Seven additional criminal charges have been filed in the case against Lompoc City Councilmember Stephen Bridge, pushing the total allegations to 15 including misappropriation of public funds, forgery, grand theft and more. 

On Wednesday morning, Lompoc Superior Court Judge Stephen Dunkle agreed to allow the prosecuting attorney to file an amended complaint that revised and added charges.

Attorneys also confirmed the preliminary hearing, estimated to last four hours, would take place March 19.

Bridge, 74, was not present for Wednesday’s brief proceeding but will be there for the preliminary hearing,  his defense attorney Michael Scott said. 

In November, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging Bridge with four felony counts of forgery and two felony counts of grand theft of personal property. The complaint identified the victim as the City of Lompoc in the amounts of $5,076.66 and $4,917. 

Bridge also initially was charged with fraudulent use of a contractor’s license number and identify theft related to a contractor’s license assigned to Turner and Associates. 

The alleged crimes occurred between February 2024 and September 2025, with incidents taking place six months longer than mentioned in the original criminal complaint.

The amended complaint accused Bridge of 10 felony charges including three counts of forgery, two counts of grand theft, two counts of misappropriation of public funds, fraudulent use of a contractors’ license number, identify theft, and presentation of a fraudulent claim. 

The misappropriation of public funds alleged occurred in February 2025 and September 2025, just months after Bridge joined the City Council in December 2024.

Additionally, the complaint includes five misdemeanor charges — petty theft plus two counts of contracting without a license and two counts of failure to secure workers compensation insurance by an unlicensed contractor. 

The criminal complaint contends Bridge submitted invoices purportedly from Turner Construction to the Lompoc Independent Order of Odd Fellows organization; Certain Sparks, a business involving Bridge and his family; and BBES, which apparently stands for Bridge Business and Entrepreneur Services.

The invoices listed a contractor’s license number of 592178 that expired in 1994 for a firm known as Turner and Associates, according to state records.

In June 2025, Bridge submitted an invoice to the Lompoc Water Leak Detection and Repair Rebate Application, attaching an invoice “purportedly from Turner Construction with a purported contractors license number of 592178,” the criminal complaint said.

The city’s website instructs applicants to submit the leak rebate application “to your plumber or licensed contractor prior to beginning leak detection or repair work to ensure all requirements are met. Water leak detection and repair projects may require city building permits.”

The maximum rebate available is $1,000, according to the city’s website. A related website says the maximum rebate is $900 for materials and labor costs related to the repairs.

Some of the criminal offenses filed against Bridge fall under Penal Code while others are violations of the Business and Professions Code.

Information from the defendant led to the request to amend the complaint, Senior Deputy District Attorney Brian Cota wrote in the motion to amend. 

That information included three sworn declarations with the additional material supporting the new charges, Cota added.

Bridge, who represents District 1, the northern areas of Lompoc, has served on the City Council for about a year after winning a four-year term in the November 2024 election, when he faced one challenger.

He continues to serve on the City Council while the case moves through the court system.