Karen Sher, a trustee with the Oxnard Union High School District and a candidate for Ventura County superintendent of schools, sent an invitation to a recent campaign fundraiser from her government email address, an apparent violation of California law.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission received a complaint about Sher’s email and decided not to pursue any enforcement action, according to a Sept. 18 letter from the FPPC that Sher provided to The Star.
"It's settled with the FPPC," Sher said.
Sher declined to answer questions about why and how she sent the email from her government account rather than a personal address or one associated with her campaign.
"I made a mistake," she said.
Christopher Burton, the assistant chief of the FPPC
Enforcement Division, wrote in the letter to Sher that the decision not to pursue the case was "based on a review of the complaint, the evidence provided, and your response."
The FPPC's media office has not responded to The Star's request for a copy of the complaint and other documents.
What did Sher do?
Sher said she sent the email to other elected school board trustees in Ventura County. It asked them to attend a fundraising event that was held Sept. 26 at the offices of the Greater Oxnard Organization of Democrats in downtown Oxnard. The guest of honor and beneficiary of the fundraiser was Richard Barrera, the Democratic candidate for state superintendent of public instruction.
"Given your role and influence in local education, we would be honored to have you join us, and would especially welcome the opportunity to list you as an event sponsor (minimum contribution of $250)," Sher wrote, according to a copy of the email posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, by Corey DeAngelis, a self-described “school choice evangelist” and a research fellow with the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.
The message included Sher's email signature, which identifies her as the board president of the Oxnard Union High School District.
Sher also sent an announcement about the Sept. 26 event to The Star, but that message came from her campaign email address and the signature identifies her only as a candidate for Ventura County superintendent of schools.
Sher finished first among three candidates for county superintendent in the June primary. She will face Maggie Marschner, who was second in the primary, in a run-off in November.
What does the law say?
California law states that "it is unlawful for any elected state or local officer, including any state or local appointee, employee, or consultant, to use or permit others to use public resources for a campaign activity." Violations are civil offenses and can be punished with fines of up to $1,000.
Herb Gooch, a professor emeritus of political science at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, said email systems are considered "public resources" under the law. The issue isn't the monetary value of sending an email over a public agency's servers, he said, but the perception that the political message is endorsed by the public agency that the sender represents.
Gooch has served on numerous government boards and committees and said that every time, "they drill it into you" to never engage in campaign activity using government resources.
"She should have known better," Gooch said. "That sounds on the surface like an error in judgment."
Tony Biasotti is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tbiasotti@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism. The foundation plays no role in story selection. The Star retains full editorial control.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard school trustee used government email for political fundraiser
