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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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A possible new rule could require movies to open in more cities to be eligible for an Academy Award. Meant to boost moviegoing, it appears to target streamers — but it could instead cause headaches for small distributors who couldn't afford the change.
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There was a time when there were toilets a-plenty in our streets. Trouble was — you had to pay to use them.
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If you've never heard of Tulare Lake, it may be because it hasn't been a permanent presence in Central California since the early 1900s. Now, with water accumulating, locals are worried about what's next.
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The union that represents school support staff in Los Angeles Unified School District has reached a tentative agreement with district leadership to increase wages by 30% and provide health care to more members.
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When mountain residents realized county resources wouldn't reach them for a week or more, neighbors banded together to help each other out.
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Cheap Fast Eats, Koreatown After Dark! Asian American Pizza, Hot Cheeto-Encrusted Corn Dogs And MoreCheap Fast Eats visits one of L.A.’s most distinctive neighborhoods for some nighttime bites.