Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder is under investigation for allegedly failing to properly disclose his income sources. Elder's income is being investigated by the Fair Political Practices Commission, a nonpartisan agency that is responsible for managing the Political Reform Act of 1974.
All candidates running in the Sept. 14 recall election were required to file public statements of economic interest disclosing personal finances, stocks, gifts, real estate and other sources of income. Recent reports by the L.A. Times indicate that Elder filed but did not properly disclose his finances.
Instead, the Times reported that Elder failed to disclose his stake in Laurence A. Elder & Associates Inc., a company that Elder appears to own.
The investigation followed complaints from the California Democratic Party that the conservative radio host listed just one company he owns as a source of income but did not disclose payments from others.
Recent polls showed Elder polling the highest from among the Republican recall challengers to Gov. Gavin Newsom. According to one poll by Emerson College and Nexstar poll of California, Elder's support was at 23 percent. Support for candidates such as businessman John Cox, TV personality Caitlyn Jenner, state Rep. Kevin Kiley and former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer, meanwhile, remained in the single digits.
Political analyst Chaya Crowder of Loyola Marymount said the revelations may not have much impact on voters.
"The same people who are excited to turn out for this election are the same people who are most likely to be least critical of this income scandal," Crowder said. "As much as we might think that these scandals matter, oftentimes they don't."
A spokeswoman for Elder's campaign said the 69-year-old made a "simple mistake" and has now updated his financial disclosures to put it right.
The investigation into Elder's finances marks the third time the candidate has come under fire during the race. Earlier this month Elder said he would support abolishing the state's current minimum wage. In an interview with McClatchy's California editorial boards, he said "The ideal minimum wage is $0.00."
While Kiley, a state representative, agreed that changes to minimum wage need to be implemented, he told the L.A. Times Elder's $0 minimum wage was "way off."
Two weeks later Elder was back in the headlines, this time blasted by fellow GOP candidate Kevin Faulconer for remarks made in a column written in 2000 for Capitalist Magazine in which Elder wrote, "women know less than men about political issues, economics and current events.
"That's bull----, and we ought to call it that," Faulconer said in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. The former San Diego mayor added that if he's elected, he plans to give all California daughters the same opportunities as California sons.
