Bustamante says he may be able to retrieve some questionable cash

HeraldTribune.com ^ | 9/29/03 | BRIAN SKOLOFF, AP

[kattracks]

FRESNO, Calif. --

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante may return just a small fraction of $3.8 million a judge ordered him to "make a good faith effort" to retrieve from television stations for air time on ads fighting a ballot measure, according to court documents filed Monday.

The amended order Friday from Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster ordering Bustamante to attempt to get refunds from television stations came just four days after the judge ruled Bustamante had to stop using a campaign finance loophole to collect money in an old campaign committee account and to return any such funds still in his possession.

At question is $3.8 million Bustamante received from Indian tribes and unions.

After criticism, Bustamante shifted the money from his 2002 re-election fund - created before Proposition 34 went into effect limiting contributions to $21,200 - into the newly created Cruz Bustamante Committee Against Proposition 54.

The money is being used to pay for ads to fight the Oct. 7 ballot initiative that would ban state and local governments from classifying Californians based on their race.

State Sen. Ross Johnson, R-Irvine, who is backing actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the recall election, filed the lawsuit seeking the injunction, calling Bustamante's tactics "disgraceful."

The notice of compliance with the judge's order filed Friday by Bustamante campaign attorney Lance Olson said the campaign has made such a good faith effort to retrieve some of the funds spent on future air time.

Olson wrote that out of 55 television stations holding Bustamante contracts, only 12 agreed to refund payments if the air time could be resold. The potential funds, according to the filing, would total $177,035.

Olson said it could be weeks before it is known how much money would be retrieved.

Johnson accused Bustamante of stalling.

"Mr. Bustamante has been doggedly determined to break the law, but I am just as determined to hold him accountable for his illegal fund-raising," Johnson said.

Bustamante campaign consultant Richie Ross said the campaign is complying with the judge's order and noted that the judge said Bustamante did not violate any laws and acted in good faith.

"We have complied to the court's satisfaction," Ross said. "I've known Sen. Johnson for many years. He's a fierce political competitor. ... Ross Johnson supports Proposition 54. He would love to have us stop advertising against it and we're not going to do that."

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[river rat]

No surprise here, folks...
He's a corrupt thief - and just a typical democrat..
Their hands are ALWAYS in someone else's pocket...

Fire the bastard, and then prosecute him for any crime he may have committed..

Kalifornicate needs to clean house... NOW.

Semper Fi

[kingu]

Olson wrote that out of 55 television stations holding Bustamante contracts, only 12 agreed to refund payments if the air time could be resold. The potential funds, according to the filing, would total $177,035. Olson said it could be weeks before it is known how much money would be retrieved.

It would be most entertaining if he was hit with a contempt of court charge, but I sincerely doubt that the court would actually do so. A shame, since I'm pretty sure that there isn't a television station out there that would not comply with a court order to stop the advertising and return the money. Too many times in this state we've had companies go into bankruptcy during advertising campaigns and the stations comply with the court orders without argument.

[Bonaparte]

These are illegal transactions. The stations should be court-ordered to return the money and not run further ads. Bustamante should be court-ordered to tender the same amount of money he spent on his aired spots to the Yes On Prop 54 Committee. That's the only way to make this right.

And we all know it's not going to happen. Just like Bustamante knew it wasn't going to happen.

[Bonaparte]

The court won't do a damn thing. The only way to get action would be a massive viewer boycott of those stations and their sponsors. They don't understand ethics too well, but they all understand loss of profits.

[Hank Rearden]

He's a sleazy little tubby turd, ain't he?

[Bonaparte]

Belongs behind bars -- and I don't mean serving drunks.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Stick a fork in the Dims, for they are DONE.
-
Na Na Na Na... Hey Hey-ey... Good-bye!

[kingu]

The court won't do a damn thing. The only way to get action would be a massive viewer boycott of those stations and their sponsors. They don't understand ethics too well, but they all understand loss of profits.

Err, I think you misunderstood me. Bustamante is lying when he says that the stations won't return the money. Every station will cooperate with a court order, even if they are not directly a party to the suit. Besides, there's so much money ready to go into ad campaigns right now that there's absolutely no shortage of buyers for the time.

[jmaroneps37]

Somebody's got to tell this bum that he'll have to give the money back in America money.