Political Reform Act of 1974., the official text

An act to amend Sections 83109, 85200, and 86112.3 of the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

(1) The Political Reform Act of 1974 establishes the Fair Political Practices Commission and authorizes the commission to appoint officers, counsel, and employees consistent with applicable civil service laws. The act prohibits the commission from including a nonclerical position in the same civil service class as any position of any other department or agency.
This bill would instead authorize the commission to do so.
(2) The act requires an individual, before becoming a candidate for a specific office, to file a statement of intention to be a candidate. The act requires an individual who intends to be a candidate for elective state office to file the statement of intention online or electronically with the Secretary of State.
This bill would expand the state offices for which a candidate must file their statement of intention online or electronically with the Secretary of State to include judicial offices.
(3) Under the act, lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers who send any written or printed invitation to an elected state officer, candidate for elective state office, legislative official, or agency official, are required to include on the invitation or on a letter attached to the invitation a statement that “Attendance at this event by a public official will constitute acceptance of a reportable gift.” The statement must be typed, printed, or handwritten at least as large and readable as 8-point Roman boldface type, in a color or print that contrasts with the background so as to be easily legible.
This bill would increase the minimum text size of the required statement to 10-point Roman boldface type.
(4) 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.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
Section 83109 of the Government Code is amended to read:
83109.
For purposes of Section 19818.6, the Commission may include a nonclerical position in a class in the civil service classification plan that is separate and distinct from any position of any other department or agency.

SEC. 2.
Section 85200 of the Government Code, as amended by Section 57 of Chapter 278 of the Statutes of 2025, is amended to read:
85200.
(a) Before becoming a candidate for a specific office, an individual shall file a statement of intention to be a candidate, signed under penalty of perjury.
(1) An individual who intends to be a candidate for elective state office, or for any other office listed in subdivision (a) of Section 84215, shall file the statement of intention online or electronically with the Secretary of State.
(2) An individual who intends to be a candidate for any other elective office shall file the statement of intention with the same filing officer and in the same location as the individual would file an original campaign report pursuant to subdivisions (b), (c), and (d) of Section 84215.
(b) Candidates and officeholders who do not intend to qualify as a committee pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 82013 shall indicate this status on the statement of intention.
(1) Each candidate or officeholder who has indicated their intention to not qualify as a committee pursuant to this subdivision, but thereafter qualifies as a committee by receiving contributions or making expenditures totaling two thousand dollars ($2,000) or more in a calendar year, shall amend their statement of intention with the Secretary of State or their local filing officer within 48 hours of qualifying and register as a committee pursuant to Section 84101.
(2) For the purposes of this subdivision, in calculating whether two thousand dollars ($2,000) in expenditures have been made, payments for a filing fee or for a statement of qualification shall not be included if the payments are made from the candidate’s personal funds.
(c) For purposes of this section, “contribution” does not include any payments from the candidate’s personal funds for a candidate filing fee or a candidate statement of qualifications fee.

SEC. 3.
Section 86112.3 of the Government Code is amended to read:
86112.3.
(a) Each person filing a report pursuant to this article who sends any written or printed invitation to an elected state officer, candidate for elective state office, legislative official, or agency official, shall include on the invitation or on a letter attached to the invitation the following typed, printed, or handwritten statement that is at least as large and readable as 10-point Roman boldface type, in a color or print that contrasts with the background so as to be easily legible:
Attendance at this event by a public official will constitute acceptance of a reportable gift.
(b) The notice specified in subdivision (a) shall not be required to appear on any invitation wherein attendance at the event described in the invitation will not constitute acceptance of a reportable gift by an elected state officer, candidate for elective state office, legislative official, or agency official, pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 87207.
(c) The remedies provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 83100) constitute the exclusive penalty for a violation of this section. The remedies provided in Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 91000) do not apply to this section.

SEC. 4.
The Legislature finds and declares that this bill furthers the purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 81012 of the Government Code.