This title shall be known and may be cited as the “Political Reform Act of 1974.”
Chapter 1 - General
California Government Code — §§ 81000-81015
Sections (15)
Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 249, Sec. 2. (AB 1511) Effective January 1, 2026.
The people find and declare as follows:
(a)State and local government should serve the needs and respond to the wishes of all citizens equally, without regard to their wealth;
(b)Public officials, whether elected or appointed, should perform their duties in an impartial manner, free from bias caused by their own financial interests or the financial interests of persons who have supported them;
(c)Costs of conducting election campaigns have increased greatly in recent years, and candidates have been forced to finance their campaigns by seeking large contributions from lobbyists and organizations
who thereby gain disproportionate influence over governmental decisions;
(d)The influence of large campaign contributors is increased because existing laws for disclosure of campaign receipts and expenditures have proved to be inadequate;
(e)Lobbyists often make their contributions to incumbents who cannot be effectively challenged because of election laws and abusive practices which give the incumbent an unfair advantage;
(f)The wealthy individuals and organizations which make large campaign contributions frequently extend their influence by employing lobbyists and spending large amounts to influence legislative and administrative actions;
(g)The
influence of large campaign contributors in ballot measure elections is increased because the state voter information guide mailed to the voters by the state is difficult to read and almost impossible for a layperson to understand; and
(h)Previous laws regulating political practices have suffered from inadequate enforcement by state and local authorities.
Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 249, Sec. 3. (AB 1511) Effective January 1, 2026. Note: This section was added on June 4, 1974, by initiative Prop. 9.
The people enact this title to accomplish the following purposes:
(a)Receipts and expenditures in election campaigns should be fully and truthfully disclosed in order that the voters may be fully informed and improper practices may be inhibited.
(b)The activities of lobbyists should be regulated and their finances disclosed in order that improper influences will not be directed at public officials.
(c)Assets and income of public officials which may be materially affected by their official actions should be disclosed and in appropriate circumstances the officials should be
disqualified from acting in order that conflicts of interest may be avoided.
(d)The state voter information guide should be converted into a useful document so that voters will not be entirely dependent on paid advertising for information regarding state measures.
(e)Laws and practices unfairly favoring incumbents should be abolished in order that elections may be conducted more fairly.
(f)Adequate enforcement mechanisms should be provided to public officials and private citizens in order that this title will be vigorously enforced.
This title should be liberally construed to accomplish its purposes.
Added by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1161.
Any report or statement filed pursuant to this title may be amended by the filer at any time. Amending an incorrect or incomplete report or statement may be considered as evidence of good faith.
Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 312, Sec. 1. (AB 902) Effective January 1, 2020.
(a)If this title requires that a statement or report be filed before or on a specified date or during or within a specified period, and the filing deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or official state holiday, the filing deadline for the statement or report shall be extended to the next regular business day.
(b)This extension does not apply to the following statements or reports:
(1)Contribution reports required by Section 84203, subdivision (b) of Section 84203.3, or Section 85309, or the contributor’s notice of a late in-kind contribution required by subdivision (a) of Section 84203.3, when the due date for these types of reports falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or official state
holiday immediately before an election.
(2)Independent expenditure reports required by Section 84204 or 85500.
Amended by Stats. 1985, Ch. 1183, Sec. 1. Effective September 29, 1985. Note: This section was added on June 4, 1974, by initiative Prop. 9.
Except as provided in this title, no fee or charge shall be collected by any officer for the filing of any report or statement or for the forms upon which reports or statements are to be prepared.
Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 674, Sec. 1.
(a)Any local government agency which has enacted, enacts, amends, or repeals an ordinance or other provision of law affecting campaign contributions and expenditures shall file a copy of the action with the commission.
(b)Notwithstanding Section 81013, no local government agency shall enact any ordinance imposing filing requirements additional to or different from those set forth in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 84100) for elections held in its jurisdiction
unless the additional or different filing requirements apply only to the candidates seeking election in that jurisdiction, their controlled committees or committees formed or existing primarily to support or oppose their candidacies, and to committees formed or existing primarily to support or oppose a candidate or to support or oppose the qualification of, or passage of, a local ballot measure which is being voted on only in that jurisdiction, and to city or county general purpose committees active only in that city or county, respectively.
Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 312, Sec. 2. (AB 902) Effective January 1, 2020.
A filing officer or filing official’s failure to comply with a duty or to provide notice of a filing or disclosure obligation does not affect a person’s duty to file statements and reports disclosing information as required by this title or any enforceable conflict of interest code.
Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 221, Sec. 44. Effective January 1, 2003.
Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, the election precinct of a person signing a statewide petition shall not be required to appear on the petition when it is filed with the county elections official, nor any additional information regarding a signer other than the information required to be written by the signer.
Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 331, Sec. 2. (SB 852) Effective January 1, 2026. Note: This section was added on June 4, 1974, by initiative Prop. 9.
This title may be amended or repealed by the procedures set forth in this section. If any portion of subdivision (a) is declared invalid, then subdivision (b) shall be the exclusive means of amending or repealing this title.
(a)This title may be amended to further its purposes by statute, passed in each house by rollcall vote entered in the journal, two-thirds of the membership concurring and signed by the Governor, if at least 8 days before passage in each house, or at least 12 days before passage in each house if the previous form of the bill did not amend this title, the bill in its final form has been printed, distributed to the Members of the Legislature, and published on the internet.
(b)This title may be amended or repealed by a statute that becomes effective only when approved by the electors.
Added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 499, Sec. 3. (SB 681) Effective January 1, 2024.
(a)The Legislative Counsel shall, through the information system described in Section 10248, make available to the public the option to sign up to receive an email alert any time any of the following actions occur:
(1)A new bill that would amend this title is introduced.
(2)An existing bill that would amend this title is amended, referred to the floor or committee, voted on, or is otherwise subject to an action triggering a notification by the information system described in Section 10248.
(3)An existing bill that would not amend this title is
amended to include provisions that would amend this title.
(b)The email alerts described in subdivision (a) shall be sent in the shortest feasible time, but no later than
9 a.m. the calendar day after the legislative action that is subject to the alert.
(c)All email alerts sent through the information system described in Section 10248 regarding bills that would amend this title shall include the text “Political Reform Act Bill” in the email subject line.
Nothing in this title prevents the Legislature or any other state or local agency from imposing additional requirements on any person if the requirements do not prevent the person from complying with this title. If any act of the Legislature conflicts with the provisions of this title, this title shall prevail.
Whenever any reference is made in this title to a federal or state statute and that statute has been or is subsequently repealed or amended, the Commission may promulgate regulations to carry out the intent of this title as nearly as possible.
If any provision of this title, or the application of any such provision to any person or circumstances, shall be held invalid, the remainder of this title to the extent it can be given effect, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby, and to this end the provisions of this title are severable.