SACRAMENTO -- A top Democrat in the state Senate is being investigated for allegedly using credit cards to charge $397,000 in political expenses without disclosing who was initially paid and for what, as required by campaign finance laws.
State Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, said Friday that she was cooperating with the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which confirmed its investigation of her in a letter obtained by The Times.
Investigators are looking at the last seven years of credit card expenses. If found in violation, Migden could face up to $60,000 in administrative fines.
Campaign finance experts say the failure to itemize expenses hides from the public whether the money received from campaign contributors is being spent on lavish meals, gifts or travel that improperly benefit the politician without meeting a legitimate campaign purpose.
"Expenses are required to be itemized so we can assure that campaign donations are going to expenses related to campaigns and not toward personal profit or other inappropriate expenses," said Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause, a nonpartisan advocacy group.
Migden's campaign reports simply list the amount spent and the name of the credit card company.
The Fair Political Practices Commission launched an investigation of Migden's expenses after receiving a formal complaint from Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who is a candidate to unseat her in the June 2008 election.
Migden, who as Senate Democratic Caucus chairwoman helps set legislative priorities, said there was no reason for anyone to file a formal complaint because she had been cooperating with the commission during the last eight months on a "top-to-bottom" audit of her campaign spending. She said any failings in her campaign reporting were inadvertent.
"We're working with the FPPC to address some issues, to resolve some errors that were self-reported," Migden said, adding that the lack of itemization of credit card expenses "would be part and parcel of that."
Campaign spending has recently become a higher-profile issue after The Times reported that Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez spent tens of thousands of dollars from his political accounts on travel, meals and clothing.
