Political Reform Act of 1974: campaign fund expenditures.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 prohibits a spouse or domestic partner of an elected officer or a candidate for elective office from receiving, in exchange for services rendered, compensation from campaign funds held by a controlled committee of the officer or candidate. This bill would additionally prohibit a parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild of an elected officer or a candidate for elective office from receiving, in exchange for furnished or promised goods, services, facilities, or anything of value, compensation from campaign funds held by a controlled committee of that officer or candidate which exceeds the fair market value of that item. The bill would also prohibit the payment of financial or material compensation beyond fair market value from campaign funds held by a controlled committee of an elected officer or candidate for elective office, in exchange for services rendered, to a vendor if a parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild of that officer or candidate has an interest in, or is employed by, the vendor. A violation of the act may be punished as a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime, this bill 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. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.