Citizens For Ridgefield Schools: Alleged violation of RCW 42.17A.235 & .240 for failure to timely & accurately report contributions & expenditures & WAC 390-16-037 for insufficient expenditure description (FEB '24, EY 22-25) | Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)

Description

Pursuant to the brief enforcement hearing (brief adjudicative proceeding) notice sent to Citizens for Ridgefield Schools (the Respondent) on January 21, 2026, a brief adjudicative proceeding was held on April 9, 2026, remotely from Olympia, WA by live audio and online transmission, to consider whether the Respondent violated RCW 42.17A.235 and RCW 42.17A.240 for failure to timely and accurately file expenditure (C-4) reports.

The hearing was held in accordance with Chapters 34.05 RCW, Title 29B RCW and Chapter 390-37 WAC. Commission Chair J. Leach was the Presiding Officer. The Commission staff was represented by Jennifer Hansen, Compliance Officer. The Respondent did not participate in the hearing.

Having considered the evidence, the Presiding Officer finds as follows:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Citizens for Ridgefield Schools (the Respondent) was registered with the PDC to support ballot propositions in the February 8, 2022, April 25, 2022, August 2, 2022, April 23, 2024, and February 11, 2025, special or primary elections.

2. The Respondent has a carry forward balance discrepancy from the final C-4 report (110139867) for the August 2, 2022, primary election to the beginning balance for the April 23, 2024, special election C-4 report (110202854).

3. The Respondent has a carry forward discrepancy from the last C-4 report (110217164) for the April 23, 2024, special election to the first C-4 report (110268961) for the February 11, 2025, special election.

4. The Respondent submitted the 21-day pre-election C-4 report (110205937) for the April 23, 2024, special election, early on March 19, 2024, but failed to include a deposit made on March 25, 2024. The C-4 report (110210502) was amended fourteen days late on April 16, 2024, to capture the missed deposit.

5. The Respondent submitted the 7-day pre-election C-4 report (110210207) for the April 23, 2024, special election, early on April 12, 2024, but failed to include a deposit disclosed later that same day.

6. The Respondent submitted a C-4 report (110210218) covering September 2022 to December 2023 on April 12, 2024. Based on the date and amount of the earliest expenditure of September 7, 2022, and two expenditures occurring in March 2023, the C-4 report was filed between 368 and 550 days late.

7. The Respondent failed to include expenditure details for political advertising expenses disclosed on the C-4 report (110071505) covering January 18 – 31, 2022.

8. The Respondent failed to include expenditure details for political advertising expenses disclosed on the C-4 report (110202851) covering February 1 – 29, 2024. The Respondent amended the February 1 – 29, 2024, C-4 report (110205938) on March 19, 2024, to add mailing address for USPS and amended again on April 16, 2024, to add expenditure descriptions for advertising expenses.

9. The Respondent filed the 21-day pre-election C-4 report (110205937) for the April 23, 2024, special election but failed to include subvendor information for in-kind contributions and expenditure details for a Sticker Mule expense.

10. The Respondent failed to include expenditure details for political advertising expenses disclosed on the C-4 report (110210219) covering January 1 – 31, 2024.

The Respondent failed to include sufficient vendor and expenditure detail on the 21-day pre-election C-4 report (110268961) and the C-4 report (110279609) covering March 2025, both for the February 11, 2025, special election.

11. The Respondent has one prior violation in PDC Case 122205 and signed a Statement of Understanding acknowledging violations of: (1) RCW 42.17A.205 for failure to timely file the C-1pc for the April 25, 2022 special election, and the August 2, 2022, primary election; and (2) RCW 42.17A.235 and RCW 42.17A.240 for failure to timely file C-3 and C-4 reports in 2022.

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CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

Based on the above facts, as a matter of law, the Presiding Officer concludes as follows:

1. This matter was duly and properly convened, and all jurisdictional, substantive, and procedural requirements have been satisfied.

2. The Respondent violated RCW 42.17A.235 and RCW 42.17A.240 for failure to timely and accurately file expenditure (C-4) reports.

ORDER

ON the basis of the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law,

1. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Respondent is assessed a total civil penalty of $1,000, in accordance with the penalty schedule set forth in WAC 390-37-143.

2. It is further ordered that $500 of the $1,000 penalty is suspended on the following conditions:

a. The Respondent pays the $500 non-suspended portion of the penalty within 30 days of this Order.

b. The Respondent amends all inaccurate C-4 reports within 30 days of this Order.

c. The Respondent does not commit any further violations of Title 29B RCW or Title 390 WAC with four years of the date of this Order. The suspended penalty shall not be assessed based solely upon any remediable violation, minor violation, or error classified by the Commission as appropriate to address by a technical correction.

3. It is further ordered that, if the Respondent fails to comply with any of the above conditions:

a. The full $1,000 penalty shall immediately become due without further action by the Commission and PDC Staff is directed to refer the matter to collections and/or commence other legal proceeding as authorized by RCW 29B and 390 WAC.

Documents

Penalties

$1,000

Total Penalties

$0

Balance Due

Penalty

$1,000 (vio of .235/240)

Suspended

$500 (pau w/in 30 days, file reports w/in 30 days & no violations for 4 yrs)

Payments

$500 on 05/27/2026 (PAID - PENALTY)

Citizens For Ridgefield Schools

Case Details

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Description

Documents

Penalties