Charlie Brown's 4th Congressional District campaign has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over robocalls made by opponent Tom McClintock that appear to have lacked a required "paid-for" disclaimer.

The campaign filed the complaint Thursday, after receiving reports from two district voters who had answering machine messages with the robocalls that lacked the disclaimers. Brown's own Roseville campaign office received one of the robocalls, also missing a disclaimer, a week ago.

"Charlie is committed to cleaning up Washington -- and that starts with cleaning up the questionable conduct that has become all too commonplace in political campaigns," said Todd Stenhouse, Brown's campaign manager, in a press release. "If Tom is unwilling to honestly engage voters and play by the rules, he shouldn't have entered the race."

The robocalls came after Brown earlier called on McClintock to stop using them during the last weeks of the campaign. McClintock campaign officials said at the time that they wouldn't share campaign strategy.

Bill George, a spokesman for McClintock's (R-Thousand Oaks) campaign, called the complaint a desperate attempt at distraction.

"This is a desperate ploy in Charlie Brown's continuing campaign to avoid telling the voters he is a liberal Democrat who supports massive government spending, says life begins ‘at birth,' and is opposed to Prop 8 and Prop 4," George said in an e-mail statement to PolitickerCA.com.

McClintock's campaign has also provided media with a recording of the robocall - which features McClintock's voice -- that includes a "paid for by McClintock for Congress" disclaimer. Neither campaign has explained the discrepancy between the two recordings.

Robocalls themselves are illegal under state utilities law, though state officials last prosecuted a robocall violation in 2004.

The list of FEC regulations does not specify a penalty for failing to include a disclaimer. It is unlikely the commission would have any ruling on the robocalls before Tuesday's election.

ELSEWHERE on PolitickerCA.com:

• New McClintock poll shows him leading Brown 49-40
• NRCC paying for new McClintock ad in CA-04
• McClintock attacks Brown on spending, media usage