Firms agree to fines for improper donations

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Two more companies have agreed to pay fines to the state Campaign Spending Commission for making political donations that exceeded limits and were funneled through others.

KSF Inc. will pay $16,000 for making contributions that totaled $24,000 to former Gov. Ben Cayetano and $10,000 to Mayor Jeremy Harris, commission director Robert Watada said.

The money was given under the names of company employees, their relatives and friends, he said.

The legal limits for donations are $6,000 to a candidate for governor and $4,000 to a candidate for mayor. Dozens of companies have been fined over the past year for going over those amounts.

Akinaka and Associates agreed to pay an $8,000 fine for donating $13,000 to Harris and $7,500 to Cayetano, Watada said. The money was donated under the names of employees, he said.

An attorney for KSF could not be reached for comment, and Akinaka officials were not immediately available.

A much smaller fine went to a political action committee controlled by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1186, Watada said.

The union's Hawai'i Citizens Political Committee will pay $1,000 for donating $8,000 to Harris, he said. Union officials had no immediate comment late yesterday.

The campaign commission's five voting members are scheduled to decide Thursday whether to accept the fines to settle the three cases.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.