Bill Text: CA AB884 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 884

Introduced

Bill Title: Campaign contributions: investor-owned utilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-20 - From printer. May be heard in committee March 22. [AB884 Detail]

Download: California-2025-AB884-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 884

Introduced by Assembly Member Essayli

February 19, 2025

An act to add Section 85322 to the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 884, as introduced, Essayli. Campaign contributions: investor-owned utilities.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 provides for the comprehensive regulation of campaign financing and related matters.

This bill would prohibit an investor-owned utility from making a contribution to a candidate for elective state office and would prohibit a candidate for elective state office from accepting a contribution from an investor-owned utility.

A violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 is punishable as a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime under the act, 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 ²/₃ 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.

Vote: 2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 85322 is added to the Government Code, to read:

85322.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, an investor-owned utility shall not make a contribution to a candidate for elective state office.

(b) A candidate for elective state office shall not accept a contribution from an investor-owned utility.

SEC. 2.

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

SEC. 3.

The Legislature finds and declares that this bill furthers the purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 81012 of the Government Code.