Judicial candidate Kermit Marsh knows what it’s like to run afoul of the law – specifically, election law.
The Westminster councilman, who faces a November runoff for a Superior Court judgeship, has paid more than $7,000 in fines for being late 21 times in filing campaign-finance reports in various races dating back to 2000.
As of today, five more reports are still outstanding – including the one due just before the June election for Superior Court.
“We acknowledge that there were reporting errors and we’re in the process of correcting them,” Marsh said. “I thought I could do them myself and I just haven’t been able to get it done. I’m trying to hire a professional treasurer and get this resolved.”
Campaign watchdog Shirley Grindle said, ““It’s obvious he has a scofflaw attitude.” She has long complained of Marsh’s delinquencies as the most blatant she has encountered.
Violations include campaigns for the Westminister City Council and unsuccessful bids for county supervisor, as well as his current run for judge. The reports are required by law so that voters are able to know the backers of each candidate.
“I don’t think this guy is a bad guy,” Grindle said. “I just don’t think he has it together.”
The irony of the violations by a judicial candidate isn’t lost on Grindle.
“I’m concerned Mr. Marsh does not take these laws seriously, and that it might reflect on how he addresses those who come before him for breaking the law,” she said.
Marsh, predictably, didn’t see it quite like that.
“I don’t claim to be perfect,” he said. “We don’t expect people to be perfect. If you are a judge, have to understand that. I don’t know if we’d want a judge who’d never made a mistake.”
And if, as a judge, he encountered candidates with similarly late filings?
“I would require them to pay the fine,” he said.
Marsh is an attorney who has been on the Westminster City Council for 10 years. He finished second in a field of four in the June election for judge, 9.5 percentage points behind Deputy District Attorney Debra Carrillo.
Click here for a letter from the county Registrar of Voters office, listing each of Marsh’s 16 violations while running for supervisor and judge, including the amount of the fine and whether a notification of violation was sent to the district attorney.
Click here for Grindle’s summary of Marsh’s 11 violations as a candidate for Westminster City Council, along with the amount of the fine.
Here’s Marsh’s Web site and here’s Carrillo’s Web site.
Another member of the OC GOP breaking the law, whats new? Doesn’t he ist on the same board as former acting sheriff Jumpin Jack Anderson? Why am I not surprised? Say, isn’t Marsh the lawyer who paved the way for Carona’s endorsement in 206? These bums are all cut from the same cloth.
So I guess as long as you have the cash to pay the fines then it’s okay to violate the law? Just how would that play out for persons unable to “buy” their way out of jail like you?
Kermit Marsh channels Hoa Van Tran!
“We acknowledge that there were reporting errors and we’re in the process of correcting them,” Marsh said. “I thought I could do them myself and I just haven’t been able to get it done. I’m trying to hire a professional treasurer and get this resolved.”
Hilarious!
Marsh is no different than Carona was. Carona made the same excuses about his campaign accounting errors look what that led to. If you can’t manage something as simple as campaign contributions without breaking the law you’ve got no business on the bench. Wake up OC!
[...] This earlier blog item discussed judicial candidate Kermit Marsh’s 26 delinquent campaign finance filings and the more than $7,000 in fines that he’s paid. After writing that bit, I ask watchdog Shirley Grindle how that compared to other candidates she’d seen. [...]
What is moderation?
Why do the Westmisnter residents keep him in the City Council ?
What are the procedures to remove him from the post associated to the city ? I’m the resident of Westminster city
and I do not want him to be on the city council
What’s amazing is that this guy is running for judge and re-election to the Westminster City Council — at the same time!! He also just won election to the OC Republican Central Committee. Well, which job do you really want?
In other words, he’s a career politican and law-breaker who now wants to up his salary and get a title & robe to go with it. Just great . . . good thing we have a terrific law enforcement candidate running against him. Deputy D.A. Debra Carrillo for Judge!!
Filing late and paying the fines (if you get caught) is NOT the point. There has to be disclosure DURING the campaign cycles so the contributors and expenditures are public knowledge. These are specifically designed to require disclosure to inform the voters in a timely manner.
Sad commentary that this seems to be a pattern from past campaigns for him.