In accordance with the California Government Code section 82015, payments made at the behest of elected officials are presumed not to be campaign contributions if they meet the following guidelines:
- the payments are made principally for legislative, governmental, or charitable purposes, and
- the payments are made principally for purposes unrelated to the official’s candidacy for elected office.
Although such payments are not campaign contributions, they must be disclosed on the FPPC Form 803 and submitted to the elected official’s agency within 30 days after the total payments made by a single source equal to or exceed $5,000 in a calendar year. The agency must forward a copy of the report to the Ethics Commission within 30 days of its receipt.
After the $5,000 threshold is met for a particular calendar year, all subsequent payments made by the same source during the calendar year must be reported by the elected officer within 30 days after the date the payment is made.
These reports are public records.