Implementation of Measure H, a campaign finance reform approved by voters earlier this year, has been delayed by the Los Angeles City Council.

Measure H bans campaign contributions from contractors to elected officials responsible for reviewing proposals for city work valued at $100,000 or more.

Photo of the Los Angeles by BRION Vibber on Wikipedia and the Seal of Los Angeles by Mysid on Wikipedia.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has called for the Legislature to begin a special session on Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

The purpose of the special session is to address redistricting and a number of the governor’s economic development proposals.

Photo of Governor Susana Martinez by The State of New Mexico on Wikipedia.

The Ohio Statehouse may be the first to be home to a full-service bar available to those reserving The Capitol Cafe which resides in the basement of the building.

An ariticle from National Public Radio says that state officials are debating a proposal to establish what would apparently be the nation’s first statehouse bar — a venue where lawmakers and even members of the public could tip a few back after hours if they reserve the space.

As would be expected, the idea has supporters who welcome the idea of having a bar in their statehouse as well as opposition who think it inappropriate to open a bar in a government building frequented by schoolchildren.

The panel that oversees Statehouse operations has slowed the project’s pace, assigning it to a study committee that will sort out what the business should offer.

Read this article, “Drinks On The House? Ohio Statehouse Considers Bar”, to learn more.

I do have a manual typewriter. I will not throw it away because I used to type a lot of articles.

I wanted to bring out that manual typewriter today after I heard John Dean speak at the Watergate CLE for the Ohio State Bar Association today. And, HBO recently showed All the President’s Men where we could see Woodward and Bernstein hammering on their Washington Post Royal typewriters. Today, I am opting to just use the courier font on my laptop!

John Dean was disbarred because of his involvement in Watergate and he has never considered requesting reinstatement. However, he is teaching continuing legal education courses on a lawyer’s obligations when a client engages in crime.

I am a product of Watergate having been a journalism student in the 70s and State and Federal Communications owes its existence to what happened at that time.

Dean pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice for his role in the Watergate cover-up and believes his experience is instructive.

I did get a chance to ask him if Watergate was an albatross around his neck. He had been an investment banker and retired when he was 60. (He is now 72.) He said he did not spend his life wallowing in Watergate. He returned to business school and had a lucrative career as an investment banker. He has written a number of books, including:

1. Blind Ambition—now autographed and on my bookshelf;

2. Warren G. Harding;

3. Conservatives without Conscience; and

4. Worse than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush.

John Dean was born in Akron, Ohio and holds a BA from the College of Wooster. He is still married to Maureen “Mo” Dean and lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Today’s program was amazing. We met a man who affected history and wanted to share with us the ultimate ethical dilemma. He is going on the road with this four-hour program, which basically focuses on June 16, 17, and 18, 1972.

The Fair Political Practices Commission has issued a notice to adopt two new regulations. The commission has also announced it will hold a public hearing on September 22, 2011 to consider the proposed regulations. The regulations to be considered have previously been made available for public comment and have since been revised.

The first proposed regulation to be considered modifies the reporting requirement for payments made at the behest of an elected officer which is made principally for a legislative, governmental, or charitable purpose in the aggregate amount of $5,000 or more. The regulation requires that a behested payment report be filed within 30 days of the date the payment is made. The Commission is considering whether a communication made on behalf of a charity which results in a donation is a behested payment.

The second proposed regulation would allow committees that have terminated to accept refunds from governmental entities and unexpected refunds from any other entities totaling $10,000 or less after termination of the committee. It would also permit terminated committees to transfer refunds to other committees without having to reopen the terminated committee. Refunds that are transferred to a new committee would be reported as if they had been received prior to termination and attributed accordingly when transferred to the new committee.

Original image of the Seal of the State of California by Zscout370 on Wikipedia.

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission has announced two finalists for the position of Executive Secretary.

Holly A. LaBerge, one of the finalists, is a former Budget Analyst for the House Budget Office and presently the Director of Government Relations for the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council.

