Public officers: contracts: financial interest.

Existing law prohibits Members of the Legislature, and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from being financially interested in a contract, as specified, made by them in their official capacity or by any body or board of which they are members, subject to specified exceptions. Existing law imposes a criminal penalty on every officer or person who willfully violates these prohibitions. Existing law identifies certain remote interests that are not subject to this prohibition and other situations in which an official is not deemed to be financially interested in a contract, including, among others, that of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services. This bill, on and after January 1, 2018, would include within the definition of remote interest that of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officer's child, parent, or sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, except a public officer's financial interests would not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer. By expanding these prohibitions, this bill would create a new crime, and thus would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.