Investigative Reporter
Investigations into two sitting Chula Vista Councilmembers may have been tainted by actions of City officials before outside attorneys have released their own findings in the cases.
Separate complaints were filed last month by Dr. Peter Watry, Jr., a retired Economics professor, raising concerns that Councilman John McCann and Councilwoman Andrea Cardenas may have violated the City’s campaign laws.
According to the City’s Municipal Code, such complaints must be filed with the City Clerk who, in turn, must forward them to outside lawyers pre-selected by the City Board of Ethics to serve as an independent Enforcement Authority so that City staff are not conflicted in reviewing complaints against the City or City officials.
PART II: CV Councilman Received $40k in Unpaid Literature from Two Companies – https://laprensa-sandiego org laprensa-sandiego.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from laprensa-sandiego.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
CV Councilman Misused Legal Defense Fund to Raise $90,000, Appears to Violate State & Local Laws
By Alberto Garcia
Chula Vista politician John McCann used a legal defense fund to recoup legal fees he owed from a 2014 defamation lawsuit he filed – and he appears to have violated state and local election laws by using a legal defense fund to file a lawsuit, not defend one.
McCann, a registered Republican, ran for election to the Chula Vista City Council in 2014 against former Mayor Steve Padilla, a Democrat. McCann won by only two votes in the November 2014 General Election.
Just weeks before that election, McCann filed a defamation lawsuit against a San Diego labor union claiming one of its campaign mailers was defamatory. McCann, as the plaintiff, named the union, its leader, and its campaign committee as defendants.