Last Updated May 6, 2025
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.
Federal Election Commission News
Committees that file with the Federal Election Commission are required to collect certain information for contributions received from limited liability companies in order to report accurate and complete attribution information. The Committee treasurer usually must confirm that the committee has used best efforts to acquire and maintain the information. In light of this requirement, the Federal Election Commission has adopted a Sample Donor Response Form that can be used a sample for collecting this information.
FEC Commissioner Allen Dickerson has departed from the FEC, which means that the FEC is left with only three commissioners. Actions regarding the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 require a four-vote majority, meaning that the FEC’s’ capabilities are stifled, as it no longer has a quorum to conduct business.
Fair Political Practices Commission News
The Fair Political Practices Commission has extended the Statement of Economic Interests filing deadline for public officials in Los Angeles County in response to the devastating Eaton and Palisades wildfires in Los Angeles. The new filing deadline is June 2, 2025.
Los Angeles City Ethics Commission News
The Los Angeles Ethics Commission has announced the mandatory annual adjustments to limits and thresholds in the City’s campaign finance laws. The new limits are available online and apply to City elections in which the fundraising window for the primary election opens after March 1, 2025.
Orange County Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission
The Orange County Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission has raised contribution limits for Orange County elections. Effective April 10, 2025, the limit is increased to $2,700.
City of Santa Ana
City of Santa Ana Councilmember Phil Bacerra has submitted a request for the City Council to draft an ordinance for Council consideration that would require potential City contractors to disclose violations of campaign finance rules prior to being chosen for City contracts.
County of San Benito
The County of San Benito has adopted Ordinance 1070, which requires County lobbyists and lobbying firms to register and file reports regarding their lobbying activities. Registrations must be filed on an annual basis by January 15, and disclosure reports must be filed quarterly.
San Francisco Ethics Commission News
The San Francisco Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division has invited public comment on potential amendments to the Commission’s streamlined administrative resolution program. Some of the proposed amendments include changes to the penalty calculations.