The other finalist is Jerry R. Presley, who has previously been a candidate for public office in the state of Georgia, a registered lobbyist, and the city clerk of Baldwin, Georgia. He is currently the president and owner of Public Policy Consultants of Georgia, L.L.C. No timeline has been set for selecting the new Executive Secretary.

The New York City Lobbying Commission has released its recommendations to update and enhance the city’s lobbying laws.

In its preliminary report, the commission recommends expanding the definition of lobbying to include efforts to influence legislation prior to a bill’s introduction, efforts to keep a bill from being introduced, or efforts to shape or stop executive orders by the mayor.  The commission also recommends raising the threshold for lobbyist registration from $2,000 to $5,000.  The commission rejected suggestions to move regulation of lobbying from the city clerk’s office to another office.

The commission’s final report will be submitted to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council who, if they agree with the recommendations, can introduce legislation incorporating the changes.

Photo of the Manhattan Municipal Building by Momos on Wikipedia.

West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has called another special session of the state Legislature to address redistricting following his veto of the redistricting bill passed during the last special session.

The special session will begin at noon on Thursday, August 18, 2011.

Photo of the West Virginia State Capitol building by Analogue Kid on Wikipedia.

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the constitutionality of Maine’s reporting requirements for political action committees, rejecting a challenge brought by the National Organization for Marriage.

The National Organization for Marriage challenged the constitutionality of Maine’s election law, claiming Maine’s reporting requirements for political action committees are vague and over-broad.

The 1st Circuit Court decision upheld the constitutionality of Maine’s laws requiring the disclosure of contributions and expenditures in candidate elections by PACs and by independent groups.

The decision also overturned a portion of the District Court’s ruling which found the words “influence” and “influencing” were unconstitutionally vague as applied in the Maine statute.

The Frederick County Board of Commissioners voted to have a public hearing for a new ethics ordinance which, among other things, would no longer require lobbyists to disclose their annual income.

Based on one of the state’s recommended models for local ethics laws for counties and cities, the ordinance drew concerns by commissioners that the requirements for lobbyists could be weaker than those currently in place. As an example, Frederick County’s requirements for registration and reporting for grassroots lobbying are not included in the proposed ordinance, which would supersede the current law.

The public hearing has been scheduled for September 6.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has enjoined enforcement of a Wisconsin law that makes it illegal for anyone to give more than $10,000 in a calendar year to a political committee that makes independent expenditures in elections.

The Wisconsin Right to Life State PAC sought to halt enforcement of the contribution limit in light of the special elections to be held on August 9 and 16, 2011.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined enforcement of the Wisconsin contribution limit finding that Wisconsin Right to Life State PAC had a reasonable likelihood of succeeding on the merits of its appeal, and set the case for expedited appeal.

California may become the first state to allow political contributions on the state and local levels to be made by text message on your smartphone. The  California Fair Political Practices Commission is behind a plan that would allow such contributions by the 2012 elections. Approval is expected by October.

The hope is that this will allow for small donations and widen the number of people who are engaged in the political process. Last December, the Federal Election Commission rejected a similar plan for federal campaigns.

Here is a Capital Public Radio recording of Commission Chair Ann Ravel talking about the idea and what regulations would need to accompany it.

Today’s San Francisco Chronicle offers “Calif. poised to OK political donations via text,” by Carla Marinucci.

The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned the special session concerning redistricting on Thursday, July 28, 2011.

During the session, the redistricting process for the state was completed.

Further, five of Governor Beverly Perdue’s vetoes were overridden.

The Legislature is expected to convene another special session on Monday, September 12, 2011.

Photo of the North Carolina State Legislative Building by Jayron32 on Wikipedia.

Santa Clara Superior Court Judge James P. Kleinberg has issued a proposed decision striking down a San Jose law that bars campaign contributions to candidates during the 17 days leading up to an election.

The proposed decision will be finalized in August.