Umberg Fined $9,000 for Late Contributions

Former Orange County Assemblyman Tom Umberg has agreed to pay a $9,000 fine to a state political watchdog agency for failing to file a timely report on $112,000 in late contributions to his failed 1994 campaign for state attorney general.

Most of the money came from California Indian tribes who donated more than $800,000 to Democrats in 1994 in an unsuccessful effort to topple Gov. Pete Wilson and Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, who beat Umberg.

Umberg, who now serves as a deputy to Clinton administration drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey, reached an agreement earlier this month with the state Fair Political Practices Commission staff to pay the fine. The commission will consider approval of the agreement next week.

Under state law, late contributions must be reported within 24 hours of their receipt. Umberg, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, received five separate contributions in the final two weeks before the November 1994 election, but didn’t report them until February 1995.

Umberg got contributions totaling $105,000 from the Sycuan Band of Mission Indians, the California Indian Nation and the Konocti Vista Bingo and Casino. The rest came from a state employees’ union and a law firm.

A report by the FPPC staff said that the last-minute political donations represented a “significant amount,” but also noted that Umberg’s campaign had “timely reported” 83 other late contributions totaling more than $637,000.

In an unrelated matter, the Orange County Democratic Central Committee has agreed to pay a $1,500 fine for failing to report a $10,000 mass mailer endorsing two Central County candidates in the 1996 primary.