Secretary of State Shemia Fagan on Monday released the contract for the consulting side job she took in February with an embattled cannabis company.
Under the lucrative contract, Fagan was paid $10,000 a month to help an affiliate of pot chain La Mota expand into other states and she could net $30,000 bonuses for helping the chain’s owners Rosa Cazares and Aaron Mitchell obtain licenses in any other states than Oregon and New Mexico, according to the contract.
In a statement, Fagan apologized and said she has terminated the contract.
Fagan earns $77,000 annually for her full-time job as secretary of state. In addition to the pot company contract, Fagan teaches at class at Willamette University. Willamette Week first reported Fagan’s contract with La Mota affiliate company Veriede Holding LLC on Thursday.
The secretary of state oversees audits of government and last week, state auditors who report to Fagan released an audit that argued for Oregon marijuana regulators to loosen rules to help the industry. According to reporting by Willamette Week, the state is already much easier on pot companies than neighboring Washington where recreational marijuana is also legal. Specifically, Oregon allowed the La Mota dispensary chain to expand even though it owed millions of dollars in federal income and state cannabis taxes, faced numerous workplace complaints and had other problems.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
— Hillary Borrud
