Political Ethics Reform

Streamlines the process for amending the Political Reform Act by eliminating FPPC distribution requirements. Requires proposed amendments to be printed, distributed to legislators, and published online. Maintains existing 8-day notice period before legislative votes on amendments.

Undeveloped "intent bill" that aims to make future changes to California's Political Reform Act of 1974.

Exempts officials from reporting charitable or governmental payments raised through public appeals over $5,000. Requires continued reporting if payments could financially benefit the official or their family. Defines public appeals as messages via TV, radio, billboards, online platforms, or speeches to 100+ people.

Prohibits legislators from using nondisclosure agreements in the legislative process to increase transparency. Voids all legislative nondisclosure agreements created after the bill takes effect. Allows exceptions for agreements that only protect trade secrets and proprietary business information. Violations of these restrictions are punishable as criminal offenses.

Requires public officials to disclose accepted job offers and prospective employment arrangements. Mandates disclosure of new job arrangements within 30 days of assuming or leaving public office. Establishes specific reporting requirements including employer details and acceptance date of job offers. Creates criminal penalties for failing to disclose prospective employment arrangements.

Prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions or expenditures in California state and local elections. Exempts DACA recipients from the foreign national restrictions on political contributions. Imposes misdemeanor penalties with fines equal to the amount of illegal contributions. Requires campaigns to verify contributor eligibility and reject funds from prohibited foreign sources.

Updates political ad disclosure rules to allow shorter committee names and simplified contributor listings on signs and billboards. Permits the use of bullet points or numbers to separate top campaign contributors in printed advertisements. Simplifies disclaimer language for independent expenditure ads to 'Not paid for by a candidate' from longer existing text. Establishes standard abbreviations and formatting rules for displaying contributor names in political advertisements.

Requires public officials to disclose digital financial assets worth $2,000 or more starting January 2027. Expands financial disclosure requirements to include cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. Mandates agencies to update conflict of interest codes to include digital asset reporting. Maintains criminal penalties for officials who knowingly fail to disclose required financial interests.

Bans investor-owned utilities from making campaign contributions to state office candidates. Establishes violations of the contribution ban as a criminal misdemeanor. Requires a two-thirds legislative vote for passage. Creates no new costs for local agencies or school districts.

Requires elected officials to report payments made at their request over $5,000 within 30 days of each quarter. Mandates disclosure of relationships between officials and nonprofit organizations receiving payments. Requires reporting of any government proceedings involving the payment source within the past year. Allows officials to submit good faith payment estimates if exact amounts cannot be determined.

Requires committees to report ballot signature verification expenditures within 24 hours after an election. Mandates detailed reporting of all spending related to voter signature verification before election certification. Establishes new transparency rules for campaign spending on post-election ballot signature fixes.

Creates exceptions for public officials to vote on nonprofit membership dues without conflict of interest violations. Applies only to decisions affecting labor organizations, business leagues, and chambers of commerce. Requires the decision to solely impact member dues or membership numbers, not the organization itself. Exempts officials from conflict rules when they receive income from these specific nonprofits.

Requires public agencies to include progressive discipline and due process provisions in labor agreements by 2026. Mandates binding arbitration for all labor disputes between public agencies and employee organizations. Guarantees paid time off for employee representatives investigating and handling grievances. Applies to all California cities including charter cities as a matter of statewide concern.

Bans campaign contributions in all state and local government office buildings to enhance political integrity. Eliminates the previous exception that allowed contributions in legislative district offices. Applies to buildings where government employees occupy more than 50% of office space. Violations of this campaign contribution ban are punishable as misdemeanors.

Expands the Fair Political Practices Commission's authority to audit local campaign finance and ethics laws. Removes the January 2026 expiration date to make the Commission's oversight role permanent. Requires local governments to reimburse the Commission for oversight and enforcement costs. Exempts jurisdictions with over 3 million residents and San Bernardino County from these provisions.

Increases the maximum campaign contribution limit for agency officers from $500 to $1,500. Requires automatic adjustments to contribution limits every two years based on inflation. Allows officers to cure violations by returning excess contributions within 30 days. Mandates disclosure of contributions over $1,500 made in the previous 12 months before agency decisions.

Establishes a public campaign financing system to reduce candidate reliance on wealthy donors and special interests. Requires candidates to meet strict criteria and spending limits to qualify for public campaign funds. Prohibits using public funds for legal fees, fines, or repaying campaign loans. Increases penalties for foreign election contributions up to triple the amount contributed.

Undeveloped "intent bill" that aims to restrict perks and increase accountability for elected officials. Proposes bans on gifts, stock trading, lobbying, and government pensions for elected officials.