31st District Congressional Candidate Joe Baca. The IE Committee supporting him is being run by a convicted felon Rick Mayer.
By Brian Hews and Randy Economy
Hews Media Group-Community News has learned that Cal Voters for Honest Government, the PAC supporting 31st Congressional Candidate Joe Baca, is being managed by long-time Los Angeles political operative and convicted felon Rick Mayer.
Mayer was convicted in 2002 of multiple counts of perjury and making false declarations of candidacy in connection with his run for South Gate City Council.
He was sentenced to five years probation and 500 hours of community service.
Several billboards supporting Baca have been purchased along major highways throughout the 31st district, with some of the billboards lacking the required disclosure of who is paying for it, a major California Fair Political Practices Act violation.
A spokesman for the billboard company said it was purchased by Golden State Consultants in Santa Fe Springs.
In February 2013, HMG-CN exclusively reported that Art Chacon, Director at the Central Basin Municipal Water District in Commerce, had his life threatened by Rick Mayer and that during the investigation HMG-CN found that Mayer owned Golden State Consultants and R and M Consulting in Santa Fe Springs.
Mayer has since moved to Whittier.
HMG-CN conducted several additional searches under Golden State Consultants that confirmed Rick Mayer owned the company.
Mayer owns the lone active California Corporation filed with the California Secretary of State called Golden State Consultants & Associates, Inc., based in Whittier, CA.
According to a WHOIS internet name search, Mayer owns the domain name GoldenStateConsultants.com. which is registered to Golden State Consultants.
The company is based at 13619 Terrace Pl., Whittier, CA., with phone number of 562-325-5551.
A YellowPages.com search lists Golden State Consultants at 8531 Wellsford Pl, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, with the same phone number as the Whittier office, 562 325-5551.
HMG-CN attempted to contact Baca by phone and email several times for comment about Mayer but the only contact numbers are found on his website www.workingjoebaca.com, and those calls and emails were never returned.
In a recent Facebook post, Baca proclaimed, “campaign finance has always been an important issue. Voters can make better decisions if they know certain candidates are not disclosing information about significant contributors.”
But that runs counter to Baca’s past.
From 1999 to 2001, Baca was fined several times by various election commissions for campaign finance violations.
Baca was fined $3,200 by the Federal Elections Commission for five campaign violations in the 1999 special election and in the 2000 primary election for accepting banned corporate contributions and not disclosing campaign debts.
In 2001, Baca was forced to return $4,575 after accepting $6,575-an excessive contribution-from Keep the Seat Democratic Committee.
Baca also failed to disclose $10,000 in contributions received just before his election in November 2001.
Lastly, then-State Assemblyman Baca was fined $6,500 by the state Fair Political Practices Commission for failing to list the occupations or employers of major campaign contributors.
When contacted by HMG-CN Jeff Corless, spokesperson for 31st Congressional District Candidate Lesli Gooch said, “The Democrats have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at trying to take this seat back for Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s agenda for even bigger government. Its no surprise they would allow a convicted felon to run their Independent Expenditures.”
