Lynn Schenk's Trip to Spain Questioned

La Jolla’s Lynn Schenk, the ex–Democratic congressmember and former aide to Jerry Brown who was written up last month in the Los Angeles Times for allegedly taking a questionable foreign trip in conjunction with her role as a member of the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority, has gotten a letter from the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission. “The Fair Political Practices Commission has initiated an investigation of allegations that as a member of the California High Speed Rail Authority, you violated the Political Reform Act’s limitation on the receipt of gifts provisions,” says an October 29 letter to Schenk from commission executive director Roman Porter. “At this time, we have not made any determination about the allegation(s). We are simply providing you with this information as a courtesy and may be contacting you again to discuss this matter.” Schenk told the Times she wasn’t required to disclose the trip to Spain as a gift and that “she has a policy of not accepting personal gifts and used her airline miles for air fare.” The Times reported that the authority could not account for sponsorship of many of the freebies.