DA says some Los Osos board members were ‘improperly compensated,’ but repaid the money
In response to a complaint about Los Osos Community Services District board members being overcompensated for attending meetings and other events, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office says the offending members have repaid the district.
District Attorney Dan Dow also said in a news release late Friday that his office’s Public Integrity Unit found “insufficient evidence” to prove any crimes had been committed.
The news release did not say which directors were overcompensated or how much was repaid. In response to a request for that information, Dow referred a reporter to a staff report of the Feb. 7 board meeting, which states:
- Board Vice President Charles Cesena was overpaid $100 and has since repaid the district.
- Director Vicki Milledge owed the district $400 and has repaid it.
- There were questions over whether Director Christine Womack correctly billed the district for two meetings; the district attorney’s office found the billing was accurate.
- The DA’s Office found that former Director Michael Wright was overcompensated for a 2016 meeting and would have had to repay the district $50, had he not died in 2017.
Under California law and LOCSD bylaws, directors are permitted to receive compensation for attending meetings and other qualifying events, at a typical rate of $100 per meeting. However, a director may be compensated for only one meeting per day and is limited to a maximum of $600 per month, the news release states.
“Earlier this year the district determined that some board members had received more compensation than they were entitled to,” the district attorney said. “As a result, those members repaid what they owed.”
The DA’s office also concluded that “there is insufficient evidence to prove that they sought compensation knowing they were not entitled to it, or that they acted with the high level of recklessness necessary to establish criminal negligence.”
The DA’s office sent a letter to the district board Dec. 10 and admonished its directors to “personally familiarize themselves with the applicable laws to avoid possible prosecution for future violations.”
“Those who serve on elected or appointed boards and districts within San Luis Obispo County do so as a public service that requires them to give of their time and energy to lead our communities for very nominal financial compensation,” Dow wrote in the news release. “While I am grateful for their willingness to step forward and lead, it is important for each public official to remember that in conducting the public’s business, they are held to a high standard of conduct and scrutiny.”
