Child support

With the vast majority of ballots counted, it’s all but certain that Sean Morgan has gained a seat on the Chico City Council. Morgan, a business owner, Chico State management instructor and self-described fiscal conservative, raised $38,661 and spent $36,093, more than any of the other 10 candidates who ran for the four open seats.

But included in those contributions was $500 each from three children under the age of 15. The contributions came from the children of David and Sharon Purser, who also each contributed $500 to Morgan’s campaign.

According to the city’s municipal code, $500 is the limit a donor can give: “During the four-year period immediately preceding a municipal election which is held for the purpose of electing one or more members of the City Council, no candidate at that election shall accept from any person a contribution or contributions which, in total, exceed the sum of five hundred ($500.00) dollars.”

According to state law, California Code 85308(b): “A contribution made by a child under 18 years of age is presumed to be a contribution from the parent or guardian of the child.”

Morgan said he is aware of the fact minors contributed to his campaign.

“I understand the allegations,” he said. “When this came in we checked to see what is the rule. We are very close to the [Purser] family. The kids worked on the campaign, so we put their name on [a contribution report] and put it in. We wouldn’t have done it otherwise. We kept it all aboveboard.”

He said when the contributions were made, he checked with his treasurer, Karli Olsen, to make sure they were allowed. Olsen assured him they were.

When asked about the state law that says kids’ contributions are presumed to be from the parents or guardians of the child, Olsen said, “The word ‘presumed’ does not mean that they are [from the parents]. We checked the facts. The rules say it’s OK.”

City Attorney Lori Barker said the matter “could be an issue under the city’s campaign contribution limits. I don’t know the facts and have gotten no calls. If there was a violation, the money is simply returned to the contributor.”

Barker said she did not know whether the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) had been contacted. She said the state code does indeed affect the city code.

“I don’t know if this was accidental. Was it inadvertent? I don’t know. I don’t have the facts of the case.”

Tara Stock, a spokesperson for the FPPC, said the matter is up to the city.

“The commission does not interpret or enforce local campaign ordinances,” she said. “The city attorney would be the best person to contact.”

Sharon and David Purser also gave money to candidate Andrew Coolidge, but only $100 between them. They listed themselves on the contribution report as “self-employed manufacturing representative.”

The Pursers’ appreciation and support of Morgan was probably best explained in a letter to the editor from David Purser published in the Chico Enterprise-Record on Sept. 23. It read in part: “Two years ago I was away on business while my family was vacationing in Hawaii. On that vacation was the Morgan family. Sean Morgan called me in the middle of the night to say they had been evacuated and he had my family safely on a hillside to avoid the incoming tsunami.

“While I feared for everyone’s safety, I knew that in my absence I could trust Sean to care for my family like it was his own. I know Sean will do the same thing for the city of Chico.

“We need more officers on the street protecting our great way of life. Let’s get people running the city who feel likewise.”

On Tuesday, (Nov. 20) just before the CN&R deadline, Olsen said they had decided to return the three contributions.

“The whole thing with minors is really a gray area,” she said. “We followed all the contribution rules the way they were written. We have to move beyond what’s really a small matter of $1,500 and avoid any suggestion of doing something wrong.”