List of California public officials charged with crimes

This is a list of California public officials charged with crimes while in office. It includes both elected and appointed officials who were indicted for or formally accused of criminal activities while in office. Those not convicted or those who were acquitted or whose convictions were overturned are legally presumed to be innocent.
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The first section is an alphabetical listing of officials mentioned in the article. The second section lists the officials by jurisdiction.

The list does not include grand jury indictments or other legal charges for which the only penalty is removal from office.

For some of the terms used below, see: Acquittal
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...

, bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...

, charge
Criminal charge
A criminal charge is a formal accusation made by a governmental authority asserting that somebody has committed a crime. A charging document, which contains one or more criminal charges or counts, can take several forms, including:* complaint...

, conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....

, conviction
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...

, corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...

, embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....

, extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...

, felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...

, fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...

, grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...

, indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...

, innocence
Presumption of innocence
The presumption of innocence, sometimes referred to by the Latin expression Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat, is the principle that one is considered innocent until proven guilty. Application of this principle is a legal right of the accused in a criminal trial, recognised in many...

, misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...

, parole, probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...

, sentence
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...

.
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Clicking on a name will take you to details below.

Richard Alarcon, Los Angeles
Gerald Allison, Westminster
Joe Anaya, Parlier
Philip L. Anthony, Orange County
Yvonne Arceneaux, Compton
Luis Artiga, Bell
Roy Ashburn, state
Jim Ayres, San Jacinto
Nancy Jo Ayres, San Jacinto
Willard E. Badham, state
Robert Battin, Orange County
Burton Becker, Alameda County
G. Vernon Beckett, Los Angeles
Victor Bello, Bell
Lynn Bedford, San Joaquin County
Paul Antoine Biane, San Bernardino County
James E. Black, Westminster
Daniel E. Blackburn, San Mateo County
S.G. Blood, Alameda
Bert Bond, Long Beach
William G. Bonelli, state
Omar Bradley, Compton
Ernest K. Bramblett, federal
David B. Brearly, Vernon
Richard Breceda, Irwindale
James Brown, San Joaquin County
Charles W. Broyles, Alameda
Elwood Bruner, state
Frank Bryson, Los Angeles County
C.Y. Burns, Venice
David Capra, Temple City
Mike Carona, Orange County
Paul B. Carpenter, state
Loraine Chapin, San Diego
Howard Cherry, San Diego County
Helen Cobb, Helen Cobb
Carl J. Coburn, San Mateo
George Cole, Bell
William Cormack, Los Angeles
J.E. Crouch, Venice
Randy (Duke) Cunningham, federal
Frank Curran, San Diego
Henry P. Dalton, Alameda County
James M. Damron, state
Howard W. Davis, Los Angeles
Dante Dayacap, San Diego
Joseph Debenedetti, San Mateo
Neil Derry, San Bernardino County
PIetro Di Carlo, Los Angeles
Ralph Diedrich, Orange County
Roy L. Donley, Los Angeles
Gordon Dorfsmith, Westminster
Roosevelt F. Dorn, Inglewood
Charles E. Downs, Los Angeles
Baxter Dunn, San Joaquin County
Earle B. Duskin, Baldwin Park
H.B. Eakins, Venice
Jerry Eaves, San Bernardino County
Eugene A. Edwards, Westminster
Walter J. (Jake) Egan, Carson
Jim Erwin, San Bernardino County
Robert Eula, Commerce
Bobbi Fiedler, federal
Leland Fisher, Benicia
Buron Fitts, Los Angeles County
John F. Fitzpatrick, Los Angeles
Joseph M. Frances, San Mateo
Ray Fritz, Alameda
Tad Fujita, Westminster
Justin Garcia, Irwindale
E.A. Gerety, Venice
Ron Gonzales, San Jose
Sidney T. Graves, Los Angeles County
Lawrence Grissom, San Diego
Linda Luz Guevera Huntington Park
A.B. Hamilton, Merced County
Hillard Hamm, Compton
Richard T. Hanna, federal
Thomas D. Harp. state
Mary Hayashi, state
Roger Hedgecock, San Diego
Robert B. Hedrick, Compton
Mike Hernandez, Los Angeles
Oscar Hernandez, Bell
Frank Hill, state
Andrew Jackson Hinshaw, Orange County
James Hlawek, San Bernardino County
Allen Hitch, Allen Hitch
L.T. Holland, Los Angeles County
John H. Hoeppel, federal
Tom Hom, San Diego
C.B. Horrall, Los Angeles
Pamela J. Houchen, Huntington Beach
John C. Houlihan, Oakland
George Howes, California City
Jeffrey Hubbard, Beverly Hills Unified School District
Ralph Inzunza, San Diego
Phil C. Jacks, Commerce
Teresa Jacobo, Bell
Floyd A. James, Compton
John D. Johnson II, Compton
C.T. Jones, Sacramento County
Asa Keyes, Los Angeles County
William Kott, Anaheim
Jay Kim, federal
Ronald C. Kline, Orange County
William H. Kraus, Norwalk
R.C. Lowell, Sacramento County
Mark Kirk, San Bernardino County
Zeb Knott, Contra Costa County
Carl Ingold Jacobson, Los Angeles
Leonard M. Landsborough, Sacramento County
Lawrence A. Lennebach, Cabazon
John B. Leonis, Vernon
Cathy Lewin, San Diego
William J. Locke, Alameda
Walter C. Lockwood, Los Angeles
George Lord, Nevada County
Martin Ludlow, Los Angeles
Arthur Loya, Commerce
Herbert Madden, Sausalito
Albert B. Melony, San Francisco
Leonis Malburg, Vernon
Bruce V. Malkenhorst Sr., Vernon
John Mansperger, San Jacinto
Uvaldo Martinez, San Diego
Ernest Mayer Jr., Long Beach
Thomas J. McGeoghegan, San Jose
James Stuart McKnight, Los Angeles
James McLean, Irwindale
Derek McWhinney, Westminster
George Meinhardt, Westminster
Charles E. Miles, Los Angeles County
George Mirabel, Bell
Walter L. Mitchell Jr.
Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach may refer to:*Redondo Beach, California, USA*Redondo Beach, Washington, USA, a small board-walk beach in Des Moines, Washington*Redondo Beach , by Patti Smith and covered by Morrissey*Redonda Beach, a similarly named place in Portugal...

, Redondo Beach
A.A. Montaño, Los Angeles County
Joseph B. Montoya, state
Floyd Morrow, Floyd Morrow
Bruce Munroe, Alameda
Martin Murphy, Santa Clara County
Frederick F. Myer, Alameda County
Ed Neal, Vista
John Henry Nedderman, Oakland
Pat Nolan, state
Louis R. Nowell, Los Angeles
Donal O'Callaghan, Vernon
James Potts, San Jacinto
Lawrence O'Rourke, Commerce
Ray Ortiz, San Diego County
Arthur Paysen, Westminster
John D. Pitts, Bell
John Pornierski, Upland
Bill Postmus, San Bernardino County
John Preku, Bishop
Thomas Price, Merced County
Maurice H. Quigley, Commerce
Amen Rahh, Compton
Ed Reinecke, state
Paul H. Richards II, Lynwood
Alan Robbins, state
E.M. Roberts, Kern County
Albert T. Robles, South Gate
J. Ellis Rodley, Chico
Hans W. Roebke, Alameda
LeRoy Rose, Fullerton
Abe M. Rosenfeld, Los Angeles
Robert Rizzo, Bell
Karl L. Rundberg, Los Angeles
Ronald Saathoff, San Diego
Peter Sabatino Jr., West Covina
Mike Schaefer, Mike Schaeffer
Harry Scheidle, Harry Scheidle
Eugene Schmitz, San Francisco
William S. Scott, San Francisco
Timinado Scovotti, Baldwin Park
Thomas D. Shepard, Los Angeles
Harvey Silberman, Los Angeles County
C. Ray Smith
Crescent City
Crescent City is the name of the following places in the United States:*Crescent City, California*Crescent City, Florida*Crescent City, Illinois*Crescent Mills, California, formerly named Crescent CityOther uses:...

, Crescent City
Carolyn Smith, San Diego
John F. Smith, Alameda County
Keith Smith, Los Angeles
V.A. Solari, Tuolumne County
Ernestine Solorio, Irwindale
Angela Spaccia, Bell
Robert Nicholas Starr, Los Angeles
C.E. Stauter, Needles
Marc A. Stefano, Fresno
Robert Stevenson, Los Angeles
Fred E. Stewart, state
David W. Stilwell, Bakersfield
David Stubblefield, San Jacinto
John J. Sullivan, Oakland
Bob J. Talbert, Corona
Valerie Terrigno, West Hollywood
Harry W. Thomas, Oakland
Walter R. Tucker III, Compton
Joel Turner, Los Angeles
Luis Tury Jr., Rosemead
Jack Vallerga, Orange County
Richardo Vasquez, Commerce
Paul A. Vincilione, Sausalito
John B. Walsh, John B. Walsh
Charles Ward, San Joaquin County
George D. Watson, Los Angeles
Teresa Webster, San Diego
H.W. Weineke, San Diego County
Harry K. Weitzel, San Diego
Peter Werrlein Jr., Bell
C.L. Westlake, Monterey County
Myron A. Whidden, Alameda County
Henry G. Whiddon, Rosemead
Augustus C. Widber, San Francisco
Maxwell M. Willens, San Joaquin County
William H. Williams, State
Cathe Wilson, Temple City
James Wilson, Long Beach
Judy Wong, Temple City
Frederic T. Woodman, Los Angeles
Danny Allen Woolard, Moorpark
Russell Woolfolk, Compton
Roderick Wright, State
Michael Zucchet, San Diego
Delores Zurita, Compton

Federal

The dates at the beginning of each listing are approximate.

1936: Representative John H. Hoeppel
John H. Hoeppel
John Henry Hoeppel was a U.S. Representative from California. He was convicted in 1936 of trying to sell an appointment to the West Point Military Academy and served time in jail.-Early life:...

, convicted of trying to sell an appointment to the West Point Military Academy.
1954: Representative Ernest K. Bramblett
Ernest K. Bramblett
Ernest King Bramblett was a Republican United States Congressman from California. He was elected to the U.S. House in the 1946 Republican landslide when he ousted Democratic incumbent Rep. George Outland.-Biography:...

, convicted of making false statements to the House Disbursing Office in a scheme that padded his office payroll to conceal kickbacks.
1974: Representative Richard T. Hanna
Richard T. Hanna
Richard Thomas Hanna was a U.S. Representative from California.Born in Kemmerer, Wyoming, Hanna graduated from Pasadena Junior College, Pasadena, California. He received his B.A. and LL.B. from the University of California, Los Angeles, California. He was a lawyer in private practice...

, convicted in an influence-buying scandal.
1986: Representative Bobbi Fiedler
Bobbi Fiedler
Bobbi Fiedler is a former U.S. Representative from California who made a name for herself as a strong opponent of forced busing.-Biography:...

, charged with political corruption and accused of offering $100,000 to a rival if he would withdraw from the senatorial primary. The indictment was dismissed by Judge Robert Altman.
1994: Representative Jay Kim
Jay Kim
Chang-jun "Jay" Kim is a former politician from California.-Biography:Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. During the Korean War, his home was destroyed. He immigrated to the United States in 1961, where he graduated from Cal State LA and University of Southern California, earning degrees in civil...

, guilty of federal campaign violations in his 1992 campaign.
2006: Representative Randy (Duke) Cunningham
Duke Cunningham
Randall Harold Cunningham , usually known as Randy or Duke, is United States Navy veteran, convicted felon, and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from California's 50th Congressional District from 1991 to 2005.Cunningham resigned from the House on November 28,...

, convicted of bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion.

State

1890–91: State Assemblyman James M. Damron, charged along with Los Angeles Justice of the Peace Walter C. Lockwood with forgery of a promissory note
Promissory note
A promissory note is a negotiable instrument, wherein one party makes an unconditional promise in writing to pay a determinate sum of money to the other , either at a fixed or determinable future time or on demand of the payee, under specific terms.Referred to as a note payable in accounting, or...

and discounting it at a bank. He was arrested on two other counts of forgery as well. He was acquitted on the promissory-note charge by a jury that deliberated only twenty minutes. He was charged with three additional counts of forgery in January 1891, and this case resulted in a hung jury. A new trial brought the same result. The charges were finally dismissed in September 1891.
1891: State Senator Thomas D. Harp
Thomas D. Harp
Thomas David Harp was a California State senator representing Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties in the late 19th Century.-Biography:...

of Tuolumne, Merced and Stanislaus counties, indicted for malfeasance.
1891: State Senator William H. Williams of San Francisco, charged with receiving $1,000 to influence his vote on a bill to reassess railroads, $500 for his vote on a measure to create Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...

and $250 for selling his vote on the Pilot bill.
1891–92: Assemblyman Elwood Bruner
Elwood Bruner
Elwood Bruner was a California State Assemblyman in the late nineteenth century.-Biography:Bruner was born September 27, 1854, in Zanesville, Ohio, to Joseph Asbury Bruner, a Methodist minister, and Margaret Morris Bruner and in 1856 went with his family to Marysville, California. In 1863 and 1864...

of Sacramento County, accused of soliciting bribes. Charges dropped when juries would not convict.
1928–29: Willard E. Badham, legislator in the 72nd Assembly District, Los Angeles, accused of failing to file his primary election expense report within fifteen days after the 1928 election, dismissed in municipal court on the grounds that only the Legislature had jurisdiction over the case and that the law under which he was charged was unconstitutional, 1929.
1939 and after: Fred E. Stewart
Fred E. Stewart
Fred E. Stewart was a member of the California State Board of Equalization from 1926 to 1942, representing 18 northern counties from Sacramento to Bakersfield...

and William G. Bonelli, members of the State Board of Equalization, indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury in November 1939 on charges of soliciting bribes in a $10 million "annual liquor license pay-off scandal." Charges against Stewart were later dismissed, and Bonelli fled to Mexico, where he died in November 1970.
1975: Lieutenant Governor Ed Reinecke, convicted of perjury and sentenced to 18 months in prison as part of the Watergate investigation. He resigned one day before his sentencing, which was overturned on appeal because "the Senate Judiciary Committee before which he was accused of perjuring himself had failed to publish its rule permitting a one-man quorum."
1990-94: An FBI investigation called Shrimpscam or BRISPEC targeted corruption in the California legislature. Five convictions were obtained.

Senator Alan Robbins (D) resigned on November 21, 1991, in advance of pleading guilty to federal racketeering charges in connection with insurance-industry bribes.
Senator Joseph B. Montoya (D) was convicted in April 1990 of rackeetering, extortion and money laundering and was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison.
Senator Frank Hill
Frank Hill
Frank Robert Hill was a Scottish football player and manager.-Forfar and Aberdeen:Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic, joining the club in 1924. He moved to Aberdeen in 1928 and played over 100 Scottish First Division matches...

(R) and his aide were found guilty of corruption and money laundering and sentenced to 46 months in prison. (1994)
State Assemblyman Pat Nolan
Pat Nolan
Patrick J. Nolan is an American lawyer, politician and conservative activist.-Early Political Activism:Nolan began his career as a conservative activist at the age of 14 in the Goldwater for President campaign. Pat was a leader in the Youth for Reagan for Governor in 1966 and in each of Reagan's...

(R) served 29 months for bribery.
Board of Equalization member Paul B. Carpenter (D) was found guilty of 11 counts of obstruction of justice and money laundering. (1993)
- 2008–11: State Senator Roderick Wright
  Roderick Wright (politician)
  Roderick D. Wright is a Democratic politician who was elected to represent California's 25th State Senate district in 2008. Senator Wright previously represented California's 48th State Assembly district from 1996 until he was term limited in 2002.-Education and Pre Legislative Career:Senator...
  
  , charged with two counts of perjury, one count of filing a false declaration of candidacy and five counts of voting fraud. A grand jury accused him of lying about his address when he filed to run for office in 2008. Two of the charges were dismissed by a judge in March 2011 but the others were maintained.
- 2010: State Senator Roy Ashburn, convicted of drunk driving after pleading no contest
  Nolo contendere
  is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
  
  .
- 2011: Assembly Member Mary Hayashi
  Mary Hayashi
  Mary Hayashi was elected to the California State Assembly in 2006. She was re-elected in 2008 and 2010. She is a Democrat. She represents the 18th Assembly District which includes San Leandro, Hayward, Dublin and the unincorporated areas of Ashland, Cherryland, and San Lorenzo...
  
  , charged with felony grand theft.

Alameda County

1881: Ex-Supervisor John F. Smith, "three charges of felony," and Supervisor Frederick F. Myer, the same.
1894–97: County Auditor Myron A. Whidden, charged with stealing tax receipts and forging documents to cover it up. The charges were dismissed after the prosecution failed to prove its case.
1902: County Assessor Henry P. Dalton, acquitted of a charge that he presented a fraudulent claim against the county.
After 1926: Burton Becker
Burton Becker
Burton F. Becker was the police chief of Piedmont, California in the early 20th century. He joined the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan and was elected Sheriff of Alameda County in 1926. He was subsequently tried and convicted on corruption charges, removed from office and sent to San Quentin...

, sheriff, convicted of corruption.

Alameda
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...

1936: City Manager Ray Fritz, convicted of perjury and "inducing a witness to give false testimony to the grand jury in its investigation of Alameda municipal affairs." The case was highlighted by the discovery of a system of dictograph recording machines that fed into a "master amplifier" in Fritz's office. Fritz was sentenced to San Quentin Prison. Mayor Hans W. Roebke and Council Members C.W. Broyles and Bruce Munroe pleaded guilty to petty theft. Indictments against William J. Locke, city attorney, and S.G. Blood, city clerk, were dismissed.

Oakland

1898: Harry W. Thomas, secretary of the Board of Public Works, charged with subornation of perjury
Subornation of perjury
The legal term subornation of perjury describes the crime of persuading a person to commit perjury; and also describes the circumstance wherein an attorney causes or allows another party to lie...

attempted on a grand jury witness. The trial judge ruled the prosecution's evidence was "incompetent," and directed an acquittal.
1915: Police Chief John Henry Nedderman, acquitted of a charge that he accepted a bribe to protect a gambling club. Other charges along the same line were then dismissed.
1920: Police Judge John J. Sullivan, charged with receipt of a bribe in his dismissal of the case against a man accused of an assault on a mother and child. The case was dropped by the prosecution for lack of corroborative evidence.
1960s: John C. Houlihan
John C. Houlihan
John C. Houlihan was the 43rd mayor of Oakland, California.He was elected Mayor in 1961, through his defeat of incumbent Mayor Clifford D. Rishell, and was subsequently re-elected to a second, four-year term of office in 1965...

, mayor from 1961 to 1966, pleaded guilty to taking nearly $100,000 from an estate he was handling as an attorney. He served two years in prison and was pardoned in 1973 by President Reagan after being released on parole.

Chico
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...

1899–1906: Mayor J. Ellis Rodley, sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of perjury in the witnessing of a forged will offered for probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...

. Granted a parole in 1906.

Contra Costa County

1916: Supervisor Zeb Knott of Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...

, indicted on a charge he accepted money from the owner of a roadhouse on San Pablo Avenue in the Stege
Stege, California
Stege founded in 1876 and is an unincorporated community in western Contra Costa County, California, which has now been largely destroyed and absorbed by Richmond, California. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad south-southeast of downtown Richmond, at an elevation of 23 feet...

community, to help in securing a liquor license and in preventing the supervisors from passing an ordinance that would have forbidden aliens from working in saloons. The complaint was lodged by the Italian consul in San Francisco on behalf of the owner.

Crescent City
Crescent City, California
Crescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census...

1987: Mayor C. Ray Smith, charged with felonies in the burning of a dilapidated city pier, sentenced to a misdemeanor term of 30 days at home and three years' probation. He also issued a public apology "for making misleading statements after the incident."

Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...

1975: City Council Member Marc A. Stefano, indicted twice "on allegations that he accepted bribes from contractors. He was found not guilty in two trials that were moved from Fresno to courts in Oakland and San Jose."

Parlier
Parlier, California
Parlier is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 9,494, down from 11,145 at the 2000 census. The city has one of the state's highest percentage of Latinos, a large majority of them are seasonal migrant laborers who arrive and...

1985: Police Chief Joe Anaya, accused of electronically eavesdropping on a closed city council meeting where plans to fire him were being discussed.

Bishop
Bishop, California
Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...

1972–73: Police Chief John Preku, who was one of 10 Californians indicted by federal grand juries in March 1973 on misdemeanor charges of filing fraudulent tax certificates. All were members of tax-protest groups
Tax protester (United States)
A tax protester is someone who refuses to pay a tax on constitutional or legal grounds, typically because he or she believes that the tax laws are unconstitutional or otherwise invalid...

. Preku claimed the income tax was unconstitutional. He was fired from his job as chief, but was acquitted by U.S. District Judge M.D. Crocker, who said Preku acted "without malicious intent."

Kern County

1895: Supervisor E. M. Roberts, indicted for rendering and collecting fraudulent claims against the county for road work on Union Avenue. He was acquitted on order of the judge.

Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....

1928: City Treasurer David W. Stilwell, ousted from office after being indicted on charges of misappropriating $15,000 in city funds. He pleaded guilty to two counts.

California City
California City, California
-2000:According to the census of 2000, there were 8,385 people, 3,067 households, and 2,257 families residing in the city. As of 2006 the city's population grew 8.9% from 12,106 to 13,219. California City outpaced rivals Palmdale and Lancaster, making the city the 12th fastest growing city in...

1977–79: City Manager George Howes, sentenced to three years' probation and fined $1,260 on conflict-of-interest charges centered on the construction of the Tierra del Sol Municipal Golf Course in California City. At the time of his trial and plea of no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...

, he was city manager of Walnut
Walnut, California
Walnut is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 29,172 at the 2010 census and its current mayor is Tom King, a former Detective from the Los Angeles Police Department....

, California.

Los Angeles County

1886: Charles E. Miles, county recorder, indicted for embezzling more than $11,000 in county funds, acquitted by a jury when he repaid the money.
1888–90: County Auditor A.A. Montaño, acquitted of a charge of drawing an illegal warrant.
1901: Coroner L.T. Holland, charged with billing the county for train fare while on official business when he actually used free passes, acquitted after the presiding judge ruled out of order his admission to a grand jury that he had done so. No other evidence was available.
1928: Asa Keyes
Asa Keyes
Asa Keyes was district attorney of Los Angeles County, California from June 1923 until 1928, when he was found guilty of accepting a bribe from the Julian Petroleum Company and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment...

, district attorney convicted of accepting a bribe from the Julian Petroleum Company.
1933: Sidney T. Graves
Sidney T. Graves
Sidney T. Graves was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors between 1926 and 1930. He was the only member of the county's governing body to be convicted of a crime and sent to prison. In 1933, the former supervisor was convicted of accepting a bribe concerning the building of a dam...

, county supervisor convicted in a state court of accepting a bribe and in a federal court of evading taxes.
1934 and before: Frank Bryson, county public administrator, accused of taking public money from the estates of deceased people under his control. Acquitted by a judge who determined that the money did not actually belong to the state and that the indictment was therefore faulty.
1934: Buron Fitts
Buron Fitts
Buron Rogers Fitts was a California politician, who was the 29th Lieutenant Governor of the state from 1927 to 1928 and Los Angeles County district attorney thereafter until 1940....

