Why this matters
A state law aiming to keep people from being able to “pay to play” in politics is affecting Oceanside politics.
An Oceanside City Councilmember said he returned part of two campaign donations that appeared to violate a state law designed to reduce political pay-to-play in California.
Councilmember Rick Robinson received $1,000 from Dustin Campbell and $1,000 from his wife Molly Campbell in October and then voted in May to approve a conditional use permit for growing cannabis on Campbell’s property.
California’s Levine Act prohibits elected officials and public agency officers from accepting more than $500 from parties with an active application with the city, and from voting on any contract, license, permit or other entitlement within 12 months of accepting the money.
Robinson and Campbell told inewsource Tuesday that Robinson returned half of each of the Campbell’s donations in July – too late to avoid a violation. Robinson said he only realized that after he received a public records request for documents for related materials from Ricky James, who is one of four challengers running to replace Robinson on the City Council.
The return happened outside of a 30-day window required by law for contributions tied to active applications and City Council votes. Robinson said the donation return would show up on the next required financial disclosure.
“I should have known to make that disclosure, and I didn’t,” Robinson said. “I didn’t know, it wasn’t on my radar, I didn’t put two and two together. It was an unintentional mistake.”
James also submitted a complaint about Robinson to the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Robinson said he turned everything pertinent over to the independent political watchdog agency.
He declined to provide inewsource any documentation, including anything showing he’d returned the money, until the investigation closed.
Robinson said that he did know about the Levine Act.
He said the donation “wasn’t consciously in my mind.”
‘I’ve done all that I can’
Emails spanning over a year before the vote show the applicants going back and forth with staff about the project, frequently copying Robinson and his aide. In the month prior to the City Council public hearing, Campbell repeatedly asked Robinson for help speeding up the permitting process for Campbell’s property.
In September 2025, a month prior to the donation, Robinson wrote: “My role is and has been to facilitate a discussion with staff and to help move through the process.” In April, a month prior to the vote, he said he had done “all I can.”
Campbell lives in Encinitas but owns the agricultural land in Robinson’s district in Oceanside.
He donated $250 to Robinson for his 2022 campaign as well, but not to other councilmembers. When pursuing the conditional use permit, Campbell said he started out by emailing all of the councilmembers.
Campbell’s application for the conditional use permit began prior to his campaign contribution. In February 2025, he wrote the city requesting approval of the permit for his property.
He asked the city to allow a company that leased his company to grow hemp to be permitted to grow cannabis instead.
The emails show Campbell and applicant Duane DeLarco going back and forth with staff about components of the permit, particularly Oceanside’s rules about odor control. Campbell said the process of getting the approval through the city was taking longer than anticipated, and he was getting frustrated.
Oceanside’s planning commission unanimously approved the project in March but in April when it still wasn’t on the City Council agenda, Campbell wrote Robinson: “I know you’re very busy but anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.”
Robinson replied, “I have asked about the project, I too don’t know why. I think it may be too late to add something to the agenda but I will ask again.”
“I have done all I can,” Robinson said in another email.
Robinson said that helping people move through the city bureaucracy is typical for him, and he often responds to emails from constituents and goes through the city manager’s office for help.
But he said he should have recognized this conflict.
Campbell said he “had no idea” he couldn’t donate to Robinson without such implications.
“I didn’t think anything of it,” he said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it.”
Jim Sutton, a San Francisco-based election law lawyer, said the situation did seem like a violation of the law, but thought the issue was with the law itself. He called the Levine Act “ridiculous” and a “trap for the unwary.” Sutton said he didn’t think many councilmembers know about the details of the law.
The Fair Political Practices Commission has received 282 allegations of violating the law, and acted on 28 of them, said communications director Shery Yang.
In May 2026, just six months after Campbell’s donation, the City Council unanimously voted to approve the conditional use permit.
It allows for 25 existing hoop houses – structures that protect plants from the elements – that are currently used for industrial hemp to be used to grow cannabis, with no growing outside of the hoop houses. The permit required a negative air pressure system to control the odor.
In the public hearing, council members were asked to disclose any conflicts.
Robinson and Councilmember Peter Weiss both answered “staff and applicant” without elaborating. Mayor Esther Sanchez and Councilmember Jimmy Figueroa said “staff.” Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce said “staff” and said that he had attended the planning commission meeting.
