As you may recall, Los Angeles City Councilman Ryu and the City Ethics Commission (“CEC”) submitted competing proposals last spring to ban campaign contributions from real estate developers. After several hearings, the City Council asked the City Attorney’s office to draft ordinances based on the two proposals, and the ordinances […]
As you have certainly read, Assembly Bill 5, authored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), aims to reclassify millions of California workers as “employees” instead of “independent contractors.” It has now been passed by both the State Assembly and Senate and is awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature. Though targeted primarily […]
BY JIM SUTTON Originally Appeared in SF Chronicle The law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last week requiring that presidential candidates release their tax returns to appear on California’s ballot is merely the latest example of an attempt to confer partisan advantage under the guise of “election reform.” No one believes […]
As the November 5, 2019 election season heats up in San Francisco, ballot measure committees and consultants should keep in mind that the law allows campaigns to challenge false, misleading or improper information which will appear in the voter information pamphlet and/or on the ballot. These include ballot questions, fiscal […]
New Focus on Elected Officials Who Fundraise for Charities Helping local charities and community groups raise funds has long been standard practice for politicians – some would even say that supporting local charities is a core part of an elected official’s job. Whether raising funds for an annual holiday toy […]
Very Low Lobbyist Registration Threshold in Oakland While most large cities in California require individuals who “lobby” City officials and employees to register and file reports disclosing their lobbying activities, Oakland’s lobbying law stands out because its registration trigger is so low. Local jurisdictions typically require lobbyists to register if […]
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 […]
As 2019 begins, new California state campaign contribution and gift limits are set to take effect on January 1. These new limits will be in effect for the next biennial period, until the end of 2020. Keep in mind that these are not the only new laws which may affect […]
Local chambers of commerce and other trade associations sending out their year-end annual dues statements need to be aware of a significant recent change in the tax law regarding the ability of their members to deduct their dues as a business expense. Since changes were made to the tax code […]
As you may recall, the California Supreme Court issued a decision last year which dramatically changed the environment for citizen initiatives aiming to impose special taxes at the local level. The Court effectively concluded that the constitutional two-thirds voter approval requirement for special taxes only applies when the taxes are […]