, district attorney indicted for bribery and perjury. Acquitted.
2009–11: Superior Judge Harvey Silberman, accused of offering to pay an opponent to drop out of a 2008 election. Acquitted by a jury in August 2011.

Baldwin Park
Baldwin Park, California
Baldwin Park is a city located in the central San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,390, down from 75,837 at the 2000 census.- History :...

1956: Council members Earle B. Duskin and Timinado Scovotti, accused of bribery in connection with a city zoning matter. Scovotti was acquitted, but Duskin was convicted. Duskin was also a member of a local school board. He was granted probation.

Bell
Bell, California
Bell is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Its population was 35,477 at the 2010 census, down from 36,664 in the 2000 census. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles...

1983–85: City Administrator John D. Pitts, sentenced to six months in federal prison, and Councilman Peter Werrlein Jr., three years in prison and a $21,000 fine, for corruption involving their hidden ownership of a poker club within the city limits. Werrlein also forfeited $400,000 in profits from the club's operation.
2010-11: Luis Artiga, Victor Bello, George Cole, Oscar Hernandez, Teresa Jacobo, George Mirabel, Robert Rizzo and Angela Spaccia, charged in the City of Bell salary controversy.

Beverly Hills Unified
Beverly Hills Unified School District
The Beverly Hills Unified School District, abbreviated BHUSD, is a school district based in Beverly Hills, California. It was formed in 1935.Beverly Hills USD serves the city of Beverly Hills. It consists of four K-8 schools, one high school and a special education school...

2010–11: Jeffrey Hubbard, school superintendent, charged with two counts of misappropriating $5 million in public funds. He has denied the accusation.

Carson
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....

1986: City Councilman Walter J. (Jake) Egan, sentenced to a year in federal prison and fined $5,000 for accepting kickbacks from manufacturer W. Patrick Moriarty and a Moriarty aide "in exchange for supporting a plan to build a mobile-home park in Carson." He was found guilty on 11 counts of mail fraud and extortion.

Commerce
Commerce, California
Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is bordered by Vernon on the west, Los Angeles on the northwest, East Los Angeles on the north, Montebello on the east, Downey...

1973: City Administrator Lawrence O'Rourke and City Councilman Maurice H. Quigley, pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy in soliciting a bribe from a contractor. O'Rourke was sentenced to six months in jail, and Quigley was fined $1,000 and placed on four years' probation. In 1976 Quigley's conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor and then dismissed.
1983–85: Robert Eula, Arthur Loya and Ricardo Vasquez, City Council members, and Phil C. Jacks, economic development director, pleaded guilty to receiving bribes in the granting of permission for a poker club in the city. They were given "relatively light sentences," the maximum being 10 months, in exchange for their testimony against Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

businessman and Las Vegas gambling figure Frank J. Sansone.

Compton
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...

1931 and earlier: Robert B. Hedrick, city treasurer, pleaded guilty to stealing from the city "over a period of years."
1965–1978: City Council Members Russell Woolfolk and Hillard Hamm, convicted of extortion in connection with a community redevelopment
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...

real-estate purchase, sentenced to three years in federal prison, five years' probation and fines of $10,000.
1985–87: City Councilman Floyd A. James, whose felony charge of campaign-election violation was reduced to a misdemeanor in a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...

, fined $15,000 and placed on three years' probation. He was also ordered to serve 80 hours of community service picking up trash on a freeway.
1996: Walter R. Tucker III
Walter R. Tucker III
Walter Rayford Tucker III is a former U.S. Democratic politician from California.Tucker was born in Compton, California, and was scion to a political dynasty known as the "Kennedys of Compton." He is the son of Walter R. Tucker, Jr., a dentist who was mayor of Compton...

, mayor and council member, convicted on charges of extortion and tax evasion. At the time of conviction he was a U.S. Congress member.
2004: Mayor Omar Bradley, Council Member Amen Rahh and City Manager John D. Johnson II, all convicted of misappropriation of public funds and unauthorized loans of public money. Council members Delores Zurita and Yvonne Arceneaux, acquitted of the same charges.

Huntington Park
Huntington Park
-In the United States:* Huntington Park, California* Huntington Park , a park in Newport News, Virginia* Huntington Park , a minor league baseball stadium in Columbus, Ohio...

2002: Councilwoman Linda Luz Guevera, convicted of falsely claiming she lived in the city, sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Inglewood
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...

2010: Mayor Roosevelt F. Dorn
Roosevelt F. Dorn
Roosevelt F. Dorn, the former mayor of Inglewood, California, was born October 29, 1935, in Checotah, Oklahoma.Dorn was elected mayor in 1997 to fill the unexpired term of Edward Vincent, who had become a member of the state Assembly. He was elected to a full term on November 3, 1998, and again in...

, charged with felony misappropriation of public funds, using an unauthorized loan for private profit and conflict of interest, all charges of which were dismissed. Pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor conflict of interest.

Irwindale
Irwindale, California
Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census....

1960–1961: Former Mayor Justin Garcia, former City Manager James McLean and Ernestine Solorio, deputy registrar of voters, arrested on secret grand jury indictments charging violation of state election laws in recall elections of October 1959 and July 1960. All counts against Garcia and McLean were dismissed by a Superior Court judge. Solorio was found guilty after a jury trial.
1972–73: City Councilman Richard Breceda and two real estate dealers, charged in October 1972 with conspiracy to commit criminal libel, extortion, administration of a restricted dangerous drug, administration of chloroform with intent to assist in the commission of a felony, false imprisonment and oral copulation, all accused of a plot to blackmail Mayor Richard Diaz into supporting legalized gambling. He was acquitted by order of Superior Judge Thomas C. Murphy. Breceda was indicted the next year on twenty counts of violating the Election Code in luring people to the city to vote for a particular candidate. He was sentenced to a year in jail.

Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

1972–77: Ernest Mayer Jr., city planning director, sentenced to state prison for accepting more than $50,000 from two architects "for favors on six multi-million-dollar projects in the city."
1974–77: City Council Member Bert Bond, cleared of a charge that he conspired to operate an illegal gambling business in Long Beach by a judge who said the government's proof was "weak, extremely weak."
1978–1986: James Wilson, city council member for 16 years, convicted of 21 counts of mail fraud and violating public disclosure laws by failing to report $54,000 in payments from manufacturer W. Patrick Moriarty, who wanted to open Long Beach to the legal sale of fireworks. Wilson was sentenced to three years in prison on one count, and the others were suspended. He died of an apparent heart attack about a month after sentencing and never served time in prison.

Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

1870: Mayor Joel Turner
Joel Turner (mayor)
Joel Turner was the 11th mayor of Los Angeles, California, from December 9, 1868, to December 9, 1870. He served two terms.In 1870, Turner, eight members of the City Council and two members of a previous council were indicted by a grand jury for felony...

, eight members of the City Council and two members of a previous council, indicted by a grand jury for felony. "It is said that an issue of city scrip of over $50,000 has been made and that less than one fifth only is now accounted for, and that the books containing the stubs are not to be found." Each was freed on bail. Turner was convicted of malfeasance.
1890: Justice of the Peace Walter C. Lockwood, charged along with State Assemblyman James M. Damron with forgery of a promissory note
Promissory note
A promissory note is a negotiable instrument, wherein one party makes an unconditional promise in writing to pay a determinate sum of money to the other , either at a fixed or determinable future time or on demand of the payee, under specific terms.Referred to as a note payable in accounting, or...

and discounting it at a bank. Later accused of harboring and protecting Damron, a "fugitive from justice," but a trial in that case resulted in a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...

