Conservative OC School Board Trustee Sued by Newport Beach Judge

Conservative OC School Board Trustee Sued by Newport Beach Judge

Conservative OC School Board Trustee Sued by Newport Beach Judge


An Orange County Board of Education Trustee allegedly failed to disclose as much as $14 million in income and business interests since her election and a retired bankruptcy judge has sued.

Mari Barke became a school board trustee in 2018 and federal judge Lynn Riddle complained in a lawsuit that since then, Barke has only reported $99 worth of income, business interests, investments and gifts.

The lawsuit states that in one instance, Barke’s amended 2019 Annual Form 700 disclosed income, investments, business positions, and real property holdings of at least $3,310,001 none of which had been timely disclosed on her original 2019 Annual Form 700.

“Her employment and compensation was required to have been, but was not, disclosed to the public,” wrote Attorney Lee Fink in the Aug. 25 complaint. “The public was deprived of—at the very least—the fact that she received income within the 12 prior months from a conservative think tank whose mission is to influence education policymakers such as Defendant herself.”

Barke declined to comment on pending litigation.

Related: Mari Barke comments on school voucher defeat

Form 700 is created by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (CFPPC) to disclose specific categories of personal financial interests.

Attorney Jamie Wright of The Wright Law Firm

Attorney Jamie Wright of The Wright Law Firm

“The reason is that some financial interests can impact the nature of the elected official’s decisions,” said Attorney Jamie Wright. “They have to publicly disclose those for investigation purposes to ensure that the elected official does not make decisions based on their financial interests and/or recuse themselves from decisions that may impact them financially.”

Wright is surprised that Riddle would bother to take legal action against an elected official for failing to disclose income and assets.

Prior to being appoint by the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1988 to the Central District of California bench as a bankruptcy judge, Riddle was appointed by the AFL-CIO office in Washington D.C. to act for three months as its election protection coordinator for Oregon during the 2004 presidential election.

“This failure to disclose does not necessarily have a direct impact on Judge Riddle, so it is interesting,” she said. “This is unprecedented.”

While Riddle, from Newport Beach, according to Martindale.com, Barke is listed as a team member of The Unity Project, which advocates for medical freedom and parental rights. Barke is endorsed by the Orange County Lincoln Club, the Orange County Republican Party and the California Republican Assembly.

On February 8, 2023, Riddle sent a letter to the Orange County District Attorney, requesting that the District Attorney lodge a civil action against Barke to enforce the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Act but the OC District Attorney has yet to bring a civil action against Barke.

The Orange County District Attorney did not reply to requests for comment.

Wright, founder of The Wright Law Firm, blames the failure on a possible lack of resources.

“The OC DA may not have the time and resources for available prosecutors to bring this type of action,” she said. “Further, we must determine the depth of Mari Barke’s relationships within the DA’s office. We need further comment from the DA as to why there has been no action taken, or else we will continue not to know.”

Juliette Fairley
Juliette Fairley

Juliette Fairley covers legal topics for various publications including the Southern California Record, the Epoch Times and Pacer Monitor-News. Prior to discovering she had an ease and facility for law, Juliette lived in Orange County and Los Angeles where she pursued acting in television and film.

Join Our Newsletter

Stay up to date with our latest news and updates.


    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Join our private Facebook Group and

    ask local lawyers a question