StanCOG scandal explained: Luxury travel, criminal probe and $600,000 in cashouts
A new civil grand jury report alleges three top executives at the Stanislaus Council of Governments cashed out $595,000 in unused vacation time between 2021 and 2025. The findings expand on an earlier scandal that led to the firing of the agency’s executive director. Here are frequently asked questions to help you better understand the scandal and its repercussions on taxpayers in Stanislaus County.
Original reporting by Ken Carlson:
StanCOG board puts embattled director on leave at $25,000 a month. 5 dissented
DA investigates possible criminal charges against former Stanislaus agency director
New report tallies $595,000 in vacation cashouts for executives at Stanislaus agency
What is StanCOG, and why is it at the center of a financial scandal?
The Stanislaus Council of Governments is a regional transportation planning agency that distributes government funding to Stanislaus County and its nine cities, including roughly $40 million collected annually through the Measure L sales tax.
Despite being the smallest of seven councils of governments in the Central Valley — with only 14 employees — it became the focus of a sweeping public corruption investigation after a Stanislaus County civil grand jury report last year accused then-Executive Director Rosa De Leon Park of lavish spending on luxury rental cars, first-class flights, luxury hotels and other purchases billed to taxpayers.
A follow-up grand jury report in June revealed even deeper financial abuses, including nearly $600,000 in unauthorized vacation cashouts paid to Park and two other top executives.
What specific spending abuses were alleged against Park?
The grand jury’s findings showed a wide-ranging misuse of public funds across multiple categories.
Park allegedly spent more than $100,000 on rental cars over three years — most of them luxury vehicles — and charged first-class airline tickets and luxury hotel stays to taxpayers.
A review of her government-issued credit card uncovered purchases of personal items, including a $560 Tumi suitcase, and 62 transactions without receipts.
On top of the travel and credit card abuses, the grand jury found that Park and two other top executives quietly manipulated vacation policy to generate $595,000 in cash payouts — collectively taking only 8.4 vacation days over nearly five years while cashing out the rest.
How did the Policy Board respond when the scandal broke, and what happened to Park?
When the initial grand jury report was released in 2025, the Policy Board voted 11-5 to place Park on paid administrative leave at $25,000 per month — a decision that drew sharp criticism from the five dissenting members, who argued the pay was unjustified.
The board voted 9-0 to terminate Park in August. An independent investigation by a Sacramento law firm later confirmed the grand jury’s findings.
In September, the board voted to stop the unauthorized vacation accruals, and by April had placed a cap on accrued vacation hours and required nonmanagement employees to use at least one week of vacation before converting any unused time to cash.
Was Park’s overall compensation out of line with comparable agencies?
Yes, significantly so. According to the grand jury, Park’s total compensation reached $484,156 in 2022 — comprising a base salary of $246,553, $71,447 in other pay, and $166,156 in benefits — which was $138,000 higher than the top executive at the Sacramento Council of Governments.
The Sacramento agency oversees 31 member jurisdictions compared to StanCOG’s 17 and manages a budget twice as large.
Park’s compensation topped the list among all seven Central Valley Councils of Governments, even though StanCOG is the smallest of the group.
The changes to vacation policy compounded the problem further: in 2021, the board approved revisions allowing employees to receive five weeks of annual vacation after just 12 years of service — down from 21 years — but the written details were kept out of meeting agenda materials, preventing any public scrutiny of the added expense.
What are the legal consequences and what reforms have been recommended?
The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office is conducting a criminal investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds by Park, with District Attorney Jeff Laugero confirming the complaint is active while declining to provide further details.
On the structural reform side, the grand jury recommended abolishing the position of executive director entirely, in favor of an operations officer and a separate information officer. It also called for the restoration of outside financial oversight — reforms that policy board member and county Supervisor Terry Withrow said the agency has already begun to address.
This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM.