In 2019, the Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 571 (“AB
571”), which amends the Elections Code and Government Code to establish
campaign contribution limits for elective city offices in a city in which the
local government has not established a campaign contribution limit, which is
the case for the City of Vallejo.
Effective January 1, 2021, the State
campaign contribution limit for candidates for city elective offices will be $4,700
per contributor for each election, subject to certain exceptions, and is
subject to adjustment every two years by the Fair Political Practices
Commission based on changes in the consumer price index. AB 571 allows a
city to establish a campaign contribution limit that is higher or lower than
the State default limit as long as those limits were in place prior to January 1,
2021. If a city does not have its own campaign contribution limits in place
prior to January 1, 2021, the State campaign contribution limits established in
AB 571 will apply in that city. The State campaign contribution limit applies
only to candidates and not to ballot measures.
The State campaign contribution limit for cities is the
same campaign contribution limit for “elective state office other than a
candidate for statewide elective office” (i.e., members of the State Assembly
but not Governor) under Government Code Section 85301(a). Section 85301(a) sets
the campaign contribution limit at $3,000, however, the FPPC has adjusted the
limit every two years since the section was enacted so it is currently $4,700
per contributor for each election under Section 18545(a)(1) of the Fair
Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Regulations.
If the State campaign contribution limit is in effect in
a city, which will be the case for the City of Vallejo, the FPPC will enforce
violations of the campaign contribution limit.
Further information may be found at the FPPC’s website at
https://www.fppc.ca.gov/the-law/local-ordinances.html