. Both cases were eventually dismissed. Also charged with embezzling $300 from Los Angeles County in that he did not turn over to the county bail money he had received from a defendant in his court, but prosecution failed because of another hung jury. A judge dismissed the case, and Lockwood left the city before he could be rearrested.
1919: Mayor Frederic T. Woodman, acquitted of a charge that he had accepted a bribe to "protect vice."
1925: Charles E. Downs
Charles E. Downs
Charles E. Downs was the first Los Angeles City Council member representing the 10th District after a new city charter went into effect in 1925...

and John F. Fitzpatrick
John F. Fitzpatrick
Joseph F. Fitzpatrick was the first Los Angeles City Council member representing the 13th District after a new city charter went into effect in 1925...

, City Council members, convicted of receiving a bribe to influence their votes on a contract.
1927: City Councilman Carl Ingold Jacobson
Carl Ingold Jacobson
Carl Ingold Jacobson was a City Council member in Los Angeles, California, from 1925 to 1933. He was tried on a morals charge, and then it was later shown that he was the victim of a frame-up by local police authorities.-Biography:...

, accused of entering a room for immoral purposes, hung jury. It was later determined that the councilman had been the victim of a frame-up.Cecilia Rasmussen, "A Real-Life Film Noir, Except for the Ending," January 31, 1999, page 3
1931–34: Former City Council members Roy L. Donley
Roy Donley
Roy L. Donley was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from the Fifth District in 1931 and 1932. He was also deputy United States Internal Revenue collector....

and James Stuart McKnight, acquitted of charges that they agreed to accept a $10,000 bribe to influence their votes on the council.
1938–39: City Councilman Howard W. Davis
Howard W. Davis
Howard W. Davis was a member of the California State Assembly for two years and of the Los Angeles City Council for 16 years. He was indicted on charges of accepting bribes to influence his actions as a city official but was cleared on one count and never tried on the others, which were...

, acquitted in 1939 of a charge he had accepted bribes to influence his actions as a public official. Exonerated after trial by a judge.
1939–41: William Cormack, general manager of the city's Civil Service Commission, indicted along with Joseph E. Shaw, brother of Mayor Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw was the first mayor of a major American city to be recalled from office, in 1938. He was also a member of the Los Angeles City Council and then the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors...

, and prosecuted on 63 counts of conniving with a city employee to change grades on civil service examinations. Their convictions were overturned and finally dismissed in 1941.
1941–46: Abe M. Rosenfeld, former Los Angeles Harbor commissioner, charged with misappropriations of public money in connection with the purchases of land in the Wilmington district. Cleared by a judge who called the assertions "entirely and wholly unfounded."
1948–49: Police Chief C.B. Horrall, tried on a charge of perjury involving the investigation of the relationship between a police officer and the operator of a call girl
Call girl
A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...

ring. He was acquitted in a non-jury trial
Non-jury trial
In a non-jury trial the fact-finder is one or more professional judges rather than a jury of the defendant's 'peers'.In common law jurisdictions, all trials in equity, of petty criminal offenses and violations, and of small claims at law are non-jury trials, also known as bench trials, held before...

.
1950: City Council Member G. Vernon Bennett
G. Vernon Bennett
Guy Vernon Bennett , also known as G. Vernon Bennett, was superintendent of schools in Pomona, California; a professor of education at the University of Southern California, and a Los Angeles city councilman from the 10th District from 1935 to 1951...

, pleaded guilty to a charge of disturbing the peace and was fined $100. Another charge, lewd vagrancy, was dismissed.
1968–71: Four current and former city commissioners, all indicted in December 1968 in connection with a $12 million city World Trade Center contract by the Los Angeles Harbor Commission. They were Keith Smith, a member of the Human Relations Commission, whose construction firm was awarded the contract without competitive bidding; Harbor Commissioner George D. Watson, and former Harbor Commissioners Karl L. Rundberg
Karl L. Rundberg
Karl L. Rundberg was a Los Angeles City Council member between 1957 and 1965. He was convicted of accepting a bribe in 1967 when a member of the city's Harbor Commission and was placed on probation.-Biography:...

and Robert Nicholas (Nick) Starr. Rundberg and Starr were accused of receiving more than $6,000 worth of office furniture from Smith for a testing laboratory business. Watson was accused of one count of bribery "involving a complex stock transaction he had with Smith." Also named was PIetro Di Carlo, former Harbor Commission president, who was found drowned in the harbor in November. Starr's conviction on the bribery charge involving the furniture was overturned by a Court of Appeals in 1970 on a 2–1 vote. Rundberg was also convicted, but he died in 1968, before the appeal could be heard. The two were acquitted on a charge they received a kickback from Smith. Watson was convicted of a conflict-of-interest charge. Smith was acquitted.
1969–70: City Councilman Robert Stevenson
Robert Stevenson and Peggy Stevenson
Robert J. Stevenson and Peggy Stevenson were a husband and wife who served consecutive terms totaling sixteen years in representation of the Hollywood-Silver Lake-Highland Park area on the Los Angeles City Council—Robert between 1969 and 1975 and Peggy between 1975 and 1985.-Biographies:Robert...

, indicted in February 1970 on charges of conspiracy and bribery in the asserted proposed establishment of gambling dens
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

in Chinatown
Chinatown, Los Angeles
Chinatown in Los Angeles, California is located in the city's downtown area. Built in 1938, it is the second Chinatown to be constructed in Los Angeles. The original historic Chinatown was founded in the late 19th century, but was demolished to make room for Union Station, the city's major rail...

the previous year. Authorities said a multimillion-dollar-a-year operation was planned. He and other defendants were freed when a jury could not reach a verdict; the trial judge declared a mistrial and dismissed the charges.
1968–1973: Thomas D. Shepard
Thomas D. Shepard
Thomas D. Shepard, or Tom Shepard, was a Los Angeles City Council member between 1961 and 1967. He left office when he was convicted of receiving a bribe, and he served time in state prison.-Biography:...

, City Council member from the west San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...

, convicted of bribery in a zone-change matter, served 15 months in prison. Former Recreation and Parks Commissioner Mel Pierson, indicted the same day, convicted of trying to get $25,000 from a golf pro seeking a contract to design a golf complex in the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area
Sepulveda Dam
Located in Los Angeles, California, the Sepulveda Dam is a project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, built in 1941 to withhold winter flood waters along the Los Angeles River...

. Pierson's prison term was set at three years, to end June 1, 1973, and before his release he was working a day shift as a credit manager in Beverly Hills under a work-furlough program.
1972–74: City Councilman Louis R. Nowell
Louis R. Nowell
Louis R. Nowell was a Los Angeles city fire captain who was elected to the City Council in the San Fernando Valley in 1963 and served until 1977. A conservative, he favored more growth in residential areas and opposed school busing for the purpose of racial integration. He pleaded no contest and...

, fined $500 and placed on a year's probation after pleading no contest
No contest
No contest may refer to:*Nolo contendere, a plea in a criminal court case *No contest , a decision at a sporting event *No Contest a film starring Shannon Tweed...

to a misdemeanor violation of a state Government Code section requiring reports on political contributions. He failed to properly report $19.700 raised at a dinner aboard the Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...

, listing the income as personal funds rather than income from supporters.
1997: City Council member Mike Hernandez
Mike Hernández
Mike Hernandez was a Los Angeles, California City Councilman. In 1997 Hernandez was arrested and pleaded guilty to purchasing and possessing cocaine. Because he struck a plea agreement whereby he agreed to seek treatment, the arrest was not in his record, and he was not required to resign his seat...

, pleaded guilty to felony possession of cocaine.
2005: Councilman Martin Ludlow
Martin Ludlow
Martin Ludlow was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council, representing the 10th district. He resigned effective June 30, 2005, when he became the head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. He pleaded guilty in state and federal courts the same year to charges that he had...

, convicted of using union workers and union money to help his election campaign.
2010–11: Council member Richard Alarcon
Richard Alarcón
Richard Anthony Alarcón is a California politician who is currently a Los Angeles City Councilman. A Democrat, he has previously served in the California State Senate and, for approximately three months, in the California State Assembly.Alarcón first served as an assistant to Los Angeles Mayor Tom...

