Illegal donations
draw fines from stateTwo isle firms and a local union face
punishment for gifts to Harris and Cayetano
The state Campaign Spending Commission will fine two engineering firms and a local union for making illegal political donations to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris and former Gov. Ben Cayetano.
KSF Inc. agreed to a $16,000 fine for making $10,000 in false-name contributions to Harris and $6,000 in false-name contributions to Cayetano, according to Bob Watada, the commission's executive director.
The commission also is fining Akinaka & Associates Ltd. $8,000 for improperly reimbursing employees who gave $4,000 to Cayetano and $6,000 to Harris.
The Hawaii Citizen's Political Committee, an arm of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1186, agreed to a $1,000 fine for making $4,000 in excessive contributions to Harris.
Under state law a company or individual can give no more than $6,000 to a gubernatorial candidate and $4,000 to a mayoral candidate during a four-year election cycle. Donors also are barred from making political contributions under false names.
The fines -- which require the approval of the five-member commission at its next meeting Thursday -- are the latest in the commission's two-year investigation into state and city contractors. So far, the commission has issued more than $300,000 in fines against more than five dozen local companies.
Campaign Spending Commission