California is required to continue filing until they are no longer in elected office. That's a California statutory requirement.
DeleteMourra terminated his Councilmember candidate committee in January 2023 in accordance to FPPC rules. Form 460s, like the ones Priforce is delinquent on, do not need to be filed when a committee terminates.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/14818/Mourra-David-_-Form-410-_-Filed-1_31_2023
See Feb 4, 9:57 PM
DeleteMourra adhered to FPPC rules when he terminated his campaign committee in January 2023 and filed the termination form that the City Clerk uploaded.
DeleteHere’s the California FPPC info on terminating a campaign committee from the California website august 2023 https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/TAD/Campaign%20Manuals/Manual_2/Manual_2_Ch_12_After_the_Election.pdf
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
DeleteYou think the California FPPC doesn’t follow the Political Reform Act of 1974 when it publishes manual stating that elected officials can terminate their committee campaigns and cease filing semi annuals and form 460s and regular disclosures?
DeleteDo better research. The FPPC is the publisher of the Political Reform Act (of 1974) and all updates. Commission regulations implementing the Act are contained in the California Code of Regulations, Title 2, Division 6 (Sections 18104-18998).
DeleteThis is a chance for improving our lame “boilerplate”Emeryville Code of Ethics created by former councilmember Mr. Bauters. And it’s a good opportunity to learn to behave ethically: Mourra can be transparent about the mistake, correct it, and upgrade the rules to clearly handle these filing details, which cause misunderstandings and headaches for candidates, councilpersons, and staff. With luck Mr Mourra can clear up his ethic violation and move on. It will be easy for him unlike the petty censorship sideshow received by Councilperson Priforce. While Mourra is at it, the Oversight section of the Code of Ethics needs to be enacted so clear expectations and remedy’s are in place and the Council stops wasting taxpayer’s time. If Mourra is in violation and continues to blame others, or even hems and haws, he should be censored.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you have on the chair of the planning comish Wax?
ReplyDeleteThat will be released soon.
DeleteGreat job, Brian!!
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Priforce wasn't that he was late filing forms. His forms left out all the money he was getting to spend on mailers and campaign signs.
ReplyDeleteThis is from the resolution passed 4-1 by the City Council: "WHEREAS, Council Member Priforce has failed to materially comply with the Political Reform Act of 1974"
DeleteMr Mourra and Mr Wax both have also failed to materially comply with the Political Reform Act of 1974.
False equivalence. These two things are not even in the same ballpark and you are intentionally misleading your readers by pretending they are.
DeleteOK thanks for letting us know what you think.
DeleteFiled under: rules for thee not for me.
ReplyDeleteHello glass house (Emeryville City Council). Meet rock (Brian Donahue).