|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The California Fair Political Practices Commission launched an investigation on Oct. 16 into Sequoia Union High School District governing board Area E candidate Tonga Victoria after receiving two anonymous complaints alleging campaign finance violations.
The complaints, filed on Sept. 30 and Oct. 7, allege that Victoria used a nonexistent committee with a “fraudulent” FPPC number to collect donations, mixed campaign and business funds, and did not gather required donor information.
Victoria said in a statement to this news organization: “We are actively looking into this matter to ensure full transparency and accuracy. My campaign is a grassroots effort managed solely by myself, and I am prioritizing this issue, as the language in these complaints contains mischaracterizations and is, in fact, inaccurate.”
Victoria did not clarify what parts of the complaints are inaccurate.
This news organization previously raised questions to Victoria about the FPPC number on her website. The number, 99-4657615, does not match FPPC formatting, and both the California Secretary of State and the San Mateo County Elections Office confirmed no record of it.
Victoria told this news organization in September that the number on her website is her company’s Employer Identification Number. She said at the time that her application for an FPPC number was rejected due to a paperwork error and she was planning on fixing it shortly.
As of Nov. 4, the EIN still appears on her website labeled “FPPC#,” and the site states it is paid for by the “Tonga Victoria for Trustee Area E Political Committee,” which neither the county nor state has a record of.
Candidates who neither raise nor spend over $2,000 are not required to file with the state for an FPPC number. Victoria said at The Almanac and RWC Pulse’s candidate forum last month that she is under this threshold.
However, candidates are required to file a Form 501 with the county before soliciting any donations. The county’s campaign finance portal has no record of Victoria filing this form, and in September, Victoria told this news organization she had not filed it.
The Oct. 7 complaint also alleges Victoria mixed campaign funds with personal funds and failed to collect required donor information.
Every candidate that collects donations is required to open a campaign bank account and keep campaign funds separate from personal even if the campaign is self-funded. Additionally, campaigns are required to collect the name and street address of any contributor who donated at least $25 and the occupation of anyone who contributed more than $100.
Victoria’s website does not appear to collect that information apart from the name and billing address for credit card purchases.
Victoria is not the only candidate with a complaint filed against her. On Oct. 9, a complaint was filed against Area B candidate Mary Beth Thompson, based on reporting from this news organization that she plans to maintain her position as principal of Summit Prep if elected.
The complaint alleges that it is a conflict of interest and violates Gov. Code 1099 and Ed. Code 1006. The FPPC did not launch an investigation but that is likely because they only investigate violations of the Political Reform Act.
As initially reported, it is an open question as to whether Thompson could serve on the Sequoia board if she is principal. Thompson claims multiple lawyers she consulted said that she could.
View the letters to Victoria from the FPPC below:
Redwood City attorney sues ‘First Amendment auditors’ after Menlo Park disputeApril 2, 2026 11:31 am
