Political Reform Act of 1974: top contributors: disclosures.

A new Section 1 was added giving the bill the short title 'Print Ads DISCLOSE Act.' All subsequent sections were renumbered accordingly.

The requirement for separating top contributor names on large printed ads (yard signs, billboards) changed from permissive ('permit') to mandatory ('require'). Advertisers must now use clearly visible bullet points or numbered prefixes rather than being allowed to choose.

The disclosure box location requirement was clarified to specify it must appear on an 'exterior-facing surface' rather than simply 'on the bottom of at least one page.' This ensures disclosures are visible from outside a folded or multi-page document.

For multipurpose organization committees, the prohibition on including extra information in top contributor disclosures was expanded to also exclude 'the committee's position on' a ballot measure, not just the name or number of the measure.

The shorthand for committee identification numbers was changed from 'Committee ID #' to 'Committee #,' removing the word 'ID.'

The shortened independent expenditure disclaimer was changed from 'Not paid for by a candidate' to 'Not paid for by candidate,' removing the article 'a' to save space on advertisements.

Assembly Member Lee was added as a coauthor of the bill.

The bill no longer repeals Section 84504.2 and creates a replacement. Instead, it amends the existing section in place, consolidating rules for both large print ads (yard signs, billboards) and individually distributed print ads (mailers, flyers, door hangers) into one unified section with clear subdivisions.

Duplicate section references in the required disclosure order were corrected. The old version listed Sections 84506.5 and 84514 twice in the sequence; the new version lists each only once (84514, 84506.5, 84502, and 84503).

The 'Funding Details At' disclosure text was changed from referencing a specific 'Secretary of State internet website page with top 10 contributor lists' to the more general 'Commission Internet Website,' broadening where voters are directed for funding information.

A provision requiring that independent expenditure disclosures on individually distributed print ads be underlined and placed on a separate line below any top contributors was removed from the formatting rules.

Principal coauthors were expanded from a single Assembly member to include three additional Senators (Allen, Umberg, and Cervantes) alongside the original Assembly coauthor, indicating broader legislative sponsorship.

Removed the provision requiring mass mailings to disclose the top 5 contributors instead of the standard top 3. The Assembly version now applies a uniform top 3 requirement across all advertisement types.

Added an entirely new subdivision (b) to Section 84504.2 extending disclosure formatting requirements to 'print or electronic advertisement displayed on a physical surface' including rally signs, window signs, yard signs, banners, billboards, and electronic billboards, with specific rules for white background box, Arial Regular type at 5 percent minimum height, bold contributor names, and bullet-point or numbered separation.

Added a new definition in Section 84504.2: 'designed to be individually distributed' means having a surface area of 187 square inches (e.g., 11 inches by 17 inches) or less on any exterior-facing surface.

Added a font-size reduction provision: for ads with a width-to-height ratio between 2:1 and 1:2 where disclosures extend beyond three horizontal lines, the advertiser may reduce font size to fit within three lines, but not below 3.5 percent of the advertisement's height or width.

Expanded the list of words that may be removed from top contributor names in Section 84503(e)(1)(C) to include 'Action fund,' 'Advocacy fund,' 'Education Fund,' 'Foundation,' and 'Technologies,' and broadened the rule to allow removal of words before a geographic or regional descriptor, not just at the end of a name.

Changed the committee identification format from 'Committee ID' to 'Committee ID #' (adding a hash symbol) in Section 84502(e)(1)(3).

Added clarifying parenthetical '(i.e., at least 5 points)' after each reference to 'half a blank line' spacing requirement in Sections 84504.2 and 84504.3.

The entire Elections Code component (Section 9082.7, relating to state ballot measures website consolidation) was removed from the bill. The bill now only amends Government Code sections under the Political Reform Act of 1974.

Two separate print advertisement disclosure provisions (one for individually distributed ads like mailers and flyers, one for larger ads like yard signs and billboards) were consolidated into a single section covering all print advertisements, with a unified disclosure order: Section 84514, then 84506.5, then 84502, then 84503.

For larger printed advertisements (yard signs, billboards), top contributor names may now be separated by a clearly visible bullet point or by numbering (1, 2, 3) in addition to the existing comma option. Previously only commas were permitted.

Top contributor names on print advertisements must now be printed in bold type. This was not a requirement in the prior version.

Independent expenditure disclosure statements were shortened. The statement for ads not authorized by any candidate was reduced to 'Not paid for by a candidate' and the statement for ads paid by a candidate for another office was reduced to 'Not paid for by a candidate for this office.'

The 'Funding Details At' disclosure text was changed from referencing the Secretary of State internet website page with top 10 contributor lists to referencing the Commission (Fair Political Practices Commission) Internet Website.

Terminology was updated in Section 84502 from 'committee registration' to 'Statement of Organization' as the name of the filing under Section 84101, and 'campaign reports' was changed to 'campaign statements' in one provision.

The fiscal committee designation changed from no to yes, and the state-mandated local program designation changed from no to yes, indicating the bill now triggers additional fiscal review and potentially requires reimbursement analysis for local agencies.

The bill now amends Government Code sections 84502, 84503, 84504.2, and 84506.5 (Political Reform Act of 1974), expanding far beyond the original Elections Code section 9082.7 cleanup.

For mass mailings, the top 5 contributors to a committee must now be disclosed on the advertisement, up from the previous requirement of only the top 3. Other ad types still require only the top 3.

New provisions allow shortened committee names on video ads over the internet, large print ads (yard signs, billboards), electronic media ads, and text messages. Shortening can be done by displaying enough of the first part of the name to uniquely identify the committee, or by using 'Committee ID' followed by the committee identification number.

New provisions allow shortening top contributor names using approved abbreviations (such as 'Co.' for 'Company,' 'CA' for 'California'), removing leading articles ('A,' 'An,' 'The'), removing trailing phrases like 'and affiliated entities' or 'of California,' and replacing candidate controlled committee names with the candidate's name.

Independent expenditure disclaimer language is shortened from 'This advertisement was not authorized or paid for by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate' to simply 'Not paid for by a candidate.' The variant for candidates running for another office is shortened to 'Not paid for by a candidate for this office.'

For large print ads like yard signs and billboards, top contributor names may now be separated by clearly visible bullet points or numbered (1., 2., 3.) in addition to the existing comma separation. Top contributor names must be printed in bold type, and the 'Ad Committee's Top Funders' heading must be underlined.

A 'print advertisement' is now explicitly clarified to include yard signs and billboards. An 'electronic media advertisement' is defined as a graphic, image, animated graphic, or animated image that the hosting platform allows to link to an internet website paid for by the committee.

The required vote changed from a simple majority to a two-thirds vote of each house, because the bill now amends the Political Reform Act of 1974, which is an initiative measure requiring supermajority approval for amendments.

A new section declares that no state reimbursement is required under Article XIII B of the California Constitution for costs incurred by local agencies or school districts.