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In early October 2025, Governor Newsom signed three bills into law amending the Political Reform Act of 1974 (PRA): Assembly Bills 1286 and AB 953, and SB 42.
The PRA requires specified public officials to file statements disclosing their investments, income, and interests in real property while in office, and to file subsequent statements upon leaving office. Assembly Bill 1286 adds Government Code sections 82004.2 and 87207.5 and amends sections 87202, 87203, and 87204, providing that specified public officials must now disclose an "arrangement for prospective employment" made during the covered disclosure period. As defined, an arrangement for prospective employment is an agreement pursuant to which a prospective employer's offer of employment has been accepted by the prospective employee. The Form 700, used by public officials to make their disclosures, has not yet been updated on the Fair Political Practices Commission website to reflect this change.
Pursuant to Government Code section 85320, the PRA currently prohibits foreign governments or foreign principals from contributing or making expenditures in connection with the support or opposition of state or local ballot measures or elections for state or local office. Assembly Bill 953 expands these prohibitions to "foreign nationals," defined as persons who are not citizens of the United States or lawfully admitted permanent residents. Excluded from the definition are persons who have been granted deferred action under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The PRA also prohibits public officers from expending, and candidates from accepting, public funds for the purpose of seeking elective office. In the past few decades, several attempts have been made to allow public financing of campaigns in California. In 2016, Senate Bill 1107 permitted a public officer or candidate to spend or accept public moneys to seek elective office if the state or a local governmental entity established a dedicated fund for that purpose. The courts then invalidated SB 1107, ruling that the voters would need to make this change to the PRA. In October 2025, the Governor signed Senate Bill 42, which will put a measure on the ballot in November 2026 to amend Government Code sections 85300 and 85320 of the PRA to allow public funding of campaigns as contemplated by the courts.
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