Migden sues fair practices group

SACRAMENTO — State Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) has sued the state political ethics watchdog agency, challenging its warning that she cannot legally tap $647,000 in surplus money from past campaigns to help her reelection effort this year, officials said Tuesday.

Her lawsuit in federal court seeks a ruling that the state Fair Political Practices Commission’s ban on the use of some surplus funds from past campaigns is an unconstitutional violation of free-speech rights.

The FPPC is already investigating allegations, filed by a political rival of Migden, that she violated campaign finance rules. On Tuesday, commission Chairman Ross Johnson angrily disputed the senator’s argument.

“Sen. Carole Migden wants to spend more than $1 million on her campaign that she’s not legally entitled to spend; in fact, she’s apparently already spent nearly $400,000,” Johnson said. “Migden wants to bully the FPPC and distract our staff from their investigations into her campaigns. We intend to enforce the law. Sen. Migden will not deter us.”