A Southern California lobbyist who built a client roster of small cities, fire districts and water agencies is facing accusations that he fabricated or wildly overstated the size of federal and state grants he claimed to have secured, according to officials in at least five cities and public agencies. Jaime Rojas, president of Rojas Public Affairs, told local boards he had landed tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding for bridges, fire engines, water pumps and park restorations. Several of those officials now say that money never existed, or that Rojas had no role in obtaining it at all.
The allegations were first detailed by the New York Post, which reported that Rojas claimed his firm secured $5 million in federal funds for infrastructure and community projects in Patterson, in exchange for a $5,000-per-month contract from the Phelan Piñon Hills Community Services District, where he spoke before the board in January 2025. The Post reported that Rojas separately claimed to have secured more than $90 million in state and federal funding across his various clients, and that he served as a board member of the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce and a former president of the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, credentials that helped him build trust with local governments.
Bishop Officials Say Bridge Funding Never Materialized
In the small Eastern Sierra city of Bishop, Rojas claimed he helped secure $1.25 million in federal funding for a bridge upgrade, according to the Post's reporting. City official Pam Foster said Bishop had no federal money for a bridge project at all, and the Post reported that the bridge funding request was never enacted. Rojas separately acknowledged that his proposal had incorrectly described the Bishop project as a bridge, when the firm was actually working on a $1.6 million federal funding request for public-safety equipment that was later reduced to $1.2 million.
Bishop paid Rojas roughly $2,500 per month, and municipal records show the City Council reviewed an updated advocacy proposal in August 2025 to maintain that $2,500 monthly retainer through the 2025–2026 fiscal year specifically to build state legislative relationships, according to City of Bishop records. Per the Post's account, Rojas had not secured state or federal funding for Bishop during the previous year.
Fire Districts and Water Agencies Also Named
The pattern extended to fire agencies. Rojas claimed he secured $1 million in federal funding for a San Miguel Fire District fire station and separately claimed $250,000 in federal funding for a fire engine, the station's report indicates. Andy Lawler said the district had not previously heard about Rojas's funding claim, and Rojas later admitted that neither San Miguel funding amount was enacted or received by the district.
Federal lobbying disclosures filed with the U.S. Senate in January 2026 show Rojas Public Affairs registered to lobby Congress for congressionally directed spending on behalf of public entities, including seeking earmarks for a new fire engine for the Bonita-Sunnyside Fire Protection District under H.R. 4552 and S. 2465, according to federal lobbying records. Board minutes from that same district show Rojas Public Affairs continued providing quarterly grant and legislative affairs reports to its board through at least April 2026, per district board minutes. Separately, the Chino Valley Independent Fire District's Legislative Committee formally reviewed state and federal advocacy proposals submitted by Rojas Public Affairs in November 2024, according to district agenda records.
At Monte Vista Water District, Rojas claimed he secured $3 million in federal earmarks for water pumps and pipes. Kelley Donaldson said Rojas did not obtain that $3 million and did not assist with the application, though the district did receive two federal earmarks totaling $2 million through other channels, the Post reported. Donaldson called Rojas's alleged overstatement of his federal funding role concerning.
Officials in South Gate, Hesperia Say They Never Worked With Him
Rojas claimed his firm secured $250,000 in federal funding for South Gate community initiatives and infrastructure, but Giselle Hernandez said South Gate officials had not previously heard of Rojas. Fernando Ulloa said he had never heard of or communicated with Rojas at all. At Hesperia Recreation and Park District, Rojas claimed he secured $2.4 million in state funding for park restoration, but Kelly Gregg said she was unaware of Rojas securing any such funding for the district.
Rojas also requested monthly payments of $3,425 from the Orange County Cemetery District and proposed a three-year contract tied to Gypsum Canyon Memorial Park and a planned state veterans cemetery in Orange County, according to the same reporting. He acknowledged that some of his proposals failed to distinguish between money that was merely requested or advanced and money that had actually been secured, and that his firm had given public agencies incorrect project descriptions or dollar amounts in multiple instances.
Legal Experts Say Conduct May Cross Into Fraud
Los Angeles-based legal expert Jessica Levinson said Rojas's conduct apparently crossed from business exaggeration into fraud. Attorney Ian Weiss said federal and California law forbid securing taxpayer contracts under false pretenses. Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo said relevant agencies should investigate whether Rojas committed fraud, calling the inflating or fabricating of achievements to win taxpayer money the actions of a high-end grifter.
Under the California False Claims Act, codified in Government Code sections 12650 through 12656, contractors who obtain government contracts or submit payment invoices using material false representations face civil penalties of up to $11,000 per claim plus treble damages, according to the California Department of Justice. Separately, California local government procurement guidelines treat deceptive statements made during contract solicitations as fraudulent inducement, which can allow public agencies to void agreements, halt retainer payments and pursue vendor debarment, per the Institute for Local Government.
California lobbyists are regulated under the Political Reform Act of 1974, which requires formal registration with the Secretary of State, mandatory ethics training and quarterly activity reports overseen by the Fair Political Practices Commission. Whether any of the agencies named will file formal complaints with the FPPC or with state or federal law enforcement remains an open question, as does whether Rojas's federal lobbying disclosures reflect the actual work performed or contain further discrepancies.
Rojas has also cultivated a national profile beyond his California client base. He was appointed in July 2026 to the Board of Directors of The Latino Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, according to the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce, and public marketing materials for his firm, Rojas Communications Group, have described him as a University of Southern California graduate who previously taught at USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy. The Post also reported that Rojas has said he once interned with Monica Lewinsky in the Clinton administration. Federal filings identify Rojas Public Affairs as operating under parent entity Rojas Communications Group, based in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
