SACRAMENTO, CA — California’s elected officials no longer will be able to hide lavish travel expenses, thanks to new rules by the state’s ethics watchdog agency.
The
Fair Political Practices Commission on Monday adopted rules that will
require California politicians to provide itemized expenditures on all
travel within the state paid for using campaign contributions.
Those
disclosures must include who was on the trip—including any family
members—and how it helped the elected official do their job.
"Public
officials don’t need five-star hotels, haute cuisine and $100 bottles
of wine to effectively govern the state of California," said Carmen
Balber of Consumer Watchdog.
Another new rule prohibit donors
from paying for travel by state and local elected officials by making
gifts to their agencies as a way of getting around disclosure
requirements.
The new rules take effect July 1 and apply to officials such as state legislators and city council members.
The
commission "is moving to close loopholes and making sure gifts that are
intended for high-ranking government officials cannot be made behind
the public’s back," said Chairman Ross Johnson.