, indicted on 24 counts of perjury and voter fraud in stating his home was in Panorama City, inside Los Angeles City Council District 7, which he represents, when he actually lived elsewhere.

Lynwood
Lynwood, California
Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 69,772, down from 69,845 at the 2000 census. Lynwood is located near South Gate and Compton in the southern portion of the Los Angeles Basin. Incorporated in...

2006: Paul H. Richards II, convicted of corruption centering on awards of contracts to a firm controlled by him and his family.

Norwalk
Norwalk, California
Norwalk is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census, up from 103,298 at the 2000 census, making it the 58th most populous city in California and the 255th nationally....

1981–1989: City Administrator William H. Kraus, sentenced to five years' probation and fined $1,000 "for his part in a land-fraud scheme that bilked investors out of more than $3 million." He also had to pay $20,000 in restitution to the victims.

Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...

1979–83: City Councilman Walter L. Mitchell Jr., sentenced to 18 months in prison for his conviction on federal charges of fraud and understating his income.

Rosemead
Rosemead, California
Rosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 53,764. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian...

1969–76: Mayor Henry G. Whiddon, accused by federal prosecutors of understating his income by a total of $748,650 from 1970 to 1972. Dismissed by the U.S. attorney's office "in the interests of justice."
1980–86: Council Member Luis Tury Jr., pleaded guilty in federal court to mail fraud and paying kickbacks to secure government contracts for his machine shop.

South Gate
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...

2005: Albert T. Robles
Albert Robles
Albert T. Robles is an American politician and former mayor, councilman, treasurer, and deputy city manager for the City of South Gate, California. He also served as an elected Director of the Central Basin Municipal Water District in Carson, California...

, mayor, councilman, treasurer and deputy city manager, convicted of corruption.

Temple City
Temple City, California
Temple City is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Rosemead, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a rapidly growing Asian population. Temple City also has a Cuban and Puerto Rican...

2007–10: Judy Wong, Cathe Wilson and David Capra, all city council members in 2007, accused of demanding and receiving bribes from developer
Real estate development
Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...

Randy Wang for his Temple City Piazza Mall. Capra pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of failing to report a campaign contribution. Wong entered a plea of no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...

to 10 felony counts and was sentenced to 16 months in state prison and ordered to pay restitution of $16,700 to the developer and more than $16,000 in fines. Capra resigned from the council; Wilson was sentenced to four years in state prison.

Venice

1917: H.B. Eakins, street superintendent and former mayor of Venice, charged with lying to a grand jury investigating graft in that city about a hose cart he had purchased with city money and had refurbished by city workers before sending it to his ranch at Elizabeth Lake
Elizabeth Lake, California
Elizabeth Lake lies directly on the San Andreas earthquake fault wihin the Angeles National Forest in northwest Los Angeles County, California. Situated in the western Antelope Valley and surrounded by rolling golden hills, it is one of a series of sag ponds in the area, including Hughes Lake and...

. Acquitted by a trial jury that deliberated less than half an hour.
1918: Mayor E.A. Gerety, indicted on a charge of bribery and acquitted at trial; City Clerk C.Y. Burns, indicted on a charge of embezzlement, also acquitted, and City Treasurer J.E. Crouch, pleaded guilty to a charge of embezzlement. Crouch was given probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...

because, the trial judge said, he had been a "catspaw" of politicians.

Vernon
Vernon, California
Vernon is a city five miles south of downtown Los Angeles, California. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census, the smallest of any incorporated city in the state....

1943: Mayor John B. Leonis, indicted on a charge he voted illegally in Vernon although his actual residence was in Los Angeles. The indictment was quashed by a judge who said the evidence was insufficient to produce a verdict of guilty.
1979: City Attorney David B. Brearley and City Administrator Bruce V. Malkenhorst Sr., indicted by a grand jury and accused of bribery and conspiracy during contract negotiations with city firefighters. Charges were dismissed by a Superior Court judge for lack of evidence.
2006–2011: City Administrator Bruce V. Malkenhorst Sr.
Vernon, California
Vernon is a city five miles south of downtown Los Angeles, California. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census, the smallest of any incorporated city in the state....

, who pleaded guilty in May 2011 to illegally using public money to pay for golf outings, massages and meals.
2009: Former Mayor Leonis Malburg, convicted of conspiracy and voter fraud in claiming to live within Vernon when he actually lived in Los Angeles. Sentenced in January 2010 to five years' probation and ordered to pay $579,000 in fines and restitution. Similar charges against Malburg had been dismissed by a Superior Court judge in June 1979.
2010: Former City Administrator Donal O'Callaghan, who pleaded not guilty to a grand jury indictment charging him with two counts of conflict of interest and one count of public-officer crimes, accused of getting a contract for his wife to work as a $40-an-hour bookkeeper for the city. He is awaiting trial.

West Covina

2003: Peter Sabatino Jr., a West Covina Unified School District
West Covina Unified School District
West Covina Unified School District or "WCUSD," is a unified school district located and serves the city of West Covina, California. It is located in the San Gabriel Valley area. The members of the West Covina Board of Education are Eileen Miranda-Jimenez , Steve Cox , Mike Spence , Cammie Poulos ,...

board member, who pleaded guilty to a charge of claiming he lived within the district when he actually lived in Downey
Downey, California
Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter lived and died...

, a dozen miles away.

West Hollywood

1983–86: Mayor Valerie Terrigno
Valerie Terrigno
Valerie Susan Terrigno was elected to the first city council of West Hollywood, California when it was incorporated in 1984. She was selected by the council to be the mayor, making her the first avowed lesbian mayor of an incorporated municipality in the United States.Her best-known action as...

, convicted of embezzling $9,000 in federal grant funds when she was chief executive officer of Crossroads Counseling Center, an agency for the homeless.

Sausalito

1911: Paul A. Vincilione, town recorder, convicted of having bribed Justice of the Peace J.F. Renner in 1903 to dismiss a criminal case against one of Vincilione's private legal clients. Vincilione was sent to San Quentin in 1911 and was released in 1912, having served 12 months of an 18-month term. Renner was not prosecuted.
1924–26: Mayor Herbert Madden, arrested in 1924 and found guilty in 1926 of conspiracy to land "large quantities of illicit liquor" at Moss Landing from a rum runner
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...

, paroled after 18 months in prison.

Merced County

1905 and earlier: Supervisors Thomas Price and A.B. Hamilton, indicted in attempting to swindle the county out of funds set aside for the construction of a bridge or for road work.

Monterey County

1897–1900: County Tax Collector C.L. Westlake, convicted of having misappropriated $20,000 in county money, sentenced to San Quentin. Appealed; conviction overturned after Westlake had been in prison for three years.

Nevada County
Nevada County, California
Nevada County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of California, in the Mother Lode country. As of 2010 its population was 98,764. The county seat is Nevada City.-History:Nevada County was created in 1851 from parts of Yuba County....

1889: Sheriff George Lord, indicted for tampering with the returns of the election that put him into office. Lord was later ousted as the result of a civil suit.

Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

1976: Supervisor Robert Battin, convicted of "using his county-paid staff and materials for work on his unsuccessful 1974 campaign for lieutenant-governor." He served a 20-day jail term and paid a $6,500 fine.
1972–77: Andrew Jackson Hinshaw, a U.S. Congressman, convicted of accepting bribes when he was Orange County assessor. Embroiled with him was County Assessor Jack Vallerga, who was found guilty of grand theft, conflict of interest and misappropriation of funds.
1976–80: Supervisor Philip L. Anthony, convicted of a 1976 fund-laundering charge and fined $5,000 as part of a 1980 plea bargain that ended the threat of felony prosecution for conspiracy.
1976–82: Supervisor Ralph A. Diedrich, who served two years in prison after being convicted of requesting and accepting bribes from officials of a company that wanted to develop 2,200 acres that were already zoned for agricultural use.
2000–07: Superior Court Judge Ronald C. Kline, who pleaded quilty to a federal charge of possessing child pornography on his home computer. In February 2007 he was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. Kline had also been charged in state court with child molestation when a man came forward to say that Kline abused him when he was age 14; those charges were dismissed after the U.S. Supreme Court banned prosecution of old sex-abuse allegations.
2009: Sheriff Mike Carona
Mike Carona
Michael S. "Mike" Carona is a convicted felon and former Sheriff-Coroner of Orange County, California. The Sheriff was the elected head of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. He gained national prominence during the hunt for the killer of Samantha Runnion...

