COMPTON – The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has confirmed receipt of a complaint filed against a member of the Compton City Council over their use of the City’s credit card.
The complaint is dated Dec. 3 and follows the release of all of the City’s credit card statements for the 2025 calendar year.
“I am submitting this formal complaint to request that the Public Integrity Unit investigate Compton City Council Member Andre Spicer for the alleged illegal misuse of both a city-issued credit card (Cal-Card) and his mayoral campaign funds,” wrote the complaintant. “These actions constitute a potential Gift of Public Funds, Official Misconduct, and violations of state campaign finance laws.”
The Compton City Council adopted a resolution in December 2024 which authorized City Manager Willie Hopkins to establish the Cal-Cards with a section included that expressly detailed how the cards would be stored and provided to the councilmembers for their use.
“Council Member Spicer was issued a city Purchasing Card through the state of California’s Cal Card Program. The City of Compton’s policy (specifically Resolution 26,169, Section 6) explicitly restricts elected officials’ use of this card for “travel and training use only.”
Compton residents attend the weekly city council meetings berating Spicer for his spending of taxpayers money and not adhering to the guidelines of its usage.
Spicer responded by posting a video of himself explaining that a charge for nearly $1500 was for the travel expenses of a local rapper to attend an event he was hosting.
In response to community uproar, City Manager Willie Hopkins cancelled all of the credit cards on the Cal-Card account.
Compton officials have a history of misappropriating public funds and was put on notice by the district attorney’s office in Aug. 2015, when they were found to have been illegally inflating their salaries without voter approval.
The Spicer for Mayor 2026 campaign reported receiving a $90,000 campaign contribution from Dr. Dre (Andre Young) in March 2023.
According to the campaign’s financial disclosures, Spicer paid himself $6,000 out of the funds for consulting, photography, and fundraising costs.
According to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) which enforces campaign finance laws and candidates reporting annual statements of economic interests (Form 700’s) candidates are not allowed to pay themselves.
2 Urban Girls contacted the FPPC and asked if candidates paying themselves as consultants is allowable.
Jay Wierenga, communications director for the FPPC, provided links to the FPPC Campaign Manual, Chapter 6.12, which addresses what is/isn’t allowed in terms of the use of campaign funds.
“The candidate or officeholder, or any individual authorized to approve the committee’s expenditures, may not receive a salary or other compensation from the committee for the performance of political, legislative, or governmental activities,” “However, the committee may pay for professional services such as an accountant or treasurer, even if the accountant or treasurer has the authority to sign committee checks.”
Former Compton Councilman Isaac Galvan, who Spicer replaced, was fined $240,000 by the FPPC for misuse of his campaign funds between 2013 and 2017.
The district attorney’s office spokesperson responded to a media inquiry about the Dec. 3 complaint and confirmed the matter is under review by its office.
The City has declined to respond to multiple requests for comment on the matter.
