State Sen. Bill Dodd facing Fair Political Practices fine

VALLEJO – State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, is facing a $7,500 fine from the state’s election watchdog after he failed to report in a timely manner that he facilitated more than two-dozen charitable donations in 2017 and 2018.

The Fair Political Practices Commission, which is expected to approve the fine during its Jan. 26 meeting, alleges Dodd failed to report 27 charitable payments that were made at Dodd’s behest to the Salvation Army and Napa Valley Education Foundation. The payments totaled nearly $481,900.

State election law requires that “when an elected officer solicits a charitable donation or donations from one individual or organization to another, the officer is required to disclose the payment(s),” within 30 days if the donation is $5,000 or more.

The FPPC said Dodd was required to file his forms with the California State Senate within 30 days but that didn’t happen as reports “were filed between 41 and 107 days late, but all were filed before the referrals were made to the Enforcement Division.”

According to the FPPC, Dodd faced five charges of failing to submit a behest report in a timely manner, with each count carrying a maximum $5,000 penalty. But the FPPC noted that it was reducing Dodd’s proposed fine because he “filed his reports without any prompting from the FPPC or the media.”

“Dodd made good faith efforts to file the reports in question, but as he explained to Enforcement, despite diligent efforts to seek the information that needed to be reported, his reports were filed a few months late due to clerical error and the need to rely on third parties to track the necessary information,” the FPPC said.

The FPPC noted that most of the payments made to the Salvation Army were done so in connection with a fundraiser “that was coordinated by Dodd to assist the public in recovery efforts from devastating wildfires.”

Dodd Spokesperson Paul Payne told the Vallejo Sun on Tuesday that Dodd's office wouldn't comment until after the Jan. 26 meeting.

“Payments made at the behest of elected officials—including charitable donations—are a means by which donors may seek to gain favor with elected officials,” the FPPC wrote in a report about the violations. “There is inherent public harm in non-disclosure because the public is deprived of important information that the Act mandates must be disclosed. The Commission has found timely disclosure to be essential."

Dodd currently represents District 3 in the state Senate. The district spans Solano and Napa counties, including the cities of Vallejo and Benicia, and portions of Sonoma, Yolo, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties.

Dodd served a single term in the California Assembly, representing the 4th District from 2014 to 2016, before being elected to the state Senate in 2016. He cruised to an easy re-election in November 2020 and is ineligible to run for reelection in 2024.

Following his 2020 reelection, Dodd opened a campaign to solicit donations for a possible run as California Lieutenant Governor in 2026.

Prior to the Assembly, Dodd was a Napa County supervisor for 14 years.

The Fair Political Practices Commission is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m., Jan. 26, at 1102 Q St., Suite 3800, Sacramento.