Campaign Finance

If you want to try to influence California legislators, there are lots of ways: Nice dinners, fundraisers, campaign contributions, one-on-one conversations. You can also take them on trips to exotic places around the globe. That’s how the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy likes to roll.  As CalMatters’ politics reporter Alexei Koseff and […]

Last year, the Legislature voted to curb campaign contributions to local government officials from those affected by official business. While the new law is very narrow, it now faces a legal challenge.

For a bill described by its author as “the most significant political reform of the last 50 years,” Senate Bill 1439 sure didn’t get much attention when it was working its way through the Legislature last year. The law, authored by Sen. Steve Glazer, passed without a single “no” vote. It was co-authored by an […]

Nearly 100 committees are sitting on $35 million in leftover campaign funds. Candidates could give the cash to charity or return it to their donors, but many hold on to the money to retain political influence or to possibly run again.

Is California prepared for The Big One? That was the question undoubtedly on many residents’ minds after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Humboldt County in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, resulting in two deaths and at least 12 injuries; damaging homes, roads, bridges, water and gas lines and other critical infrastructure; and leaving about 57,000 […]

What do California gas prices and the state’s unwieldy database for tracking donations to political campaigns have in common? Both were the subject of intense hearings in Sacramento on Tuesday, six days before state lawmakers are set to return to the Capitol to get sworn into office and convene a special session called by Gov. […]

After a flurry of called races, victories proclaimed and concessions offered across 52 congressional districts, 100 state Assembly and Senate contests, nine statewide races for constitutional offices and seven propositions on the California ballot, it can be hard to wrap your head around what exactly happened. Fortunately, we’ve boiled it down to a few pictures […]

In the final weeks of the California election, industry and labor groups are spending millions to influence legislative races. That money is being spent not only to support favored candidates, but to attack their opponents with tough ads and mailers.

The Fair Political Practices Commission's enforcement staff declines to open an investigation into Govern For California, but its chairperson wants a broader review of the network’s fundraising model.

Govern For California is using a network of local chapters to amplify the influence of its donors on legislative races. Among the biggest beneficiaries so far is Assemblymember Robert Rivas, who wants to become the next Assembly speaker.