CALIFORNIA INVESTIGATING MORMON CHURCH DONATIONS

The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has agreed to investigate unreported, nonmonetary contributions to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign by the Mormon Church.

Roman Porter, the Commission’s executive director, said that the commission is acting on a complaint filed by Californians Against Hate which accuses the Mormon Church of failing to report the value of work it did to support Proposition 8. Porter said that the complaint does merit further inquiry.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Californians Against Hate, which is an independent nonprofit organization formed to track Prop 8 donations, charges that the LDS church failed to report money invested to organize phone banks, send out direct mailers, provide transportation to California, mobilize a speakers bureau, send out satellite simulcasts and develop Web sites as well as numerous commercials and video broadcasts.

Fred Karger, a retired political consultant and head of Californians Against Hate, said that this step by the commission is a good sign since the commission normally takes on less than 5% of complaints they recieve. "I'm hopeful that the LDS Church will cooperate and share all the records and all the information they have about their activities in the Proposition 8 campaign."

If the FPPC determines fault, the commission could fine up to $5,000 per violation and may also file a civil lawsuit, which could lead to remedies amounting to three times the amount of unreported or misreported contributions.