Dennis Lees has tracked candidate donations for all candidates some years in Encinitas.
This year he writes,
"The following timeline [illustrated at opening] provides an example strongly suggesting that Councilman Stocks may have engaged in “quid pro quo” or “tit-for-tat” activities during his tenure in office.
- 1st Date: 4 November 2008 - 2008 Election Campaign Ended.
The following clip was from the Oct. 24 council meeting, the last before the election, where Dennis presented at Oral Communications.
- 2nd Date: 9 September 2009 – Award of $77,100 contract to O’Day Consultants for preparation of plans and specifications for the Melba St. Sidewalk project, in Encinitas (see attachment).
Another questionable aspect of this contribution is that it is illegal for an employer to ask his employees to donate or to reimburse them for their donation. I have observed similar donation patterns in Stocks' campaign records (e.g., Barratt American in 2004). It really stretches one's imagination to suggest that all of these managers, in Carlsbad, would be interested in contributing $250 each to a city councilman in Encinitas, a full year after he was elected in 2008.
- 3rd Date: 6 November 2009 (1 full year after 2008 election!) – Contributions totaling $2,000 from O’Day Consultants, its president, and six employees including office, business, and project managers, received by Mr. Stocks (see attachment).
He also had donations in excess of the $250 allowed by city code in at least three instances (Kevin Allin, Don Hansen, and The Sands Encinitas, LLC, and possibly Peter Zarcades, a developer with the Midtown Nikki Group from La Jolla, which could just be sloppy bookkeeping), and probably more if some cases where the likely owner of a company donated in both his and his/her company's name. I can document all of these very quickly from the Form 460s that I have in my possession."
You can also read Mr. Lees' analysis at the Patch version of this information and make comments.
