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Look it up: Check candidates and elected officials for campaign law violations
The Fair Political Practices Commission, California’s campaign and ethics watchdog agency, receives thousands of complaints each year and opens hundreds of investigations into elected officials from the local level up to the governor.
Is one of your local elected officials, or a candidate running for office in your area, currently under investigation by the agency? Or were they investigated previously and, if so, what was the outcome? Type in their name below to find out.
One caveat: An investigation does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing. The outcome of an investigation determines whether there was a violation. outcome of the investigation determines whether there was a violation.
A recent CalMatters investigation of commission enforcement data found that:
- 19 of the 305 candidates in California races for state Legislature, U.S. House and U.S. Senate have an open case against them, including an investigation into Congressional candidate Evan Low’s relationship with a policy nonprofit that was opened as a result of CalMatters reporting in 2020.
- Two of the state’s eight constitutional officers are currently under investigation — Gov. Gavin Newsom for late filings and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for allegations of “laundered campaign contributions” — and both won re-election in 2022 while their cases were still pending.
- Seven of the eight top constitutional officers — all but Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis — have had past violations, ranging from improper disclosures to illegal campaign contributions, according to commission enforcement records.
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The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
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Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
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Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
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With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
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Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
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With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.