Curry disputes cost of vacation

Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry claims that a weeklong stay at a Waikiki condo donated to opponent Dolores Otting’s bid for the District 7 council seat violates local campaign contribution limits.

The councilman filed a complaint with the Newport Beach city attorney this week alleging the Hawaiian beach getaway, donated for a campaign fundraising raffle, is worth more than Otting reported on campaign disclosure statements.

The complaint also alleges that while the condo stay is reported on Otting’s campaign statements as two separate donations from two different donors of $495, the unit is owned by one person. Newport limits the amount a candidate can accept from one donor to $500.

“We are concerned that the filings by Mrs. Otting are inaccurate and may be in violation of campaign finance law, so we are asking the city attorney to look into the issue,” Curry said.

Otting began advertising a drawing on her website where campaign donors could win one of three vacations to San Diego, Honolulu and Cancun, Mexico, in September. The candidate took information about the drawing off her website Monday, to make sure the raffle does not violate any laws, Otting said.

“Whatever could be wrong, I’m making right,” Otting said.

Property records contained in the complaint show a condo at the Pacific Monarch hotel in Honolulu is owned by a Linda Orozco of Newport Beach. The 33-floor building about 200 yards from Waikiki Beach features a rooftop jet spa and heated swimming pool, according to the resort website.

Otting’s campaign finance statements report the condo stay as two separate donations of $495 from Linda and Lesna Orozco.

“We do not believe there is a person known as Lesna Orozco,” the complaint states.

Otting told the Pilot earlier this month that Lesna Orozco is Linda Orozco’s mother. Otting said Tuesday that she was trying to reach Linda Orozco, who is in Brazil, to talk about the condo. The candidate said she also is talking to officials from the California Fair Political Practices Commission to make sure her campaign is in compliance with the law.

The complaint alleges a weeklong stay at a similar condo at the Pacific Monarch would cost $1,320 before taxes.

“We believe the reported fair market value of this gift is artificially reduced to comply with the Newport Beach contribution limitation, and that assumes that two people are on the title to the unit. If only one person is on the title, the amount of the contribution is more than twice that allowed by law,” the complaint alleges.

A complaint filed with the California Fair Political Practices Commission last week also alleges Otting neglected to report the source or fair market value of the trips to San Diego or Cancun on campaign funding disclosure statements filed with the city.

Newport Beach City Atty. Robin Clauson said Tuesday that her office probably won’t look into Curry’s complaint until after the election in January, when the candidates file their last campaign disclosure statements with the city.

“I think that it’s premature at this point and time. I did not see anything in there that needed to be investigated right away,” Clauson said.

A city ordinance limiting individual campaign contributions to $500 states elected officials who are found guilty of violating the law must vacate their office. Violating the ordinance is a misdemeanor.

“I think it’s even premature to speculate as to what she might have to do when it’s premature to speculate on what I may or may not find,” Clauson said.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com. BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.