Officials in California will soon have to avoid voting on items in which their campaign donors have financial interests.
Senate Bill 1439, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week, will take effect Jan. 1, 2023.
Authored by Sen. Steven Glazer (D-Orinda), SB 1439 will mandate a 12-month blackout period between a campaign donation of more than $250 accepted by a local or state official and the official’s participation in approving an item that might benefit the donor, no matter which comes first.
The law also allows an official who unknowingly or unwillingly violated the rule to resolve the situation by returning the donation within 30 days of finding out about the conflict of interest….