, acquitted of federal charges of mail fraud, conspiracy and one charge of witness tampering, but found guilty of another count of witness tampering.

Anaheim
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...

1977–78: City Councilman William Kott, indicted on charges of "conspiracy involving campaign funds and reports." The case was dismissed by a Superior Court judge who said "an insufficient number of the same grand jurors had heard all of the testimony that led to the indictments."

Fullerton
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...

1976–77: Planning Commissioner LeRoy Rose, acquitted of a bribery charge involving a housing project in the city's redevelopment
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...

area.

Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...

2000-2004: Mayor Pamela J. Houchen, who pleaded guilty to public corruption and fraud charges for forging documents in conversion of apartments to condominiums. She was sentenced to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay $140,000 in restitution.

Westminster
Westminster, California
-Government:In the state legislature Westminster is located in the 34th, Senate District, represented by Democrat Lou Correa and Republican Tom Harman respectively, and in the 67th and 68th Assembly District, represented by Republicans Jim Silva and Van Tran respectively...

1959–61: City Manager James E. Black, Mayor George Meinhardt, Vice Mayor Arthur Paysen and Council Members Gerald Allison, Gordon Dorsfmith and Eugene J. (Barney) Edwards, accused of accepting a $24,000 bribe for dropping a 1959 move to annex a portion of the Eastgate area. Edwards and Dorfsmith pleaded guilty, and Allison, Paysen and Black were convicted after trial: They were sent to state prison, and Dorfman and Edwards to county jail. Superior Judge Ronald Crookshank said the charges were "equal to murder, kidnaping or rape, as far as I'm concerned." Meinhardt was convicted, was granted a new trial and was eventually cleared by a lie-detector test
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...

; all charges against him were dropped.
1972–73: Mayor Derek McWhinney and Planning Commissioner Tad Fujita, convicted in the case of a farmer who testified that the two officials told him the only way he could renew his lease on his acreage in city-owned Mile Square Park was to pay $5,000 and contribute another $5,000 to a county supervisor's election campaign. McWhinney was sentenced to state prison, and Fujita got three years' probation and a stint in the county jail.

Cabazon

1969: Mayor Lawrence A. Lennebach, a contractor, accused of conflict of interest in doing work for the city, and City Councilman William Thompson, accused of perjury in connection with his signature on an affidavit stating he was a resident of Cabazon, indicted by a grand jury.

Corona
Corona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...

1982–85: Police Chief Bob J. Talbert, cleared of a charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice in the alleged alteration of a police report of a fatal traffic accident.

San Jacinto
San Jacinto, California
San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...

2011 and before: City Council Members Jim Ayres, Dale Stubblefield, John Mansperger and James Potts, and San Jacinto Unified School District Board Member Nancy Jo Ayres, charged in "an elaborate illegal campaign donation and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...

scheme" between developers
Real estate development
Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...

and local officials. In a plea bargain, Mansfield and Stubblefield pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of making a political contribution under a false name. The two later pleaded guilty also to felony conspiracy.

Sacramento County

1878: R.C. Lowell, county auditor, charged with purloining county funds for himself, and C.T. Jones, former district attorney, charged with having appropriated $1,200 belonging to Sacramento city.
1897: State Assemblyman Leonard M. Landsborough
Leonard M. Landsborough
Leonard M. Landsborough was an agriculturist in the Florin, California, area and a member of the California State Assembly. A member of the Populist Party and then a Democrat, he was active in a movement to protect the rights of Japanese farmers in the Sacramento Valley...

, acquitted on charges that he had raised the pay of men summoned for jury duty while he was employed as a deputy county clerk and skimmed the excess for himself.

San Bernardino County

2004: Supervisor Jerry Eaves
Gerald R. Eaves
Gerald R. Eaves is a former California State Assemblyman who served from 1984 until 1992. He served on the Rialto City Council from 1977 until 1980 and as Mayor of Rialto from 1980 until 1984. After leaving the Assembly, he served on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors from 1992 until...

pleaded guilty to "conspiring to violate California's Political Reform Act by failing to disclose gifts." He was sentenced to three years of informal probation and a $10,000 fine.
2005: James Hlawek, county administrative officer from 1994 to 1998, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and was fined and placed on probation. He also had to do community service.
2011: Supervisor Neil Derry, accused of laundering campaign contributions through a political action committee controlled by former County Assessor Bill Postmus, perjury and filing a false report. Postmus pleaded guilty to 14 felonies, including accepting a bribe and possession of narcotics. Four other former county officials, including Jim Erwin, former assistant assessor, were also charged.
2011: Former County Supervisor Paul Antoine Biaine, indicted on May 10, 2011, on charges of bribery, extortion and misappropriation of public funds, along with James Erwin, a former assistant county assessor and former chief of staff to Supervisor Neil Derry, and Mark Kirk, a former chief of staff to Supervisor Gary Ovitt. The case involved flood-control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...

easements "in the middle of a large retail and housing development in Upland
Upland, California
Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located at an elevation of 1,242 feet . As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:Upland...

."

Needles
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...

1923: Mayor C.E. Stauter, whose indictment on a charge of bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...

was quashed by a judge on a "technicality that the testimony of all the witnesses before the grand jury was not returned with the indictment as required by law."

Upland
Upland, California
Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located at an elevation of 1,242 feet . As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:Upland...

2011: John Pomierski, former mayor, indicted in March 2011 on extortion and bribery charges in an alleged scheme concerning contributions from two businesses seeking city permits and other government approvals. Released on bail to await trial.

San Diego County

1895: H.W. Weineke, county tax collector, whose indictments "because of a shortage in his accounts" were set aside by a judge when it was discovered that the grand jury was "improperly impaneled."
1909: County Auditor Howard Cherry, charged with embezzling funds by padding the payrolls of the road district he represented while he was on the Board of Supervisors; acquitted after a jury trial.
1987: Registrar of Voters Ray Ortiz, jury acquittal of charges of grand theft, misappropriation of public funds and falsifying public records between 1984 and 1986.

San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

1925: Councilman Harry K. Weitzel, accused of agreeing to accept bribes to buy the Cuyamaca
Cuyamaca, California
Cuyamaca is a region of eastern San Diego County. It lies east of the Capitan Grande Indian Reservation in the western Laguna Mountains, north of Descanso and south of Julian. Named for the 1845 Rancho Cuyamaca Mexican land grant, the region is now dominated by the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park...

water system and bring about the annexation of East San Diego. Conviction reversed on appeal.
1967–71: Mayor Frank Curran
Francis Earl Curran
Francis Earl "Frank" Curran was an American Democratic politician from California.-Biography:Frank Curran was born in 1912 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was a boxer under the name "Red Kenney" and operated a wallpaper-hanging business. The family moved to Oceanside, California in 1919...

, City Council members Allen Hitch, Mike Schaefer, Floyd Morrow and Helen Cobb, State Assembly member Tom Hom and County Supervisors Harry Scheidle and Jack Walsh, charged with bribery and conspiracy in the granting of a fare increase to the Yellow Cab Company in 1967 when all had been members of the City Council. They were all acquitted, except for Hitch, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was fined $750.
1985–90: Mayor Roger Hedgecock
Roger Hedgecock
Roger Allan Hedgecock is a conservative talk radio host and former mayor of San Diego, California. His show is syndicated by Radio America. Hedgecock still resides in San Diego...

