Politics & Government

Report: Current and Former San Rafael City Managers Fined by State Commission

A state agency has slapped San Rafael’s current and former city managers with $200 fines for failing to report a dinner paid for by a Los Angeles-based investment firm, the Marin Independent Journal reports.

Nancy Macklethe city’s current top administer, was deputy city manager when she and her former boss, then-City Manager Ken Nordhoff, were wined and dined by De La Rosa & Co. on Jan. 28, 2010, the report said.

The public officials ate on the company’s dime at San Francisco’s Waterfront Restaurant and Cafe, the report said.

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Mackle told the IJ that the dinner followed the closing of a bond project.

Public officials are required under state law to report any gifts valued at $50 or more by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

Find out what's happening in San Rafaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mackle said she was unaware that the dinner needed to be reported. Her grub was valued at $127.16.

"I messed up. I should have reported it. I had no idea it was over $50 in value," Mackle told the IJ.

"I have no way to verify what I ate."

The CFPPC is verifying what Mackle and other public officials have been eating lately.

The San Rafael officials came under scrutiny during a probe of De La Rosa & Co. that started in the Ventura County’s district attorney’s office, the report said.

The firm has provided gifts to 221 public officials over the past four years, of which only 16 have been properly reported.

Nordhoff couldn’t be reached for comment by the IJ.

San Rafael’s top administrator in 2010 authored a column that appeared on Patch emphasizing his commitment to integrity and transparency.

Nordhoff specifically addressed the issue of compensation in Why San Rafael will Never be a Bell,” referring to the Southern California city that came under fire for widespread government corruption.

“Our San Rafael city government is committed to transparency on compensation to every member of the public.”

Despite Mackle’s alleged impropriety, San Rafael Mayor Gary Phillips apparently still has her back.

"I don't have concerns about her integrity or honesty," he told the IJ.

 

Do you believe this alleged impropriety raises questions about the integrity of San Rafael’s public officials? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

 

 


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