FPPC declines to open investigation into proponents of Del Rey Oaks' Measure B.

While the fate of the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway continues to hang in the balance pending the results of the June 7 election, at least one adjacent question has been answered. 

In a May 5 letter, the state Fair Political Practices Commission informed Del Rey Oaks resident Patrice Vecchione that the complaint she filed May 2—alleging Measure B proponents may have violated election law by failing to form a committee and report financial contributions—will not be investigated by the agency. 

In the letter, FPPC Enforcement Division Chief Angela Brereton writes, "After review of the complaint, evidence provided, and responses from the named individuals, the Enforcement Division determined that the committee qualification threshold of $2,000 raised or spent in a calendar year has not been met. And therefore, we will not pursue an enforcement action in this matter."

Measure B is an initiative brought by resident Tom Rivelli which, if passed, would preclude any new trails in the city—for bikes or pedestrians—except on Highway 218, Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. or South Boundary Road. It comes in response to the proposed alignment of the first-funded segment of FORTAG, a 1.5-mile span that would stretch from Safeway, through the city's (presently) derelict Work Memorial Park and then Del Rey Park, through an underpass below Highway 218 toward the Frog Pond, and then up Carlton Drive. 

The ultimate vision for FORTAG, if completed, is a 28-mile loop from Del Rey Oaks to Marina through the former Fort Ord and connecting to the coast on the Rec Trail. 

In an email to the Weekly in response to the letter, Rivelli writes, "We are able to do what we are doing on a budget because we are creative and resourceful."

Kim Shirley, a councilmember who has pledged to recuse from voting on the matter due to living within 500 feet of the proposed alignment, and who is also a member of the No on B committee (which has reported raising nearly $25,000 as of May 3), responded to the FPPC's decision on the social media platform NextDoor, writing, "Filing is easy and allows the public to understand whether campaigns are being transparent and following campaign finance disclosures.

"When we learned that the Yes on B campaign lacked any paperwork, we were concerned, just as any opposing campaign would be," Shirley writes. "We’re happy to know that the Yes on B campaign is following the rules and will be transparent when required."