Jason Bean/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo takes his oath of office during his inauguration ceremony in the Carson City Community Center in Carson City, Nev., Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.
Sunday, July 2, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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The Nevada State Democratic Party is requesting records from Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office after the Republican last month vetoed a bill that would have required the disclosure of donors from the nonprofit that organized his post-election inauguration events.
In a copy of the records request obtained by the Sun, Democratic Party officials claim Lombardo’s camp established the nonprofit to prevent disclosing who contributed to the fund and how much. If the fund was established as part of a political action committee, donors would be disclosed as part of contribution filing requirements.
The nonprofit Nevada Inaugural Committee has since changed its name to the Service First Fund and has run attack ads against Democratic legislators to bolster support for some of Lombardo’s education bills. That raises doubts over who is benefiting from the money, Nevada State Democratic Party executive director Hilary Barrett wrote.
“Revelations that Gov. Lombardo established a dark-money group for his inaugural committee, breaking from a bipartisan tradition to disclose inaugural donors and spending, means that Nevadans are in the dark on what special interests have donated to the governor’s inaugural and who is potentially benefiting from that money,” Barrett wrote. “As Gov. Lombardo recklessly threatens budget vetoes and a shutdown of state government, it is more important than ever that there should be sunshine on who has been trying to buy influence with him via his inaugural committee.”
Lombardo on June 16 vetoed Senate Bill 60, which would have compelled candidates for Nevada’s six statewide executive offices to disclose PAC spending supporting their campaigns, and would have retroactively applied to committees and candidates — including three Democrats and three Republicans — involved in the 2022 midterms.
Elizabeth Ray, Lombardo’s communications director, said “it’s predictable that Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno, state chair of the Democrat party, is wasting government time and resources on this instead of funding charter schools ... all while wishing that she could legislate Nevada parents.”
Lombardo in his veto message said he blocked the bill in part because the new rules would not have applied to state legislators.
“Increasing fairness and transparency in government and elections is an important goal,” Lombardo wrote in his veto message. “That said, if transparency is truly a priority for the Legislature, it should pass legislation requiring disclosure of activities beyond a single office.”
As part of the records request, Democrats are seeking “any and all correspondence” since Jan. 2 — when Lombardo assumed office — between the governor, all employees within the governor’s office and members of the Service First Fund, as well as any internal communications specifically mentioning Senate Bill 60, the Service First Fund or the Nevada Inaugural Committee.
The Democrats are also requesting copies of Lombardo’s calendar for April, May and June. Under state law, any individual is allowed to file a public records request. Public bodies have five days to respond to the inquiry, but the public body subject to the request may ask for an extension to produce the records in question.
Service First Fund spokesperson John Burke called the measure a “blatantly unconstitutional bill and a nakedly partisan attempt to single out Service First Fund” by Democrats in control of both legislative chambers.
“As written, this bill would have only applied to our six constitutional offices while giving a pass to state legislators who benefit from similar organizations,” Burke wrote in an emailed statement to the Sun. "It’s another example of Democrat legislators pushing rules for thee and not for me.”
Senate Bill 60 quietly took shape in the final days of the legislative session after advancing through both legislative chambers as a measure aimed at streamlining mail ballot processes and general election administrative procedures.
It was heavily amended in a conference committee two days before the end of legislative session, where lawmakers from the state Senate and Assembly work to remove discrepancies in bills passed by each chamber.
By that time, many legislative rules had been suspended, and the amendment passed without public comment and questioning that normally occurs.
While Lombardo was noticeably outraised by Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak during the 2022 midterms, Las Vegas-based real estate mogul Robert Bigelow helped bankroll his campaign and close that gap. As first reported by the Sun, Bigelow donated over $50 million to PACs supporting Lombardo and other Republicans.
