When does job hunting by California lawmakers raise questions?

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At the end of this year’s legislative session, nearly a quarter of the 120 lawmakers will depart and collect their final state paycheck in late December.

Some hope to start in a new elected office next year, while others will return to their previous jobs. But based on recent history, at least one in five will land a job at companies or organizations trying to influence California’s government.

And as CalMatters Digital Democracy reporter Ryan Sabalow explains, it’s possible that some are job hunting while still voting on bills that could affect their prospective new bosses .

• Outgoing Republican Assemblymember Devon Mathis of Visilia: “August is kind of … the interview period. You see people that are trying to shop, you know, for a third-house gig or something like that.”

While legislators are still in office, state ethics guidelines allow voting on bills that could benefit a “significant segment” of an industry as long as it doesn’t deal specifically with their would-be employer. Mathis has started a public relations firm and agreed to work for an energy company, but said he checked with state ethics officials to make sure he wasn’t violating any laws.

And lawmakers aren’t required to publicly disclose if they’re in job talks with an outside organization trying to influence state policy. Ethics experts and good governance advocates argue the rules should be updated so that the public can at least know if a lawmaker has a new job lined up while they’re still casting votes. When legislators abstain from voting, which is common , there’s also no way to know if it’s because of a conflict of interest.

After leaving office, there is a one-year “cooling off period” that prevents lawmakers from directly lobbying their former colleagues. But they can still work for a company that’s lobbying the Legislature.

A CalMatters analysis of 180 lawmakers who left office since 2012 found that about 40 of them registered as lobbyists, worked as political consultants or took executive-level jobs with companies or organizations actively lobbying at the Capitol.

Read more about the revolving door at the state Capitol in Ryan’s story.

In other Capitol happenings:

• Retail workers: Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas , a Los Angeles Democrat, and Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation, held an online presser Wednesday about protecting workers from the increasing use of self-checkouts at groceries and drug stores. Senate Bill 1446 would require “safe” staffing levels and also require stores to notify workers of new technology intended to eliminate jobs or electronically monitor workers and customers. Smallwood-Cuevas — who was the lone “no” vote against a bill to create a new felony charge for theft — said that the retail industry must also “have some skin in the game to reduce retail theft.”

• Mexican repatriation: Also Wednesday, Democratic Sens. Lena Gonzalez of Long Beach and Josh Becker of Menlo Park promoted their measure to direct a nonprofit organization, in partnership with the state or Los Angeles city or county, to commemorate the Mexican Repatriation , a period during the Great Depression when Mexicans and Mexican Americans were forcibly removed from California.

Suspense file: A reminder that today is when the Assembly and Senate appropriations committees go rapid-fire through bills that cost money and decide whether they will stay alive for this session — or end up in the ash heap of history. About 830 bills await their fate . In the May round of suspense file hearings , 32% of 1,009 bills didn’t advance.

CalMatters covers the Capitol: We have guides and stories to keep track of bills and your lawmakers ; find out how well legislators are representing you ; explore the Legislature’s record diversity ; and to make your voice heard .

November election: Keep up with CalMatters coverage by signing up for 2024 election emails. Check out our Voter Guide , including updates and videos on the 10 propositions and a FAQ on how to vote . And read up on the history of ballot measures in California.

Other Stories You Should Know

Harris surges, but crime lurking

The Democrat running for president was always going to win California in November. But a new poll out Wednesday reinforces the perception that voters are far more enthusiastic about Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket than President Joe Biden.

The survey, conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and cosponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found that Harris leads former President Donald Trump by 59% to 34% among likely California voters.

That’s a surge of 7 percentage points over the lead Biden had in February, before he dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris on July 21. And it’s being fueled by far more support among younger voters (up 23 percentage points), Black voters (up 16 percentage points) and Latino voters (up 10). As CalMatters’ Matthew Reagan and Jenna Peterson wrote, Democrats hope that the excitement among young voters ripples down the ballot to key congressional races.

But one potential vulnerability for Harris — and one being targeted by the Trump campaign — is her record on crime as district attorney in San Francisco and California attorney general.

CalMatters criminal justice reporter Nigel Duara took a close look at nine cases and found that neither the competing narratives about Harris as a prosecutor fits quite right. While progressives say she was too tough , and Trump supporters argue she’s “ soft as Charmin ,” the truth may sit somewhere in between.

