California Legislature Approves Bill to Strengthen Conflict of Interest Laws Involving Lobbyists

This bill would effectively prohibit local lobbyists from making contributions while working on projects and for a year afterwardPhoto byJosh HildonUnsplash

On Saturday, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 1243, a measure proposed by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) aimed at tightening conflict of interest laws for local governments. The legislation seeks to prevent corruption or the appearance of corruption by clarifying and expanding existing regulations.

"This bill enhances our state's local government ethics safeguards by focusing on situations that are particularly vulnerable to abuse or breaches of public trust," said Sen. Dodd. "It's vital that everyone understands how to follow the law, which is why my bill clearly outlines what is and isn’t permitted."

Senate Bill 1243 builds upon the current Levine Act, which requires elected officials to disclose contributions over $250 from parties with pending business before them and to recuse themselves from decisions involving those parties. The new legislation goes further by banning contributions from agents or participants in proceedings, both during the process and for 12 months after a final decision.

This bill would effectively prohibit local lobbyists from making contributions while working on projects and for a year afterward, establishing a nation-leading standard for conflict of interest policies at the local level.

In addition to these changes, the bill updates the reporting and recusal threshold to $500, better defines who qualifies as a participant or agent, and provides a mechanism for local officials to return contributions that would trigger recusal.