That the City Council receive and file the Senate Bill 1439 (SB 1439) presentation conducted by Assistant City Attorney Keith F. Collins.

Senate Bill 1439 (SB 1439), which took effect on January 1, 2023, expands the regulation of the acceptance of campaign contributions by certain City officials (i.e., City Councilmembers and Planning Commissioners). If a donor has a matter pending before an agency, or is a participant with a legal interest in the proceeding, and the regulated City official receives a campaign contribution from the donor in excess of $250 in the prior 12 months, the City official must publicly disclose the contribution and cannot participate in the decision of the matter. Additionally, the donor must disclose the contribution for the record. In the 12 months following the decision, a regulated City official cannot receive campaign contributions in excess of $250 from a donor with an economic interest in the governmental decision.

The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) indicated SB 1439 does not apply retroactively to campaign donations to City officials received in 2022, which would exclude campaign contributions received during the 2022 General Municipal Election.  However, SB 1439 regulations will apply to campaign contributions received for the November 5, 2024, General Municipal Election.

Assistant City Attorney Keith F. Collins will present the attached PowerPoint presentation and answer questions in order to further clarify and provide guidance regarding SB 1439 restrictions and requirements.  Planning Commissioners and Community Services Commissioners have also been scheduled to attend this study session.