San Joaquin supervisor's car wash paid to clean county cars
Several times a month, staff at the San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office take their work vehicles to Canepa’s: a longstanding Stockton car wash belonging to first-term county supervisor Paul Canepa and his family.
The staff spend $12 per wash — $60 to $120 a month — at the drive-through before two or three Canepa’s employees dry the cars, according to a statement by the medical examiner's office.
Last year’s washes came to about $1,700, the statement said.
“(Canepa’s Car Wash) can turn off the top spin unit that can knock off the spotlight (on the investigator cars),” the statement said. “So that is very helpful for the integrity of our cars.”
“Canepa’s was the only vendor willing to meet the cleaning criteria they were looking for,” county spokesperson Hilary Crowley said Thursday.
In May, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to allow the medical examiner’s office to use the District 2 representative's car wash for up to $200,000 in services the coming fiscal year, without having to go through further board votes.
The approach, known as “contract authority,” is part of a policy the board adopted in 2018 to streamline the process of buying professional services, board documents show.
The May vote gave various county departments permission to do similar deals with hundreds of other companies — subject to various dollar limits under $200,000, board documents show.
In California, any overlap between officials' private businesses and public duties — including situations like Canepa's — are governed by the Political Reform Act.
Under the act, to avoid conflicts of interest, officials must not vote on or influence decisions that would significantly impact their financial interests.
In an emailed statement Friday, Canepa said he’s taking steps to avoid any conflicts.
“Although I have not received any compensation from Canepa Car Wash (which is held in a family trust) since assuming my role as a San Joaquin County Supervisor and do not engage in its day-to-day operations, I understand the importance of avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest,” he said.
Before taking office in January, Canepa was a Stockton city councilmember for eight years.
“I will be consulting with subject matter experts to ensure that all necessary steps are taken now and in the future to maintain transparency and integrity,” he said.
The standards for what counts as a conflict of interest under the law are intricate. In general, officials must typically avoid decisions impacting any business where they hold a leadership role, or have invested $2,000 or more, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission, California's government ethics watchdog.
Canepa is president of Canepa’s Car Wash, and made between $10,000 and $100,000 from the business in the 12 months before he took office in January, according to his statement of economic interest.
In addition to saying he hasn't received income from Canepa's since taking office, the supervisor stated he did not participate in the May vote.
Canepa was absent from the meeting due to a family event, he said. A board of supervisors spokesperson confirmed his absence.
When an official is present for a decision they have a conflict on, the law says they must publicly describe whatever business or financial tie caused the conflict and leave the room during the decision.
“I was unaware of this item (about the car wash) until your inquiry brought it to my attention,” Canepa said.
Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers government accountability. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin supervisor Canepa's car wash paid to clean county cars