Quick Take
The California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty for allegedly failing to file statements of economic interests, associated with his adviser role at the City of San Jose Mayor’s Office. Coonerty said the issue goes back to an error at the San Jose city clerk’s office and has since been resolved.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is investigating Santa Cruz mayoral candidate Ryan Coonerty for allegedly failing to file his Form 700s, or statements of economic interests, associated with his advisor role at the City of San Jose Mayor’s Office. However, Coonerty said that the probe largely stems from an error that occurred at the San Jose city clerk’s office, and that it has fixed the problem.
The complaint, filed by Santa Cruz resident David Moore, alleges that Coonerty did not file a leaving office statement of economic interest within the required 30 days of leaving his temporary position on June 30, 2024, and also did not file an assuming office statement of economic interest within 30 days of assuming the role again on Aug. 5, 2024.
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Moore told Lookout that he does not support Coonerty for mayor, and views the alleged failure to file the forms as a lack of transparency and a potential conflict of interest.
“I am concerned about government surveillance, and I’m concerned that if Ryan Coonerty gets in a position of authority in Santa Cruz again, that he might bring back either [automated license-plate readers] or whatever the next government surveillance that’s going to come along,” he said.
In an email sent to the FPPC, Coonerty said that he has consistently filed “timely and complete” statements of economic interests, and that this complaint comes from a required one-month separation between temporary appointments. He returned to the same position and remained in the city’s personnel system, per his email. He added that there was never any intent to avoid disclosure or conceal economic interests, and that his annual Form 700s were accurately disclosed, and did not show changes in reportable interests.
The email reads that he contacted the San Jose city clerk’s office to understand what happened, to which the office said that staff failed to enter Coonerty into the electronic system in time for him to file within 30 days, and when he was rehired, staff did not trigger the assuming office notification because he was still in the system from the previous employment period. This caused him to not receive automated reminders of the need to file the forms.
“Although I understand that the filing obligation ultimately rests with me, the City Clerk’s review confirmed that the normal electronic filing triggers and reminder processes were not activated during this transition,” Coonerty wrote. “Given the absence of any intent to conceal information, the continuous public availability of my annual disclosures, no changes in reportable interests, and the administrative circumstances confirmed by the City Clerk. I respectfully request that the Commission resolve this matter without further action.”
Coonerty told Lookout that once the city clerk entered him into the system, he filed the forms within hours. They are now available for public viewing.
The primary election is on June 2.
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