The Orange County Board of Supervisors failed to reach agreement on how to address the influence that lobbyists have over their decisions as well as how that influence should be disclosed if at all. Senator Lou Correa (SD 34) hosted a public hearing on government transparency in October and that hearing seems to have helped influence the initiation of this proposed legislation.
The bill, SB31 will require each local government to create a lobbyist registration program as a condition of the local government being eligible to apply for any discretionary grant from any state agency or department.
Sounds good as a start, but there should probably be some provision that allows for uniformity and centralization. I am not sure that requiring lobbyists to register with every local jurisdiction individually is workable. It may make sense to have lobbyists comply by registering with the state and filing a disclosure when they lobby a local official or entity.
As the legislation moves forward next year, there will be hearings and I am sure the details will get teased out. H/T to Voice of OC who had this story first.
Thanks Lou!
