San Diego Lobbying Law Alert (January 2019)


We are working with the San Diego Ethics Commission to update a provision of the City’s lobbying law that requires City Lobbying Firms and Organization Lobbyists to disclose confidential information about their employees’ salaries under certain circumstances. Specifically, the lobbying law requires lobbying entities to disclose the exact salaries of their employees and owners who sit on City commissions or whose spouses or family members work in City Hall. Although in our opinion this reporting requirement raises legal and privacy concerns, the Ethics Commission insists that, until the law is changed, lobbying entities comply with it and has threatened fines against lobbying entities which do not disclose this information.

The attached letter (CLICK HERE) to the Ethics Commission provides more detail about the reporting requirement and proposes that the Commission amend the law to allow the disclosure of salaries in ranges, rather than exact amounts, as a way to protect employees’ privacy. We are working with Commission staff to agendize this amendment for discussion at a meeting later this year.

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Feel free to contact a Sutton Law Firm attorney or Political Compliance Specialist if you have any questions regarding San Jose or other local lobbying laws.

 

THIS ALERT IS INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE.