Dr. Flojaune Cofer's impressive fundraising was legal, city commission finds
People-powered mayoral campaign builds momentum off attacks
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento mayoral candidate Dr. Flojaune Cofer followed the law in raising nearly $160,000 – more than all of her opponents combined – from almost 1,000 individual contributions between April and June of this year, according to a unanimous ruling by the City of Sacramento Ethics Commission on Monday.
This win ends the latest round of vicious attacks against her. Dr. Cofer has built a grassroots following as a progressive fighter working to make the government serve everyday people. Her complainant, political consultant Steven Maviglio, has represented corporate executives against striking workers, and real estate interests over California renters.
Maviglio filed an ethics complaint against Cofer in August alleging she raised too much money, violating campaign contribution limits. He then enlisted a law firm and threatened to sue Cofer, pressured her to drop out of the race, and threatened criminal charges.
“Our reading of the law is unassailable; we are in compliance with it,” said Dr. Cofer in her statement to the commission. “In fact, if there is any confusion – understandable or otherwise – it belongs to Mr. Maviglio and the other candidates.”
Campaign attorney Jon Ivy methodically explained how the campaign properly interpreted the city’s jumbled ordinances. He also highlighted Maviglio’s troubling history of harassment and unethical politics in his presentation to the commission.
"The unanimous decision from the commission confirms that Sacramento doesn't tolerate racism, misogyny, and baseless attacks that abuse our political process and undermine our democracy," said Ivy after the ruling.
The Cofer campaign affirms this win as proof that Sacramento’s people-powered movement for change is organized, smart, and mobilizing toward a future in City Hall. As volunteer numbers keep growing, they are undaunted by attacks from the political establishment.
During the hearing, Cofer described being proud of running her first campaign “while rejecting money from corporate interests that I believe corrode our politics. Instead, we have raised the vast majority of our funds from over one-thousand small donors like teachers, nurses, and state workers.”
Support Dr. Cofer’s grassroots campaign by donating at: floformayor.com/donate.
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Contact: Dave Kempa: (916) 245-0355, info@FloforMayor.com
