Campaign finance agencies in California
In California, there are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Political Reform Division of the Office of the California Secretary of State. The former adopts regulations pertaining to campaign finance disclosure and imposes penalties against individuals and committees that violate the law. The latter receives and processes campaign finance reports.[1][2]
California Fair Political Practices Commission
Authority
Established in 1974, the Fair Political Practices Commission regulates campaign financing and spending, financial conflicts of interest, lobbyist registration and reporting, and more. In addition, the commission is authorized to investigate alleged violations of the law. The commission can also penalize violators.[1]
Organization
The commission comprises five members. Two commissioners are appointed by the governor. One gubernatorial appointee serves as the commission chair; the other must belong to another political party. One commissioner each is appointed by the secretary of state, the attorney general, and the state controller. If all three of these public officials belong to the same political party, the state controller must appoint a commissioner from another political party. All commissioners serve single four-year terms. The chair of the commission serves full-time and receives a salary. The remaining commissioners serve part-time and receive a per diem. The commission employs a staff of approximately 80 people. The table below lists the commissioners as of July 2015.[3]
| California Fair Political Practices Commission—members as of July 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Appointed by |
| Jodi Remke | Chair | Governor |
| Eric S. Casher | Commissioner | Attorney general |
| Sean Eskovitz | Commissioner | Governor |
| Gavin Hachiya Wasserman | Commissioner | State controller |
| Patricia Wynne | Commissioner | Secretary of state |
| Source: California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Commissioner Profiles," accessed July 28, 2015 | ||
Agency budget, 2014
In fiscal year 2014, the Fair Political Practices Commission spent approximately $9.02 million.[4]
California Secretary of State
- See also: California Secretary of State
Authority
The Political Reform Division of the Office of the California Secretary of State administers portions of the state's campaign finance law. In particular, the division oversees campaign finance reporting requirements for candidates and political committees.[5]
Organization
The Political Reform Division is an agency of the Office of the California Secretary of State. The Political Reform Division is led by a chief. The table below provides information about key staff and offices within the division as of July 2015.[6]
| California Secretary of State, Political Reform Division—staff and offices as of July 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Phone number |
| Alex Padilla | Secretary of State | 916-653-7244 |
| Chris Reynolds | Chief | 916-653-6224 |
| Campaign Disclosure Information | 916-653-6224 | |
| Lobbying Information | 916-653-6224 | |
| Source: CA.gov, "Agency Display," accessed July 23, 2015 | ||
Electronic reporting system
Candidates and political committees that have raised or spent $25,000 or more in aggregate since January 1, 2000, are required to file disclosure reports electronically. For more information about California's electronic filing system, see here.[7]
The Political Reform Division publishes a series of reports that "analyze the role of money in state political campaigns." These reports can be accessed here.[8]
Contact information
California Fair Political Practices Commission
- 428 J Street, Suite 620
- Sacramento, California 95814
- Telephone: (916) 322-5660
- Email: advice@fppc.ca.gov
Political Reform Division
- 1500 11th Street, 4th Floor, Room 495
- Sacramento, California 95814
- Telephone: 916-653–6224
- Email: Contact form
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Campaign finance California. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in California
- California Secretary of State
- California Attorney General
External links
- California Fair Political Practices Commission
- California Secretary of State, Political Reform Division
- California Secretary of State, "Electronic Filing Information," accessed July 23, 2015
- California Secretary of State, "Selected Campaign Financing Analyses," accessed July 23, 2015
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "About the FPPC," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Political Reform Division," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ California Fair Political Practices Commission, "About the five member Commission," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ California Department of Finance, "Schedule 9: Comparative Statement of Expenditures," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "History of the Political Reform Division," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ CA.gov, "Agency Display," accessed July 23, 2015
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Electronic Filing Information," accessed July 23, 2015
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Selected Campaign Financing Analyses," accessed July 23, 2015
 |
State of California Sacramento (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |