Janitors who vouched for Ref Rodriguez in school board race are named in his money-laundering case

Kathy Feng, executive director of California Common Cause, an ethics watchdog group, said employee donors are worrisome. "There's been a long history of coercion of employees to take political positions or make donations at the direction of their employers," Feng said. "There is a power relationship. A staff person might feel compelled to donate regardless of how they might feel personally about a candidate or a campaign."