from California watchdog of elected office was fined Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins $3,000 for a conflict of interest violation in 2019.

This is a grant of $20,000 that the Supervisory Board awarded on December 17, 2019 to LandPaths, a local nonprofit, while Hopkins’ husband worked there. The grant was one of several approved by the board with a single vote that day.

The Fair Political Practices Commission, an independent agency that regulates campaign finance, conflicts of interest, lobbying and government ethics in California, determined that Hopkins was “negligent” and should not have participated in the vote given her husband’s ties.

State law prohibits public officials from participating in any government decision in which they have a financial interest.

A conflict of interest violation “undermines the public’s trust in government by making it appear that the decision was the product of a conflict of interest,” attorneys for the commission’s enforcement division wrote in a November conclusion.

“Furthermore, such conduct contradicts the decree of the law that public officials must respond to the needs of all citizens impartially, without bias caused by their own financial interests. »

Hopkins said she didn’t realize LandPaths was among the grant recipients because it was added to the list for approval after Hopkins had already reviewed grant proposals.

“I am grateful to the FPPC for the opportunity to right an honest mistake,” Hopkins said in a statement Thursday, later adding that she had paid the fine.

According to the findings, Hopkins had previously disclosed her husband’s work for LandPaths, a 501(c)3 focused on environmental education and conservation in Sonoma County.

Although it cites Hopkins’ negligence, the conclusion states that the investigation found “no evidence to suggest that Hopkins knowingly voted on a government decision in which Hopkins knew was a conflict of interests prohibited.

Hopkins had not committed any prior violations and her husband was not directly involved in the LandPaths program that was to receive the findings.

Hopkins said her husband left the organization “for unrelated reasons” in 2020 and was no longer working there when the grant was advanced.

Although Hopkins has already paid the fine, the commission is scheduled to vote on whether to approve the findings on November 21.

Lindsey Nakano, the commission’s senior legislative counsel, said it’s customary for the commission to collect the fines before the meeting, “but the commission has the authority to reject that stipulation.”

Nakano also confirmed that the FPPC opened an investigation after receiving a complaint from Adina Flores, who has a history of conflicts with local elected officials and has filed more than 250 complaints with the FPPC since February 2022.

In a complaint filed Feb. 3, 2022, Flores questioned why the board approved contracts with LandPaths in 2019, given Hopkins’ personal connection. The complaint does not specify the December 17, 2019 vote but references several contracts approved that year.

The FPPC informed Hopkins of the complaint the day after it was filed.

However, Hopkins maintains that in February 2022, she informed the FPPC of the specific error after asking her staff to identify each time a LandPaths contract appeared on the board’s agenda so that she can document her challenges.

“It made me realize I missed one,” Hopkins wrote in a text. “I immediately reported my mistake to the FPPC and explained what happened. I brought the error to their attention.

You can reach staff writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or [email protected]. On Twitter @MurphReports.