Political Ethics Reform

Establishes tighter CRC vacancy rules with 30-day fill, subpool, and auditor backstop. Expands ban on in-person contributions to include all government office buildings. Broadens FPPC filing scope and electronic filing for more officials, including public investment managers. Reaffirms amendment procedures for the Political Reform Act.

Undeveloped "intent bill" that aims to make future changes to California's political reform laws.

Exempts elected officials from reporting charitable donations received through public appeals like TV or radio. Requires reporting if officials or family members hold positions in recipient organizations. Mandates disclosure within 30 days when donations from a single source exceed $5,000 annually. Applies reporting requirements to payments made for legislative, governmental, or charitable purposes.

Prohibits lawmakers from entering into NDAs about drafting, negotiating, or discussing proposed legislation. Declares any such NDAs entered after the act takes effect void and unenforceable. Allows NDAs that protect only trade secrets, financial information, or proprietary information. Declares no reimbursement is required for local agencies.

Requires public officials to disclose accepted job offers even before starting the new employment. Mandates disclosure of job details including position, employer, and acceptance date within 30 days. Establishes criminal penalties for failing to report prospective employment arrangements.

Expands prohibitions to cover foreign nationals in contributions and expenditures. Defines foreign national as noncitizen and nonpermanent resident, excluding active DACA recipients. Imposes misdemeanor penalties equal to the amount contributed or expended. Declares no reimbursement is required for local agencies.

Establishes the Billboard DISCLOSE Act to enhance transparency in political advertising disclosures. Permits shortened committee names and approved abbreviations on yard signs and billboards. Requires specific formatting and ordering of contributor disclosures on large political advertisements. Simplifies disclosure statements for independent expenditure ads to improve readability.

Requires public officials to disclose digital financial assets worth $2,000 or more starting January 2027. Expands financial disclosure requirements to include cryptocurrency and other digital assets. Mandates agencies to update their conflict of interest codes to include digital asset reporting. Creates criminal penalties for failing to disclose digital financial holdings.

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 disclosure of committee information and spending for signature verification activities. Establishes an online filing system for signature verification expense reports within two years. Applies to expenditures made between election day and final vote certification.

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.

Establishes a statewide special election on November 4, 2025, to vote on redistricting measures. Requires counties to provide at least one ballot drop-off location for every 30,000 registered voters. Appropriates state funding to cover counties' costs for conducting the November 2025 special election. Prohibits congressional candidates from using the term 'incumbent' on June 2026 primary ballots.

Expands the Fair Political Practices Commission's authority to oversee local campaign finance and ethics laws. Authorizes the Commission to conduct audits of local campaign finance activities. Requires local governments to reimburse the Commission for enforcement costs. Excludes jurisdictions with populations over 3 million from Commission oversight.

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 requiring candidates to meet strict eligibility criteria. Prohibits using public campaign funds for legal fees, fines, or repaying personal campaign loans. Increases penalties for foreign campaign contributions up to triple the amount contributed. Requires voter approval of these changes in the November 2026 statewide election.

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 legislators.