An 18th-century Baroque string instrument rarely seen or heard in modern concert halls is coming to Grass Valley.

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.

Nearly four years after Nevada County voters rejected Measure V, California’s political ethics watchdog has formally concluded that the County used taxpayer money to campaign for the sales-tax measure — and the case is prompting broader questions about whether state law does enough to deter government agencies from using public resources to influence elections.