Assemblyman Gray paid $300 for "appearance" in mayoral race

A Merced political curiosity or just the Adam Family at work?
During the Sept.-Oct. 2013 campaign-finance reporting period, Merced mayoral candidate Noah Lor reported an expenditure of $300 for an “appearance” by state Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced.
Is this legal?
The  state Fair Political Practices Commission did not return our call today. Rummaging through FPPC regulations we came across a section that appears to prohibit state legislators from accepting “honoraria” for “attendences.”
We do not intend to practice election law without a license. On the other hand, for a Democratic Party state assemblyman to accept $300 to make an appearance on behalf of a candidate in a local, non-partisan election in our minds raises serious issues about Gray’s judgment.
Or perhaps we are actually talking about the judgment of his uncle, Robin Adam, said to be his half-time chief of staff and full-time political advisor. Or, perhaps we are talking about the judgment of his mother, Candice Adam Medifind, who currently heads a local non-profit with deep connections to the Hmong community, including former Councilman Lor,
Or would this be something dreamed up by Gray’s wife, Cadee,  former Rep. Gary Condit’s daughter, or her nephew, Chance Condit, a member of Gray’s staff?
Admittedly, with all this brain power around him, it is difficult to see how Gray could have done something quite this tacky. All we can guess is that it must be hard times for a freshman assemblyman only paid $95,000 a year (plus some cadillac perks), what with the new wife and the baby from Colorado. -- blj