Ramos late on reporting $10,000 payment to wife

SAN BERNARDINO • Nearly nine months after he filed his statement of economic interest, San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos amended his disclosure form to show his campaign paid $10,000 to his wife in 2008.

In a statement Thursday, Ramos said he updated his economic statement at the request of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the state’s bipartisan campaign watchdog.

The Friends of Mike Ramos campaign committee paid $10,000 to the wife of Ramos, Gretchen Ramos, for “campaign services” between January and June 2008, according to the committee’s Form 460 filed July 31, 2008.

But Michael Ramos failed to report the $10,000 payment toward his spouse’s income — required by California reporting law — on his Form 700 income disclosure document, which covered 2008. He originally filed that form Feb. 9.

“We’ve not yet made a determination of whether we’ll investigate,” said Roman Porter, spokesman for the FPPC, which received a complaint regarding the possible reporting violation last week. The organization has 14 days from receiving a complaint to decide how to proceed, with the authority to fine officials up to $5,000 per violation, according to Porter.

“I regret the error made here,” Michael Ramos said in a statement, in which he attributed the omission to a “misinterpretation” of disclosure requirements.

For the full story, read Friday's edition of the Daily Press. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755 or click here.