Appointee on El Rancho Unified’s Bond Committee, Fined $16,000 by FPPC, Managed Board VP Gabriel Orosco’s Campaign

Raul Merga was fined the maximum $16,000.

BY BRIAN HEWS

Raul Murga, who sits on the El Rancho Unified Bond Oversight Committee, has been fined $16,000 for campaign finance violations stemming from his failed Carson City Council campaign.

The Fair Political Practices Commission signed off on the “default proceeding” against Murga for failing to file semi-annual campaign reports between December 2016 and December 2018.

A default proceeding occurs when the person accused of violations fails to communicate with FPPC officials.

The revelation could cause increased scrutiny aimed at current ERUSD VP Gabriel Orosco; Murga managed Orosco’s ERUSD election campaign.

Murga, who was appointed in July of this year , offered a thin response, “I never heard of the FPPC investigation, I live out of state.”

Living out of state would be a violation of the Oversight Committee’s bylaws, Murga was appointed as an “active member of a bona fide taxpayer association,” and must live within ERUSD boundaries.

Murga is well-known for calling himself a criminal investigator and has been involved in several questionable political attacks on local politicians.

Murga was the executive director of Community for Truth in Politics – a Pico Rivera based political organization.

He went after several Pico Rivera politicians many times, backed by former council member David Armenta, but failed.

Sources told HMG- LCCN at the time that it was an effort by Murga and Armenta to gain a majority on the council and start handing out lucrative contracts.

When contacted by HMG-LCCN, resident John Albitre commented, “Raul Murga is definitely cut from the same cloth as Orozco, Lara and Ybarra.  No wonder they appointed such an unqualified person to their little committee.  These types infiltrate the community on the fringes by spewing negativity and hatred.  Pico Rivera has been terrorized by these hacks for too long and it’s about time one is caught and now being punished for being the true outcasts that they are.”