By Tobias Young

A political action committee in support of Shelina Moreda for mayor appears to be in violation of campaign finance laws, according to records obtained by Petaluma Voice. Moreda’s own campaign also has yet to explain its lack of reporting expenses, despite having numerous signs, campaign materials, and campaign events.

After questions were raised with the City of Petaluma by Petaluma Voice and other parties, City Attorney Eric Danly put the Petalumans for Petaluma committee on notice on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, and said possible fines of $500 per violation may be imposed.

The committee failed to report its expenses in support of Moreda to the city, as required under Petaluma Municipal Code.

The committee appears to have violated a requirement to report large expenses within 24 hours. And it may be violating its registration as a “general purpose committee,” rather than a committee supporting various causes, because all of the money that has been reportedly spent by the committee has supported Moreda, instead of the threshold of 70 percent maximum in one city.

In the letter (scroll to the bottom), Danly also cited the Political Reform Act, which passed in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The Act requires campaigns and committees to disclose the receipts and expenditures of election campaigns so that voters may be fully informed and  lobbyists' activities may be regulated.

Candidates and committees are subject to rules around coordinated communication. Political action committees (also known as independent expenditure committees) cannot coordinate, cooperate, or consult on their spending with a candidate whom they either support or oppose, according to the Federal Election Commission and the Fair Political Practices Commission.

Danly warned the committee in his letter addressed to treasurer Magali Rivera about the possible fines, asking for cooperation in fixing the alleged violations.

In his letter, Danly notified the committee that each violation could cost up to $500. “The Sonoma County District Attorney is authorized to bring a civil action to recover penalties, enjoin violations, or otherwise compel compliance with the City's campaign finance requirements," he wrote. "Under Section 1.30.080(G) of the City’s Campaign Finance regulations, the District Attorney may also advise regarding remedial measures that may be taken to avoid possible civil action. We have not made a final determination that the Committee has violated Chapter 1.30 and are requesting that the Committee provide additional information, described below, to assist us.”

In the letter, Danly indicated that Rivera called the city on Oct. 29 and shared her intent to submit both a new filing and an update to one disclosure. Because the election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, he asked for her to submit that information by the close of business on Oct. 30.

Petaluma Voice reached out to Moreda by email on Oct. 20 to get further understanding about the lack of expenses or in-lieu contributions listed for campaign events, campaign materials, and signs. We did not get a reply. Many of the signs appear to be recycled from her unsuccessful bid for Sonoma County supervisor months prior to running for mayor, altered to change “supervisor” to “mayor,” but that does not appear to fully explain the lack of reported spending. 

Moreda has reported no expenses and only two debts adding up to $1,187, with a remaining $93 in debt unspecified.

Moreda reported 12 contributors, including herself. Notable contributors of $200 maximum include: columnist Harlan Osborne, Ettamarie Peterson (farmer and mother of council member Karen Nau), and Hunt & Behrens owner Dan Figone. See the full list in her campaign forms here.

Update 1:39 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2026:

Danly said he is in communication with the Sonoma County District Attorney's office about the alleged improprieties.

"We got a prompt response and serious engagement from the DA's office," he said. "And that's why we're informing them, too."

He said the timing of the potential improprieties days before an election results in a loss of the transparency to voters required by law.

"We can have penalties and fines, but that doesn't help in terms of informing the voters," Danly said.

He explained that he included members of the press in the letter to the Moreda PAC because Petaluma Voice and other media outlets have been inquiring about the potential violations and the press has an important role in informing voters.

He said it is an open question if any of the PAC money that paid for campaign help with the Moreda campaign is a violation of laws requiring PACs to be completely independent of candidates.

When asked if it may be a violation, he said "it could be, depending on the extent," such as is people were paid to work on the campaign.

Danly acknowledged that campaign finance laws are complicated, and the candidates running for council are basically volunteering in public service.

"We want to do the best job we can to help people achieve compliance, but in the end an informed electorate is the purpose of these laws," he said.

"There's a lot of important information that our press has questioned, and that's a good thing," he said. "I'm not trying to embarrass people or be unfair, they need a chance to comply. But there's a transparency piece that's important and time is short right now in the election cycle."

Update 2:39 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2026:

Moreda, a professional athlete, dairy farmer, and animal rescuer, believes many voices in the community aren’t being heard, according to her campaign site.

During Moreda’s initial campaign for the Sonoma County Supervisor District 2 seat, she told a Press Democrat reporter she was 38 and not her actual age of 44. She came in third in the June supervisorial primary, failing to make the Nov. 3 runoff between Joanna Paun and Sylvia Lemus.

A year ago, an ex-boyfriend of Moreda’s sought a temporary “domestic violence” restraining order after he alleged that Moreda stalked and threatened him, broke a window, and repeatedly sent him strings of texts in late 2025. Both parties later reached an agreement, and the restraining order was dropped in December.

PAC spending supporting Moreda

• Petalumans for Petaluma, based in Antelope, in Sacramento County, with Magali Rivera listed as a treasurer, was created as a “general purpose committee” that can be used for more than one candidate or cause.
  • Filed Oct. 22, 2026
  • Funders include $4,999 from Petaluma Horizons, LLC, backed by Angela DeCarli, who is the aunt of council member Alex DeCarli; $3,000 from Hunt & Behrens, Inc.; $4,999 from Morris Distributing, Inc.; and $4,999 from Henris Roofing Company.
  • As of Oct. 22 the PAC has raised $20,897 and spent $1,441, with a cash balance of $19,456.
  • A cumulative $1,003 in expenses were reported in support of Moreda's campaign, including $883 to Kerry Davison for campaign materials.
  • Note: This filing was not filed with the city, but with the County of Sonoma. You can find the committee's finance reports here: https://netfile.com/public/SON/campaign/filingsByFiler/217437424-Petalumans%20for%20Petaluma.

Read more about each mayoral candidates' campaign spending here.

Here is the letter from City Attorney Eric Danly, copied to Petaluma Voice Oct. 30 after questions were raised following the disclosure of the document last week:

Tobias Young is an editor and reporter at Petaluma Voice. He can be reached at tyoung@petalumavoice.org.

Jennifer Sawhney contributed to this story. She is a reporter and co-founder of Petaluma Voice. She can be reached at jsawhney@petalumavoice.org.