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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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In the 1950s and ‘60s, the city evicted the mostly Black and Latino working-class residents of Section 14 and destroyed their homes. Now, survivors and their descendants seek reparations.
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Port officials say "resuming cargo operations at America’s busiest port complex is critical to maintaining confidence of our customers and supply chain stakeholders."
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Who knows when we'll see such vibrance again in this recently drought-choked land?
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It's glorious grunion run season, which means thousands of small, silver fish take to California beaches to mate.
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A new exhibition in downtown L.A., Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure, takes an inside look at the man and his work. That’s aided by access to the artist’s personal life — made possible because it’s presented by Basquiat’s estate, run by his sisters Jeanine Heriveaux and Lisane Basquiat.
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It’s going to be warm this weekend, so take advantage of both the higher temps and the recent rain.