The Anaheim City Council has passed a “sunshine” law implementing lobbyist registration and reporting, record-keeping for certain officials, and “revolving door” restrictions on former City officials. The ordinance will go into effect on September 14, 2017, and is one of many new or amended local lobbying ordinances passed in the last six months.
Lobbyists, including in-house employees who lobby, will need to register within 15 days of lobbying the City or any regional agency in which Anaheim has a voting role, and will thereafter be required to file quarterly reports. Lobbyists and lobbying firms should also be aware that the new law mandates that high-level City officials retain, for 90 days, all emails they send or receive. The new law also includes a revolving door provision which prohibits former City officials and employees from lobbying the City or working for certain City contractors for two years after leaving City service.
It is clear that local jurisdictions are paying increasing attention to lobbying activities – whether by requiring lobbyist registration for the first time (as in Anaheim and Santa Monica), by ratcheting up reporting requirements (such as San Jose’s new weekly lobbyist reporting), or by targeting lobbying entities in enforcement matters (as is happening in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco).
* * *
Feel free to call any Sutton Law Firm attorney or Political Compliance Specialist with questions about this new Anaheim lobbying law, or about lobbying reporting requirements in other jurisdictions.
THIS ALERT IS INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE.