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Election 2012: Bounced checks disqualify candidate

by Dave Boyce

Two bounced checks have done in the candidacy of David E. Woods, a City Council member from East Palo Alto who was one of eight candidates running for a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in the June 5 election.

Mr. Woods did not "meet the statutory filing fee requirement," said candidate filing officer Meaghan Hassel Shearer. The filing fee for this election in San Mateo County is $1,171.46, which is 1 percent of a supervisor's $117,460 annual salary.

Mr. Woods was unavailable for comment.

His departure leaves Councilman Carlos Romero, also of East Palo Alto, as the one remaining candidate from the home town of Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson, who represented District 4 for 14 years. Along with East Palo Alto, District 4 includes Redwood City, much of Menlo Park, and the unincorporated area of North Fair Oaks and Oak Knoll. Candidates must reside in the district but run county-wide.

Mr. Woods had paid his filing fee by check during the filing period that ended on March 9, Ms. Hassel Shearer said in an interview.

The county controller's office notified the elections office of a bad check on March 30, at which point Ms. Hassel Shearer contacted Mr. Woods, she said. On April 6, he paid $250 in cash in person and gave Ms. Hassel Shearer a check for the rest, she said.

The county treasurer informed Ms. Hassel Shearer on April 20, she said, that Mr. Woods' second check had also bounced. She then contacted him on Monday, April 23, to inform him that he was no longer a candidate.

The ballot went to the printer on Friday, April 20, in time to remove Mr. Woods' name from the list of candidates, Ms. Hassel Shearer said.

In the two required campaign finance reports filed so far for this race, Mr. Woods had reported raising $1,000 in donations.