![]() ![]() “I would certainly find improper contributions to be unacceptable, and would not keep such funds,” Kaplan wrote in an email. He said he has “made it a point not to ask for campaign contributions from the Duong family for years,” because he’s aware of the potential conflict of interest given the contract CWS has with the city.Īt-large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, who is also running for reelection this year, told The Oaklandside that she was unaware of the investigation until we contacted her and that she would not have accepted any money for her campaigns if she suspected it might be linked to a city contractor. ![]() District 7 Councilmember Larry Reid, who is not seeking reelection this year, and District 4 Councilmember Sheng Thao, whose district is not up for election this year, also did not respond.ĭistrict 1 Councilmember Dan Kalb, who represents North Oakland and is currently running for reelection, responded and said in an interview that he was unaware of the existence of the investigation and hasn’t had a reason to suspect any campaign money he accepted was linked to a city contractor. District 3 Councilmember McElhaney, who is running for reelection this year, did not respond. The Oaklandside contacted all five current city councilmembers who received some of the allegedly illegal campaign contributions. The City Council has also recently discussed selling 12 acres and leasing 2.3 acres of public land to California Waste Solutions, again behind closed doors. ![]() CWS has filed a counter lawsuit against the city in the case. According to the city’s lawsuit, CWS has been taking advantage of a mistake in the recycling services contract it signed with the city by overcharging customers, collecting millions of dollars in additional profit. The Public Ethics Commission named five current councilmembers who accepted some of the allegedly laundered money: Lynette Gibson McElhaney, Sheng Thao, Rebecca Kaplan, Larry Reid, and Dan Kalb.Īccording to public records, the City Council has met numerous times over the past several years to discuss in closed session meetings whether or not to settle a lawsuit the city brought against California Waste Solutions in 2017. The earliest contribution was made in 2013, and most were made between 20. In court records, city investigators identified $51,000 in “suspicious” political contributions made by 13 individuals and several businesses to City Council candidates. The commission’s staff and Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker outlined the alleged money laundering in documents filed in Alameda Superior Court earlier this year, and the investigation has not been reported on publicly before now. This money allegedly went to councilmembers running for reelection at the time, and to one councilmember, Lynette Gibson McElhaney, to pay for an attorney who defended her in a separate ethics case. A straw donor is someone who makes a campaign contribution and secretly gets reimbursed by someone else who is barred from making the same contribution. The alleged scheme hasn’t been proven, but according to court records reviewed by The Oaklandside, Public Ethics Commission investigators believe the owners of California Waste Solutions, including David Duong and his son, Andy Duong, funneled money over several election cycles through “straw donors” to multiple councilmembers’ campaign committees. Last year, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, the city’s independent watchdog agency, quietly launched a major investigation into allegations that the owners of California Waste Solutions, Oakland’s curbside recycling provider, illegally laundered campaign contributions to multiple members of the City Council. ![]()
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