Fullerton City Council candidate Scott Markowitz pleads guilty to election code violation – Orange County Register

Fullerton City Council District 4 candidate Scott Markowitz pleaded guilty Monday (Oct. 21) to violating California election law by filing a false affidavit, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Last week, DA investigators arrested Markowitz and charged him with two felonies related to falsifying application materials. Criminal charges against Markowitz were dropped, according to court records.

Markowitz pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count and will receive one day in jail, one year of probation and 160 hours of community service.

Candidates for Fullerton City Council must obtain 20 signatures on nomination materials to qualify for the ballot. Anyone over the age of 18 may circulate application materials, but the person who signs the filing materials attesting to being the person who did the circulation must be the same person who witnessed the signatures in person .

DA investigators said Markowitz did not personally witness all of the signatures on his application materials, although he attested that he personally witnessed them.

Markowitz, nor the attorney named as his representative, could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

Ballots with Markowitz’s name as a candidate have already been mailed to Fullerton voters. He is one of four candidates vying for the District Four seat; Vivian “Kitty” Jaramillo, Jamie Valencia and Linda Whitaker are also on the ballot.

This is a developing story and will be updated. Check back soon for more details.