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 […]
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a package of significant changes to the City’s campaign and ethics laws earlier this week. The package places new restrictions on campaign contributions from individuals and entities seeking government contracts and development agreements; imposes new reporting obligations on political committees; creates an entirely […]
This is a reminder that the 24-hour reporting period for political contributions begins today, March 7, 2018. Any contributions made to state or local candidates or ballot measures in the upcoming June 2018 election which aggregate $1,000 or more must be reported within 24 hours of being made. Contributions made […]
As the June 5, 2018 election season heats up, candidates, 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 candidate ballot designations, candidate statements, […]
