APOC hits Anchorage Assemblyman George Martinez with maximum fine over Florida junket

By SUZANNE DOWNING

June 13, 2026 – George Martinez came to Alaska from New York City’s activist scene, where he was with the Occupy Wall Street movement and other left-wing political causes. Today, the East Anchorage Assembly member finds himself on the receiving end of one of the stiffest campaign-finance penalties Alaska regulators can impose.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission has ordered Martinez to pay more than $5,300 after concluding he improperly used campaign funds for a quick trip to Florida and related “green travel” purchases, then repeatedly failed to provide convincing answers about how the spending was connected to his successful 2026 reelection campaign to the Anchorage Assembly.

In a final order released this week, APOC commissioners described Martinez’s conduct as significantly egregious and increased the penalties beyond those initially recommended by agency staff.

The decision grew out of a complaint filed earlier this year by Anchorage resident Vickie Clay, who alleged Martinez had used campaign money for personal benefit.

An investigation by APOC staff found that during his reelection campaign, Martinez spent $1,255 in campaign funds on a round-trip Alaska Airlines ticket to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The trip was described by investigators as an “out-and-back” journey with no clear connection to Anchorage municipal politics.

Martinez also spent another $1,000 in campaign funds on carbon-offset credits through a company that allows travelers to purchase credits intended to offset the estimated emissions generated by air travel.

The carbon-offset purchase came with an additional perk: According to APOC staff, Martinez received 1,500 status points in his personal Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account. Regulators concluded that the airline benefits constituted a personal gain resulting from campaign expenditures.

While Martinez properly disclosed the spending on campaign finance reports, APOC determined the expenditures themselves were not reasonably related to campaign activity and therefore violated Alaska campaign-finance laws.

Agency staff initially recommended that Martinez reimburse his campaign for the flight and carbon-offset purchases and pay matching penalties, bringing the total financial hit to approximately $4,500.

But commissioners were not satisfied with that recommendation.

During a public hearing, commissioners questioned whether the proposed penalties adequately reflected the seriousness of the violations and the damage done to public confidence in campaign-finance reporting. They ultimately voted to impose the maximum penalties allowed under state regulations, pushing the total amount owed to more than $5,300.

The commission’s final order was particularly critical of Martinez’s responses during the investigation.

According to APOC, Martinez repeatedly failed to provide documentation or evidence showing how the Florida trip advanced his Anchorage Assembly campaign. The order states that he “evaded staff’s requests for information” and did not adequately support his claim that the expenditures were campaign-related.

That finding appears to have played a significant role in the commissioners’ decision to increase the penalties beyond what staff originally proposed.

For Martinez, who won reelection this spring and has often positioned himself as a champion of transparency and progressive causes, the ruling represents an embarrassing rebuke from the state’s campaign-finance watchdog.

Assemblyman Martinez fined over campaign spending on Florida trip, carbon credits