, convicted in 1985 of one count of conspiracy and twelve counts of perjury related to failure to report all campaign contributions. The twelve counts of perjury were dismissed in 1990 after a series of appeals alleging juror misconduct. Hedgecock accepted conviction on the single remaining felony charge, which was reduced to a misdemeanor and then dismissed.
1986: Councilman Uvaldo Martinez, who did 400 days of community service and repaid $607.80 in restitution for using a city credit card for personal use, avoiding trial on 24 felony counts by accepting a plea deal
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...

.
2002–10: Charges were dismissed in April 2010 in the case of Ronald Saathoff, Cathy Lewin, Teresa Webster, Lawrence Grissom and Loraine Chapin, accused of wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors claimed in 2006 and 2008 that the five schemed to have the San Diego retirement board pass a plan in 2002 to "underfund the pension system" in favor of special treatment for Saathoff. A judge dismissed the complaint, calling the law under which they were charged a "model of vagueness." Earlier, the California Supreme Court had dismissed conflict-of-interest charges against Lexin and Webster.
2005: Ralph Inzunza, city council member convicted of extortion, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud; sentenced to 21 months. He has been free on bail while his appeals are heard.
2005: City Council Member Michael Zucchet
Michael Zucchet
Michael J. Zucchet is a San Diego-born American Democratic politician, a former member of the San Diego City Council, and a former Deputy Mayor of San Diego...

, charged with extortion, wire fraud and conspiracy in "accepting campaign contributions from a Las Vegas strip-club owner and his lobbyist in exchange for relaxing city laws prohibiting dancers from touching patrons." The jury's convictions on seven of the nine counts were reversed by the trial judge at sentencing, and the other two counts were later dismissed on motion of the U.S. attorney.
2011: Carolyn Smith and Dante Dayacap, two former top officials of the city of San Diego's Southeast Development Corporation (SEDC), were charged with conspiracy, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds for allegedly fattening their pay with secret bonuses and other payments over a three-year period. Both pleaded not guilty in May 2011. Trial is pending.

Vista
Vista, California
Vista is a city in north San Diego County, California. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate...

1986: City Councilman Ed Neal, fined and granted probation when he took a misdemeanor plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...

, averting trial on three felony charges that he billed the city of Vista for a trip by him and his girlfriend to Washington, D.C., to attend a White House luncheon. He maintained his innocence.

San Francisco City and County
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

1898: City Treasurer Augustus C. Widber, accused of stealing more than $115,000 worth of coins from the bags of money in the treasurer's safe. After a trial jury found him guilty, he was sentenced to 7-1/2 years in state prison.
1902–03: County Clerk Albert B. Mahony, accused of swearing to a fraudulent salary demand for his friend and milkman, the indictment later ruled invalid by a judge.
1907: Eugene Schmitz
Eugene Schmitz
Eugene Edward Schmitz was an American politician and the 26th mayor of San Francisco, who became notorious for his conviction by a jury on charges of corruption.-Life and career:...

, mayor, whose conviction of extortion in 1907 was nullified. He was also charged with bribery but was acquitted.
1921: Supervisor William S. Scott, whose indictment on a charge of being a member of a trust conspiring against trade, was called a "terrible mistake" by the judge who dismissed it on motion of the district attorney.

Note: Mayor Joseph L. Alioto was indicted in Seattle. Washington, in 1971 on charges of conspiracy to bribe a public official, but the alleged offense took place before he became mayor. He was acquitted.

San Joaquin County

1895: James Brown, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and Charles Ward. county hospital superintendent, accused of accepting a bribe from an architect to influence their actions in adopting plans for a new county hospital in French Camp
French Camp, California
French Camp is a census-designated place in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 3,376 at the 2010 census, down from 4,109 at the 2000 census. San Joaquin General Hospital is located in French Camp....

. Ward's conviction and sentence of 14 years in state prison was overturned by the State Supreme Court. Brown was tried twice, but each time the jury was unable to agree on a verdict.
1971: Superior Judge Maxwell M. Willens of Stockton, who once served on the State Crime Commission, convicted on three counts of accepting bribes for lighter sentences.
2002-11: Sheriff Baxter Dunn and County Supervisor Lynn Bedford, accused of taking part in a 2002 scheme to secretly lobby on behalf of a power company seeking to build a plant at the Port of Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...

. Dunn pleaded guilty in 2005 to honest-services mail fraud and Bedford pleaded guilty to a charge he lied to federal investigators. Dunn's conviction was overturned in 2011 after he had served six months in prison, served six months of house arrest and paid a $40,000 fine.

San Mateo County

1910–11: Supervisor Daniel E. Blackburn, charged with receiving a bribe over furnishings for the county courthouse in Redwood City. There were two hung juries, both favoring acquittal. Case was dismissed on motion of the district attorney. Blackburn was re-elected while the charges were pending. Others in another bill of indictment were Supervisors Joseph M. Francis and former Supervisors Carl J. Coburn and Joseph Debenedetti, accused of "conspiracy to defraud the county of San Mateo."

Santa Clara County

1904: County Auditor Martin Murphy, embezzlement of county funds, fled to Mexico but was tracked down by a sheriff's deputy and returned voluntarily. Indictment was quashed because of improper content and the case was later dismissed altogether.

San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

1904: City Treasurer Thomas J. McGeoghegan, accused of embezzling $9,823, acquitted by a jury when he showed several other people had access to his office.
2006: Mayor Ron Gonzales
Ron Gonzales
Ronald R. Gonzales is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party, who served as the 63rd Mayor of San Jose, California. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Mayor of San Jose since California became a U.S. state in 1850.-Career:...

and his chief of staff, indicted for multiple felonies related to a contract with Norcal Waste Systems, including bribery, misappropriation, and conspiracy. The corruption charges were dismissed a year later when a Superior Court judge ruled that prosecutors had given incorrect instructions to the grand jury and had mistaken routine political behavior for a crime.

Benicia
Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...

1949: City Attorney Leland Fisher, suspended from his job by the City Council after he was indicted on a bribery charge linked to making Benicia a "wide open" town.

Tuolumne County

1914-15: Supervisor V.A. Solari, acquitted by a Sonora
Sonora, California
Sonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,903, up from 4,423 at the 2000 census. Sonora is the only incorporated community in Tuolumne County.-Geography:...

jury of a charge of filing a forged instrument with the county. He had also been indicted for malfeasance in the issuing of a liquor license.

Moorpark
Moorpark, California
Moorpark is a city in Southern California. It was founded in 1900 by Robert Poindexter, presumably named after the moorpark apricots that grew in the area. The city has experienced a great amount of growth since the late 1970s...

1987: City Councilman Danny Allen Woolard, pleaded guilty to a charge he stole $5,500 from the U.S. post office where he worked, to support a cocaine habit.

Federal

State

Alameda County

Oakland

ChicoChico, CaliforniaChico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...

Contra Costa County

FresnoFresno, CaliforniaFresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...

Kern County

BakersfieldBakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....

Los Angeles County

Baldwin ParkBaldwin Park, CaliforniaBaldwin Park is a city located in the central San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,390, down from 75,837 at the 2000 census.- History :...

BellBell, CaliforniaBell is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Its population was 35,477 at the 2010 census, down from 36,664 in the 2000 census. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles...

CarsonCarson, CaliforniaCarson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....

Huntington ParkHuntington Park-In the United States:* Huntington Park, California* Huntington Park , a park in Newport News, Virginia* Huntington Park , a minor league baseball stadium in Columbus, Ohio...

InglewoodInglewood, CaliforniaInglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...

IrwindaleIrwindale, CaliforniaIrwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census....

Long BeachLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

NorwalkNorwalk, CaliforniaNorwalk is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census, up from 103,298 at the 2000 census, making it the 58th most populous city in California and the 255th nationally....