Campaign Finance

National: “Liberal ‘Dark-Money’ Behemoth Funneled More than $400M in 2020” by Scott Bland (Politico) for MSN

Illinois: “State’s Top Fiscal Watchdog Cleared After Six-Year Battle Over Campaign Finance Violations Finally Resolved – for Now” by Hannah Meisel for NPR Illinois

New York: “How Small-Dollar Public Financing Helped NYC Elect Its Most Diverse City Council Ever” by Ese Olumhense for The City

Elections

Colorado: “FBI Raids Home of Lauren Boebert’s Ex-Campaign Manager in Colorado Election Tampering Probe” by Igor Derysh for Salon

Ethics

California: “Former S.F. Building Inspector, Building Commissioner Indicted” by Lauren Hernández (San Francisco Chronicle) for MSN

Illinois: “Ethics Board Says Aldermen Who Violate Code of Conduct Should Face Harsher Punishments as Gardiner Retaliation Claims Investigated” by Ariel Parrella-Aureli and Alex Nitkin (The Daily Line) for Book Club Chicago

Legislative Issues

National: “House Censures Rep. Gosar for Violent Video in Rare Rebuke” by Kevin Freking and Brian Slodysko (Associated Press) for Kansas City Star

Redistricting

National: “How a Cure for Gerrymandering Left U.S. Politics Ailing in New Ways” by Nick Corasaniti and Reid Epstein for New York Times

Gov. Phil Scott will reconvene the Vermont Legislature for a special session on November 22 to address mask mandates.

The special session will aim to pass legislation allowing municipalities to implement their own time-limited mask mandates.

It is not yet clear when the session will end. This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

A recall has been declared for Kshama Sawant, a Seattle, Washington District 3 City Councilmember.

Sawant has been accused of misusing city funds for electioneering purposes, disregarding COVID-19 regulations, and misuse of her official position.

Sawant challenged the recall in superior court, but the Washington Supreme Court allowed the recall to continue.

The recall is set to take place on December 7.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation declaring a special election for the 17^th Assembly District on April 19, 2022, with a special primary on February 15, 2022.

The former Assemblymember David Chiu vacated his seat after accepting a position as San Francisco’s city attorney in early November.

The Nevada special session ended November 16 with Gov. Steve Sisolak signing off on updated redistricting maps.

The Democratic-controlled Legislature passed the maps with zero support from the Republican minority and expect lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the maps.

The new maps increase Democratic footholds in the state’s swing districts, in part by redistributing roughly one out of every seven Latino residents from the first district to the third and fourth districts.

With the looming lawsuits on the horizon, Democrats have been mostly silent on their reasoning for the new boundaries.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has announced she is in talks with legislative leaders and housing advocates to construct a plan to increase funds in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

The federal funds allocated to Oregon to assist renters and owners have been almost exhausted, which will force the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program to stop accepting applications on December 1.

Gov. Brown declared she will call a special session to draft a proposal to combat the looming evictions when the federal assistance is fully expended.

There is not a firm date announced for the special session.

Maine Gov. Mills announced a special election to be held on January 11, 2022, for House District 27.

The seat became vacant when Rep. Kyle Bailey resigned in October to pursue other career opportunities.

The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of the two-year term set to expire in December 2022.

Campaign Finance

Illinois: “Pritzker Signs Law Banning Dark Money, Out-of-State Contributions in Judicial Campaigns” by Hannah Meisel for NPR Illinois

Elections

National: “Why Governors Keep Snubbing the Senate” by Marianne Levine and Burgess Everett (Politico) for Yahoo News

Ethics

Alabama: “State: Former House speaker tried to influence prison legislation from prison” by Josh Moon for Alabama Political Reporter

Iowa: “Audit: Governor improperly used COVID funds for salaries” by David Pitt (Washington Post) for Yahoo News

New York: “Cuomo’s Book Approval Rescinded by Ethics Panel, Jeopardizing Millions” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Pennsylvania: “John Dougherty and Bobby Henon Convicted of Conspiracy in Federal Corruption Trial” by Meir Rinde for WHYY

Lobbying

Europe: “UK Govt Vows to Toughen Rules for Lawmakers After Ethics Row” by Jill Lawless (Associated Press) for Yahoo News

Ohio: “Who Knew About Bribes Paid During FirstEnergy Solutions’ Bankruptcy and House Bill 6 Bailout Campaign?” by Dave Anderson for Energy and Policy Institute

The president of the South Carolina Senate announced a special election to replace the late Sen. Hugh Leatherman.

