Engineering firm to pay
$127,000 campaign fine

The state Campaign Spending Commission voted unanimously to approve a $127,000 fine against a local engineering firm that made nearly $100,000 in illegal political donations.

In a 5-0 vote yesterday, the commission approved the fine against Ernest K. Hirata & Associates, which commission investigators linked to more than $41,000 in illegal donations to Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign and more than $22,000 in improper campaign gifts to former Gov. Ben Cayetano's campaign.

The fine comes after the company's president, Ernest Hirata, pleaded no contest last May to criminal charges that he made excessive political donations to the Harris campaign and gave money under false names to the campaign.

Under state law, donors can give no more than $4,000 each to a mayoral candidate during a four-year election cycle. They also cannot make contributions in the names of others.