Bay Area community groups say they have been forced to scale back voter-outreach plans after federal funds they hoped to receive became entangled in the controversy surrounding Secretary of State Kevin Shelley. In late August, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration froze $17.5 million in federal voter funds until an audit determines whether Shelley properly spent previously distributed money. Shelley, a Democrat from San Francisco, has come under fire after he hired political allies and Democratic Party activists with some of the money.