Latest Developments:
- The United States Senate confirmed elections lawyer Dara Lindenbaum to the Federal Elections Commission with a bipartisan vote. As Roll Call reports, the Commission “in recent years had too few commissioners to conduct official business or even hold meetings. When Lindenbaum joins the agency, five [of the] commissioners will have been confirmed since May 2020.” Lindenbaum has agreed to recuse herself for two years from matters coming before the Commission which may involve clients she represented, some of whom are still active in electoral politics.
- The Governor of Florida signed HB 7001, which implements a constitutional provision (Article II, Section 8(f)) previously adopted by the voters. The constitutional provision bans lobbying for six years after public officials leave office. The bill adds detailed definitions in connection with that provision and imposes penalties, including a fine of up to $10,000, for violation of the ban. Both the constitutional provision and the bill take effect December 31, 2022.
- The California Fair Political Practices Commission issued a press release announcing “a new guide to make it easier for public entities to understand and follow the rules involved with spending taxpayer money to inform the public on issues involving political campaigns.” Under California’s Political Reform Act, public entities must disclose their expenditures, even when prohibitions regarding these expenditures fall outside of the Commission’s jurisdiction. The press release notes that violations of FPPC rules have multiplied “[i]n recent years [given]…a noticeable increase in campaign activity by public agencies… us[ing] public monies to produce communications – letters, flyers, radio, or television spots – intended to persuade voters to support or oppose ballot measures instead of simply providing voters with impartial information.”
In Case You Missed It:
- Mayor Has His Wings Clipped: The Mayor of Anaheim, California resigned this week amidst an expensive federal probe into City officials concerning multiple corruption and money laundering allegations. As Politico reports, the accusations contend that the Mayor “sought to turn the city’s prolonged attempt to sell [the MLB] Angel Stadium…to his personal advantage… us[ing] an intermediary to pass confidential information about those talks to an Angels representative… [and concurrently] discussed his intention to ask an Angels representative for half a million dollars or more in campaign donations in exchange for his work advancing the proposed stadium deal.” The Mayor maintains his innocence and a “judge has halted the planned stadium transaction at the request of the California Department of Justice.”
- Court Revelations Make Corporation Blush: The growing Anaheim dragnet sheds light on one major corporation’s machinations in local politics as detailed in FBI and related court documents. According to the Los Angeles Times, these documents refer to “Company A” and they “provide an unusually detailed look inside how the company works to shape events away from public view.” While not accused of any wrongdoing, the company’s influencing was revealed in recorded deliberations with City officials and other businesses interests. One such example is providing input for a script written for an Anaheim official (which the LA Times deduces is the now-former Mayor) arguing for a municipal bond measure which would cover revenue shortfall due to the pandemic. The corporation’s representative subsequently criticized the mayor’s delivery of the statement, which included copious praise for “Company A.”
- Country Club Campaigning: The Office of Congressional Ethics revealed potential campaign finance violations against Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson. According to New York Times, the Congressman’s campaign apparently used campaign funds for expenditures for membership at a country club that “allowed him and his wife unlimited use of the club’s dining rooms, gym, banquet and meeting rooms, as well as access to club events and other benefits…in violation of Federal Election Commission regulations prohibiting the use of campaign funds for such purposes.” Jackson claims that the club membership was to be used for meeting and fundraising purposes, although he “refused to cooperate with the investigation, and his campaign’s treasurer and accounting firm refused to provide documents to investigators.” The Times notes that the club is part of a larger nationwide network of country clubs and golf courses and that thousands of campaign dollars have since been spent on monthly dues, dining, and meeting events.