For instance, as someone who opposes capital punishment, Harris declined to pursue the death penalty against a man who killed a police officer in 2004. But a decade later, she fought to reinstate the death penalty against another murderer and won.

In 2008, San Francisco police officers shot a schizophrenic woman holding a knife. The woman survived and Harris prosecuted her for assault. But a jury acquitted the woman and she settled with the city for $1 million.

In another case, a witness claimed that actor Jamal Trulove was behind a fatal 2007 shooting, and a jury sentenced Trulove to 50 years to life. But on appeal, a ballistics expert testified that the witness could not have seen the shooting. Trulove was acquitted in 2015 and won $13 million from San Francisco for a stabbing while he was in prison.

Read more about Harris’ record as a prosecutor in Nigel’s story.

Ballot prop politics

Among the 10 measures on the November ballot , Californians will have the opportunity to change the state constitution in two notable ways: One to enshrine same-sex marriage and another to ban forced labor as a punishment for crime.

If passed, Proposition 3 would remove language in the constitution that defines marriage strictly between a man and a woman — a holdover from 2018’s Prop. 8 that banned same-sex marriage. Since Prop. 8 was essentially repealed by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that recognized same-sex marriage, Prop. 8 became a “zombie law.”

Proponents say Prop. 3 will scrub the constitution of “obsolete” language and align it with current state and federal laws. Opponents of the measure say it undermines traditional family values.

Learn more about Prop. 3 in our Voter Guide page from CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu in our one-minute video . And take a quiz from CalMatters data reporter Erica Yee to see how you might vote .

Prop. 6 would amend the constitution to ban forced prison labor . The measure is a priority for the California Black Legislative Caucus, which considers involuntary labor — with most prisoners earning a maximum of 74 cents an hour — one of the last remnants of slavery.

Prop. 6 supporters argue that forcing prisoners to do work that contributes little to future job skills is inhumane. While the measure has no formal opposition, critics in other states say allowing inmates to turn down assignments could make it harder to manage prisons.

To find out more, watch a video explainer from CalMatters’ Wendy Fry . And take the quiz from Erica.

Several potential statewide measures were pulled off the November ballot at the 11th hour. And now it’s happening on the local level as well:

• Bay Area housing bond: The $20 billion borrowing measure was nixed Wednesday by a financing authority over concerns that voters wouldn’t approve it. CalMatters housing reporter Ben Christopher says that what would have been the largest housing bond in state history may be rescheduled for 2026.

• Richmond refinery tax: A measure targeting the Chevron refinery over its health impacts was taken off the November ballot after the oil giant offered to pay the city $550 million over 10 years, the East Bay Times reports . The tax would have cost Chevron more — at least $60 million a year, but the city could have faced a costly court battle.

And lastly: ‘Clean’ trucks’

California’s top air quality regulator asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday to let the state immediately start phasing out diesel trucks. The state reached a deal with truck engine makers , but trucking companies still oppose the rules. Find out what happened from CalMatters climate reporter Alejandro Lazo .

California Voices

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Sen. Smallwood-Cuevas’ bill to limit retailers’ use of self-service kiosks is an effort to resist the advancement of machines replacing human workers .

With the Legislature’s refusal to put a $10 billion affordable housing bond on the Nov. 5 ballot, another funding option is to tax the wealthiest among us, writes Maria Briones , a member of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.

Other things worth your time:

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How Harris and Trump are plotting to win over crypto fans // The San Francisco Standard

CA farmers skeptical of Harris on Central Valley water // The Sacramento Bee

Dem VP pick Walz’s climate record took inspiration from CA // Los Angeles Times

Computer science bill to address disparities in access — if it passes // EdSource

Judge orders UCLA to give Jewish students equal campus access // Los Angeles Times

SF overdose deaths fall to lowest level since before pandemic // KQED

Class action suit highlights inconvenience of hydrogen fuel cell cars // Los Angeles Times

SF financial tech company Tally , valued at $855M, shuts down // San Francisco Chronicle

Why the Catholic church plans to develop affordable housing in LA // LAist

State will audit Angel Stadium lease , questioning shared revenue // The Orange County Register