Nevada County’s Board accepted an FPPC penalty for illegal Measure V mailers. Weeks later Supervisor Hardy Bullock publicly rejected those findings. The GOP wants him to resign; other supervisors stayed silent and costs remain unexplained.

Supervisor Hardy Bullock joined a 5-0 July vote accepting Nevada County’s FPPC Measure V settlement and $31,500 penalty, then publicly rejected those findings. A 2022 court had already ordered emotional ballot language removed before the mailers.

Supervisor Hardy Bullock publicly defended failed Measure V after Nevada County stipulated to seven FPPC violations and a $31,500 penalty. Taxpayers still deserve a complete public accounting of every cost beyond the known $34,614 mailers.

Nevada County officials diverted taxpayer funds for an illegal Measure V Yes campaign, violating FPPC rules with public-funded mailers and unreported expenditures, leading to state fines and calls for accountability.

There is no “internal audit position” within Nevada County despite its critical importance to a well-functioning decentralized governance system. The Board of Supervisors rejected the re-creation of an internal audit position during post-COVID budget cuts. Recent Grand Jury reports highlighted significant fraud risks, leaving taxpayer money vulnerable.

A 42% payroll expense in one year with big percentage raises each year is unsustainable, especially in light of the downturn in state funding. Given the outrageously high salaries of senior executive staff and elected officials, the tax-paying public is questioning the rationale of the Nevada County CEO Alison Lehman.

I was astonished to learn that our CEO, Alison Lehman, and County Counsel, Kit Elliot, took it upon themselves to transfer $50,000 of public resources to Gina Will’s Campaign Committee, thus circumventing public Board of Supervisor approval and public comment. Since I believe the transfer of funds was potentially illegal, I penned the following letter to our District Attorney’s office.