City Council instructed the city’s lawyers to draft an ordinance increasing the gift limit to $150 for gifts provided by bidders, contractors, and other restricted sources. Currently, people doing business with the city can provide gifts to city officials valued at $100 or less per calendar year.

Recently, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission recommended curtailing gifts to city officials, hoping to boost public confidence in government. The commission’s recommendation would have extended the current ban on gifts from lobbyists to all people with a financial stake in city decisions.

Photo of the Los Angeles City Hall by Brion Vibber on Wikipedia.

National:

Lobbying Bonanza as Firms Try to Influence European Union

New York Times – Eric Lipton Danny Hakim | Published: 10/18/2013

As the European Union has emerged as a regulatory superpower, its policies have become ever more important to corporations operating across borders. In turn, the lobbying business in Brussels has become larger and more competitive, rivaled only by Washington, D.C. Some say American law firms are undercutting efforts to bring more transparency to lobbying in the Belgian capital, citing lawyer-client confidentiality to evade a government-backed but voluntary disclosure effort.

State Pro-Business Organizations Are Publicly Funded, but Privately Controlled

The Center for Public Integrity – Nicholas Kusnetz | Published: 10/23/2013

Some states have given control over corporate tax incentives to public-private partnerships that are often run by the states’ most influential businesspeople. Supporters say these partnerships are more nimble than government bureaucracies and are insulated from electoral politics. But much of the spending remains secret. Even most public agencies do not disclose the recipients of all the incentives because of tax privacy laws.

Federal:

Cassidy Lobby Shop Goes Social

Washington Post – Catherine Ho | Published: 10/18/2013

With the lobbying business at a standstill on K Street, even big firms such as Cassidy & Associates have to embrace new ways of reaching policymakers and clients to protect their bottom lines. Cassidy has been trying to attract visitors to its Web site, which the firm has spent the last year overhauling to attract more potential clients through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

From the States and Municipalities:

Alabama – Alabama Considers Creating Election Commission

San Francisco Chronicle – Philip Rawls (Associated Press) | Published: 10/19/2013

Candidates have to report their contributions and expenditures to the Alabama secretary of state, but little is being done to make sure the reports are filed accurately. Some lawmakers said the solution could be to create a small state agency similar to the Federal Elections Commission.

California – FPPC Fines Arizona Group $1 Million for Campaign Finance Violations

Sacramento Bee – Laurel Rosenhall | Published: 10/24/2013

The California Fair Political Practices Commission levied a combined $1 million fine against Americans for Responsible Leadership and the Center to Protect Patient Rights for illegally funneling millions of dollars into a pair of ballot measure campaigns in 2012.

California – Riverside County Supervisors to Amend Campaign Finance Rules

Desert Sun; City News Service –   | Published: 10/22/2013

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors amended campaign finance regulations so candidates or PACs will, beginning January 1, 2014, have to electronically post details of a contribution within 10 days if the amount meets or exceeds $1,000. The revision affects candidates for assessor-clerk-recorder, auditor-controller, district attorney, judge, sheriff, supervisor, superintendent of schools, and treasurer-tax collector, as well as sponsors of ballot measures that are countywide in scope.

District of Columbia – Campaign Finance Reform Will Get D.C. Council Vote Next Month

Washington Post – Mike DeBonis | Published: 10/22/2013

The District of Columbia Council will vote on a package of campaign finance reforms as soon as November 5. The changes would restrict the ability of different companies owned by the same people to donate to the same candidate, require lobbyists to disclose their bundling of campaign contributions, and require political committees to report donations of $10,000 or more they believe to have been bundled, among other provisions.

Georgia – Commissioner: State auditor to handle ethics probe

Columbus Republic – Christina Cassidy (Associated Press) | Published: 10/22/2013

The Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts will investigate concerns surrounding the state ethics commission and its handling of complaints involving Gov. Nathan Deal. State Auditor Greg Griffin was initially appointed by the governor since the job became open outside of a legislative session. That connection to Deal drew criticism from Senate Minority Leader Steve Henson, who called the decision a “travesty of justice,” and said a special prosecutor would have been a better option.

