JC
SFGate reports that Ward and his American Civil Rights Coalition are being sued for not disclosing the sources of the $1.7 million in contributions received to back Proposition 54. Not only is he paying $95,000 to settle, but he also has to say he’s sorry.

California’s campaign watchdog, the Fair Political Practices Commission, said Wednesday that the settlement also requires Connerly and the ACRC to admit they violated campaign finance laws and to file required donation disclosure reports.

The suit, filed by the FPPC on Sept. 3, 2003, involved contributions to support Proposition 54, Connerly’s unsuccessful ballot measure to restrict state and local governments’ ability to collect racial data.

FPPC chairwoman Liane Randolph said the donations should have been disclosed before the election because voters were entitled to know who was giving money to the Proposition 54 campaign. But Connerly disagreed, saying the contributions where solicited for the ACRC’s “national activities of ending (racial) preferences,” not to support Proposition 54, although that’s how most of the money was used.

He said he decided to settle the lawsuit because he didn’t have the money to fight it. “They have the attorney general behind them and a battery of lawyers,” he said. “I think our case was a good one and I think we were right, but … they are powerful.”

Uh-oh…we may have to come up with a new nickname!