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Litigation We’re Watching
April 7, 2025: The People of the State of California vs. City of Huntington Beach – In March 2024, the voters of the City of Huntington Beach approved an initiative to amend the city charter to allow officials to enact a voter ID requirement for local elections. The measure is set to take effect in 2026. California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber (D) sued the City in April 2024, arguing that state law supersedes the City Charter under the “home rule doctrine.” On April 7, 2025, the Superior Court of Orange County denied California’s petition to invalidate the charter amendment. In a statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that the CA DOJ looks “forward to moving on and appealing the decision…[and] remain confident that Measure A will ultimately be struck down.”
News from Election and Ethics Agencies
United States Senate – Effective January 1, 2025, the United State Senate has set new qualification thresholds for Section 4(a)(3) of the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA). Under the new thresholds, “A lobbying firm whose total income for matters related to lobbying activities on behalf of a client does not exceed or is not expected to exceed $3,500 in the quarterly period during which the registration would be made is not required to be registered with respect to such client. An organization employing in-house lobbyists whose total expenses in connection with lobbying activities do not exceed and are not expected to exceed $16,000 in the quarterly period during which the registration would be made is not required to be registered.” The next adjustment will be made in January 2029.
New Legislation
Federal Legislation – H.R. 22, S. 128: The Save Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act) has been reintroduced in the 119th Congress and seeks to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of United States citizenship to register an individual to vote in elections for Federal office. The House of Representatives has passed the bill and it has advanced to the Senate.