California Mayor Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor in Election Case

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Rancho Santa Margarita Mayor Carol Gamble pleaded guilty Friday as expected to a misdemeanor charge related to her nominating petitions and was ordered to perform 160 hours of community service. Gamble turned in nominating petitions for her reelection to the City Council that violated the law because she did not personally witness the signatures, prosecutors said. If she is reelected Tuesday, she cannot take office and the city will have to hold a special election, prosecutors said. Her attorney, Paul Meyer, characterized the situation as a mistake and said she immediately agreed to cooperate with law enforcement. “As soon as she learned of the error, she contacted the city to correct it,” he added. “The law did not allow a correction. She consulted two expert election attorneys who confirmed that the law does not permit correction at that time. She had her lawyer notify the [District Attorney’s Office] of her decision to admit the mistake and to resign if elected.”...