The primary election will occur on January 25, 2022, with runoffs, if necessary, on February 8, 2022, and the special general election on March 29, 2022.

Hi Adrienne! Tell me about CASA. Why is this work important to you? CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, are community volunteers who speak out and stand up for abused and neglected children within the court system. Quite simply, these children did not ask for the circumstances for which they were forced to deal with and CASA provides a neutral third party who will advocate for their best interests. As a board member, I help raise funds to support these volunteers, like gift cards so they can take a kid to get a meal. We fundraise to provide aid to the children, whether that be school supplies or Christmas gifts. Additionally, we raise funds to support CASA trainings to ensure our volunteers are well trained and supported.

This work is important to me because there is not a more vulnerable group than children. These kids don’t have security and often the people that are supposed to protect have failed them in the worst ways. A CASA can provide the support, security, and hope a child so desperately needs. I don’t think it matters what your creed or your politics are… everyone can agree this program is vital to help our community’s most defenseless population. To me, supporting CASA is a must, whether I am on the board or not.

How long have you been on the CASA Board? I have been on the board since Summer 2020.

A lot has happened in the last year. What was it like to be on a board during the pandemic? This is first time being on a board, so in some ways I have no idea how different it is than normal. It has been a struggle to plan fundraisers, but the community has shown up. I think the pandemic has forced us all to find new and creative ways to entice support from the community. Also, I think we should always have virtual options when it comes to fundraisers. It is a new world we are still navigating, but we are all going through it.

How do you see the CASA Board helping you to develop your leadership in the community? I have never wanted to be on any board. I like to show up and help out, but being on a board was not in my plans. However, Mr. Michael Beckett, Associate Director, Research Services and former CASA Board President, approached me about being on the board when he left because he knows how much I support CASA’s mission. This is definitely outside of my comfort zone. I know people think I am outgoing, but asking people for money has never been one of my strengths. So, being on the board has forced me to develop my community leadership skills. Growth can be uncomfortable, but there is not another organization that I would do this for. I am thankful to work for a company with a CEO who supports this type of work and allows me to develop skills I never thought I would need to use.

What is your favorite part of working with CASA? My favorite part is knowing I am doing something worthwhile. I am extremely passionate about what CASA does and think it is a vital service to help strengthen our community. No child should feel unsafe and every child should have someone looking out for their best interests.

If anyone has questions about CASA or how you can support this necessary organization, please feel free to reach out to me. I am always happy to discuss CASA!

Campaign Finance

National: “Sen. Braun’s Campaign Accused by FEC of Breaking Campaign Finance Laws” by Kaitlin Lange (Indianapolis Star) for MSN

Washington DC: “Trayon White Files Paperwork for D.C. Mayoral Bid Amid Campaign Finance Inquiry” by Michael Brice-Saddler (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

National: “Why Facebook Won’t Let You Control Your Own News Feed” by Will Oremus (Washington Post) for Yahoo News

California: “Emails Show LA Commissioner Used Influence to Help Win $3 Million COVID-19 Contract, Union Alleges” by Scott Schwebke (Orange County Register) for Los Angeles Daily News

Idaho: “Rep. Priscilla Giddings Censured, Removed from Legislative Committee by Idaho House” by Hayat Norimine for Idaho Statesman

South Dakota: “South Dakota Legislature Moves for Subpoenas on Noem Meeting” by Stephen Groves (Associated Press) for MSN

Legislative Issues

Massachusetts: “After 600 Days, the Massachusetts State House Remains Closed to the Public. It Appears to Be the Only State Capitol Still Shut on This Continent” by Matt Stoudt for Boston Globe

Lobbying

New York: “State Ethics Panel Issues Fines to Lobbyists in Secret” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

The North Dakota Legislature adjourned the special session on November 12 after approving the redistricting maps and passing several other bills including bills banning critical race theory in schools and vaccinee mandates. This does not affect lobbyist reporting. 

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds called a special election on December 14 to fill the Senate District 1 vacancy caused by the resignation of Sen. Zach Whiting.

Whiting resigned effective October 30 to take a job with the conservative think tank, Texas Public Policy Foundation.

There is no primary, and the filing deadline is November 19.

The winning candidate will serve the remainder of Whiting’s term, which runs through 2022.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will reconvene the Kansas Legislature for a special session on November 22 to address vaccine mandates.

The special session will aim to take up proposals to make it easier for workers to claim religious exemptions to vaccine mandates and to provide unemployment benefits to employees fired for not getting inoculated.

It is not yet clear when the session is slated to end. This does not affect lobbyist reporting.