Panel head to pay a fine

The San Bernardino County supervisor failed to list part of his income in state filings.

A San Bernardino County supervisor has agreed to pay a $6,000 fine for not disclosing part of his earnings in state filings.

The Fair Political Practices Commission’s enforcement staff has proposed to penalize board Chairman Robert Lovingood for failing to list income of $10,000 or more that he collected through his staffing businesses, a report on the commission’s website said.

Elected officials are required to disclose that information on statement of economic interest forms. By listing income and assets, as well as gifts, officials remain transparent and avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Lovingood, in his second term overseeing communities such as Hesperia and Apple Valley, runs staffing firms ICR Staffing Services and Industrial Commodity Recruiters. Those companies serve a variety of clients.

In 2013 and 2014, Lovingood failed to disclose income collected from more than half a dozen clients, including the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority and the cities of Hesperia and Victorville. In 2016, Lovingood amended the forms to include the omissions.

Lovingood said in the commission’s order that the violations were a misunderstanding. He believed he was required to disclose clients from whom he received net income of $10,000, instead of gross income, he said.

According to the state commission’s investigation, Lovingood voted on at least 42 matters involving nine of his staffing clients while sitting as county supervisor. However, the Enforcement Division did not find that Lovingood had a conflict of interest during the votes.