Hawaii – Ethics Probe into Honolulu Mayor Sparks Talk of Reform

Honolulu Civil Beat – Nick Grube | Published: 10/18/2013

Ethical questions have been raised about a luau to celebrate the inauguration of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, including whether it was a vehicle used by city contractors and lobbyists to curry favor with the new mayor. It has also opened up the debate over whether Honolulu’s ethics laws need to be strengthened to close any loopholes regarding gift-giving.

Michigan – Activists ‘Make it Rain’ in Michigan House, Drop Fake Million Dollar Bills on Lawmakers

MLive.com – Jonathan Oosting | Published: 10/23/2013

Anti-corruption protesters shouted from the Michigan House gallery as they showered state lawmakers with fake million dollar bills. The national group Represent Us says Michigan has one of the worst records of government corruption in the nation. It pulled a similar stunt in the New York Senate this June.

Montana – Montana Legislature Committee Hears Divide over Political Practices Job

The Missoulian – Charles Johnson | Published: 10/22/2013

The Legislature’s State Administration and Veterans’ Affairs Committee is studying Montana’s political practices office and looking at how other states regulate of campaign finances, ethics, and lobbyist and disclosure. Any recommendations will go to the 2015 Legislature for consideration. Those testifying before the committee offered divergent opinions about the role of the office and how it should be structured.

New York – Group Supporting Lhota Can Accept Unlimited Donations, Court Says

New York Times – Thomas Kaplan | Published: 10/24/2013

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled a political committee created to support New York City mayoral candidate Joseph Lhota can accept contributions above the $150,000 annual limit for individuals set by state law. The judges said the state’s cap on donations to independent political groups was probably unconstitutional.

New York – New Bill Would Require Businesses Seeking State Contracts to Detail Donations to Governor

New York Daily News – Ken Lovett | Published: 10/22/2013

A bill introduced recently in the New York Legislature would require businesses seeking state agency contracts to make public a list of all campaign contributions made to the governor and others in the executive branch. Before any contract could be awarded, the companies would have to detail all donations from the business, its subsidiaries, key employees, and their spouses over the preceding 18 month period.

Texas – 5th Circ. Axes Texas Ban on Corporate PAC Donations

Law360.com – Jeremy Heallen | Published: 10/16/2013

The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Texas cannot bar PACs from soliciting corporate donations, making it the fourth Circuit Court to uphold indirect corporate political contributions since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. Texans for Free Enterprise, a PAC that does not contribute directly to campaigns but solicits donations to run ads supporting or opposing candidates, had challenged the law.

Washington – Wash. AG Still Seeking Penalty against Food Industry Group That Didn’t Disclose Donors

Columbus Republic – Mike Baker (Associated Press) | Published: 10/22/2013

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson will move ahead with a lawsuit filed against the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Ferguson said he will still seek penalties from the group, which recently identified donors who contributed money to oppose a food labeling initiative. The attorney general said the case involved concealing a record-setting amount of donations and there must be sanctions for violating the law.

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The Board of Supervisors has amended campaign finance regulations to require candidates and committees to electronically disclose all contributions of $1,000 or more, whether made during or outside the 90-day election cycle. Effective January 1, 2014, a candidate or political action committee must electronically post details of a contribution within 10 days if the amount meets or exceeds the $1,000 threshold outside an election cycle.

Currently, only contributions of $5,000 or more need to be posted electronically if made outside an election cycle. Contributions of $1,000 or more made during an election cycle will continue to be filed electronically within 24 hours.

The ordinance is expected to comply with Assembly Bill 2452, a new state law allowing local governing bodies to require electronic disclosure for contributions, so long as the locality complies with state regulations.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a referral to request a draft lobbying ordinance in order to improve transparency and accountability in county procurements. County Counsel, Orry Korb, is tasked with reviewing existing lobbying regulations in other localities for drafting purposes. The referral specifically mentions San Jose’s lobbying ordinance as one with a proven track record and able to provide much of the necessary framework and language.

A presentation and consideration of a draft lobbying ordinance will be presented to the Finance and Government Operations Committee before a final version is brought to the full board in December, 2013.

