Supporters of Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez gathered in downtown Bakersfield on Tuesday, showing support as Perez attended her first Board of Supervisors meeting since criminal charges were filed against her last week.
Perez is facing two misdemeanor charges related to conflict of interest, with investigators alleging she voted on marijuana-related issues that stood to benefit her family. The charges were announced by District Attorney Lisa Green on July 17.
Meanwhile, District Attorney-elect Cynthia Zimmer is under the microscope as well. Allegations against Zimmer are now being investigated by the Fair Political Practices Commission; the accusations, filed in the form of complaints, claim Zimmer misused campaign funds and exceeded contribution limits in her successful campaign election that ended in June.
One complaint was filed to the FPPC by Michael Yraceburn in late May, before the election. His complaint was specifically filed against respondents including:
- Zimmer for Kern County District Attorney 2018
- Cynthia Zimmer
- Nathan Banks
- PEOPLE'S ADVOCATE PAC
- Thomas Montegomery
- Western Pacific Research
- Cathy Abernathy
Two other complaints were filed to the FPPC by Ken Mettler, and were specifically filed against respondents including:
- Cynthia Zimmer
- Zimmer for Kern County District Attorney 2018
- Kern County Young Republicans Voting Guide
- Kern County Young Republicans
- Kern County Republican Central Committee
The investigation into Zimmer is ongoing and the FPPC reiterates that they have made no determination into the validity of the allegations against Zimmer. Lisa Green and Zimmer both declined to comment on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a pretrial conference has been set for Leticia Perez for October.
