MADERA – One of Madera’s newest politicians has failed to file his financial disclosures since January of this year. As Big Valley News first reported in March of 2019, Madera City Councilman Santos Garcia has failed to file his California Form 460 despite receiving several late notices from Madera County Clerk Rebecca Martinez.

Madera County Elections Division Manager Stephanie Sibley indicated a $100 fine is in the process of being generated if the candidate does not file his disclosures and if that is also ignored the California Fair Political Practices Commission would step in with fines ranging from $2000 to $5000.

Previous filings show that most of Councilman Garcia’s money has come from local labor unions. He also received a nearly $3000 in-kind donation of neighborhood Canvasser’s from Valley Forward, a 501C4 of the FRESNO-MADERA-TULARE-KINGS LABOR COUNCIL. Valley Forward used paid volunteers to conduct a ballot harvesting initiative which has been credited in the local media as being the force that changed many elections here in the Central Valley.

Violet Grimaldo of Madera is listed as the treasurer for the Garcia campaign and had no clue about any late paperwork for the councilman. She told BVN that she no longer works for the campaign since it concluded in November. She told BVN she would look into the situation and get back to us. Calls to Councilman Santos Garcia have gone unanswered since February.

A lot of questions arose from unsubstantiated allegations of illegal actions from the Garcia campaign on Election Day. The campaign has been accused of paying homeless and prostitutes to register and vote on Election Day, and ballot harvesting of union members by the Valley Forward organization. While it is doubtful Garcia’s Form 460 will answer any of these questions, Garcia has refused to return any of our calls since Election Day to answer any of these accusations.

Garcia was endorsed by Big Valley News for the General election.