Photo of the Santa Clara Government Center courtesy of Coolcaesar in Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed three bills sponsored by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) designed to promote government transparency:

• Assembly Bill 409 creates an electronic filing system for public officials who file annual statements of economic interest (Form 700), allowing greater public accessibility to the statements;
• Assembly Bill 552 gives the FPPC greater authority to collect fines from individuals and entities who violate laws regarding campaign finance, lobbying, and conflicts of interest; and
• Assembly Bill 1090 allows the FPPC to give written or telephone advice to public officials about conflicts of interest in government contracts.

Assembly Bill 409 takes effect immediately. Assembly Bill 552 and Assembly Bill 1090 are effective January 1, 2014.

Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a special election for Assembly District 54. The primary will be held on December 3, 2013.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a special general election will be held on February 4, 2014. The vacancy occurred following the resignation by Assembly Member Holly Mitchell.

Assembly District 54 is wholly contained in Los Angeles County.

Lawmakers adjourned for the year just after midnight on Friday, September 13, 2013.

Hundreds of bills were passed in the last week of the session including a minimum wage increase, changes to the California Environmental Quality Act, and a bill permitting undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses.

Photo of the California State Capitol Building by Sascha Brück on Wikipedia.

City Council has scheduled a special election to replace Mayor Bob Filner on November 19, 2013. Filner is scheduled to resign Friday, August 29, following sexual harassment allegations from more than a dozen women.

If one candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the person would assume office December 17, 2013. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, a runoff election would be held within the 49-day period called for by the City Charter.

The Ethics Commission has announced a scheduled maintenance for the lobbying and campaign finance electronic filing systems.

The filing systems and public access websites will be down between 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, 2013 and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 25, 2013.

The commission has advised campaign finance entities to plan accordingly if required to file 24-hour expenditure or contribution reports.

Treasurer Mark J. Saladino announced his office will no longer do business with securities brokers making political contributions to school bond campaigns. The pay-to-play policy is an attempt to prevent campaign donations from influencing the hiring of underwriters by school districts. The policy is also expected to increase competition between dealers and save taxpayer dollars.

Under the new policy, underwriters must not donate to school bond measures if they want to qualify for the treasurer’s list of investment banks and securities dealers eligible to sell county bonds. The restriction applies to monetary donations, non-monetary contributions, and pre-election services.

In statewide surveys, virtually every securities broker hired by a school district contributed to the district’s bond campaign and was retained without competitive bidding. A recent study focusing on California school bond issues found post-election fees paid to underwriters making contributions were on average $27,576 more than those paid to brokers not contributing.

Governor Jerry Brown has called a special election for Assembly District 52 to fill a vacancy following the resignation of Assembly Member Norma Torres.

The primary will be held July 23, 2013. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a special general election will be held on September 24, 2013.

Torres vacated the Assembly seat following her successful election to Senate District 32 on May 14, 2013. Assembly District 52 covers parts of San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.

The Fair Political Practices Commission has released the first known government ethics app. A free smartphone app called Gift Tracker is available for Android 4.0 phones (coming soon for iPhones) to let state officials and employees record gifts received from restricted sources.

Features allow users to record and search gift donors and the balance of allowable gifts remaining. In other words, an official sitting down to a free meal can check his phone to determine whether he orders the salad or the steak.

Information and download of the app are available here.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu have introduced legislation to better regulate lobbying and campaign finance within the city. The ordinance would amend the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code to expand the definition of lobbyist and require lobbyists to complete training online.

The lobbying exemption for contractors and their attorneys would be limited to in-house officers and employees. Outside consultants communicating with public officials regarding contract bidding and negotiating would be subject to the registration and reporting requirements of lobbying.

The ordinance would also require the Ethics Commission to publish a guide for campaign contributors regarding contribution regulations and reporting requirements.

The board may begin discussion of the legislation at the next meeting in May.

Governor Jerry Brown has called a special election for Assembly District 80 to fill a vacancy following the resignation of Assembly Member Ben Hueso.

The primary will be held May 21, 2013.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a special general election will be held on July 30, 2013.