Campaign contributions: agency officers.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 prohibits an officer of an agency from accepting, soliciting, or directing a contribution of more than $250 from any party, participant, or a party or participant's agent, while a proceeding involving a license, permit, or other entitlement for use is pending before the agency and for 3 months following the date a final decision is rendered in the proceeding, if the officer knows or has reasons to know that the participant has a financial interest, as defined. The act also prohibits a party, participant, or participant's agent from making a contribution of more than $250 to an officer of the agency during the proceeding and 3 months following the date a final decision is rendered. The act defines "agency" for these purposes to mean any state or local government agency, except certain entities, including local government agencies whose members are directly elected by the voters. This bill would remove the exception for local government agencies, thereby subjecting them to the prohibition described above. The bill would extend the prohibition on contributions from 3 to 12 months following the date a final decision is rendered in the proceeding. The bill would permit an officer who does not willfully and knowingly accept, solicit, or direct a prohibited contribution to cure the violation by returning it. The bill would require the party to a proceeding to disclose whether the party or the party's agent has made a contribution of more than $250 in the 12 months before the proceeding. A violation of the act is punishable as a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of restrictions on contributions, this bill would expand the scope of an existing crime, and therefore would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.