SB 1011: Public officers: contracts: financial interest.
- Session Year: 2015-2016
- House: Senate
- Latest Version Date: 2016-08-01
Existing law prohibits Members of the Legislature, and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from being financially interested in a contract, as specified, made by them in their official capacity or by any body or board of which they are members, subject to specified exceptions. Existing law imposes a criminal penalty on every officer or person who willfully violates these prohibitions. Existing law identifies certain remote interests that are not subject to this prohibition and other situations in which an official is not deemed to be financially interested in a contract, including, among others, that of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
This bill would, bill, on and after January 1, 2018, would include within the definition of remote interest that of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, or sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, except a public officers financial interests do would not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer. By expanding these prohibitions, this bill would create a new crime, and thus would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law prohibits Members of the Legislature, and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from being financially interested in a contract, as specified, made by them in their official capacity or by any body or board of which they are members, subject to specified exceptions. Existing law imposes a criminal penalty on every officer or person who willfully violates these prohibitions. Existing law identifies certain remote interests that are not subject to this prohibition and other situations in which an official is not deemed to be financially interested in a contract, including, among others, that of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2018, include within the definition of remote interest that of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, except a public officers financial interests do not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer. By expanding these prohibitions, this bill would create a new crime, and thus would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law prohibits Members of the Legislature, and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from being financially interested in a contract, as specified, made by them in their official capacity or by any body or board of which they are members, subject to specified exceptions. Existing law identifies certain remote interests that are not subject to this prohibition and other situations in which an official is not deemed to be financially interested in a contract, including, among others, that of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2018, include within the definition of remote interest that of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, in a contract made by that public officer, except a public officers financial interests do not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer, and that public officer knowingly or willfully fails to disclose those interests. officer.
Existing law prohibits Members of the Legislature, and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from being financially interested in a contract, as specified, made by them in their official capacity or by any body or board of which they are members, subject to specified exceptions. Existing law identifies certain remote interests that are not subject to this prohibition and other situations in which an official is not deemed to be financially interested in a contract, including, among others, that of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2018, include within the definition of remote interest that of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, in a contract made by that public officer, except a public officers financial interests do not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer, and that public officer knowingly or willfully fails to disclose those interests.
(a)An officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member within the meaning of this article if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract and if the fact of that interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records, and thereafter the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract in good faith by a vote of its membership sufficient for the purpose without counting the vote or votes of the officer or member with the remote interest.
(b)As used in this article, remote interest means any of the following:
(1)That of an officer or employee of a nonprofit entity exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)), pursuant to Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(5)), or a nonprofit corporation, except as provided in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 1091.5.
(2)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if the contracting party has 10 or more other employees and if the officer was an employee or agent of that contracting party for at least three years prior to the officer initially accepting his or her office and the officer owns less than 3 percent of the shares of stock of the contracting party; and the employee or agent is not an officer or director of the contracting party and did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
For purposes of this paragraph, time of employment with the contracting party by the officer shall be counted in computing the three-year period specified in this paragraph even though the contracting party has been converted from one form of business organization to a different form of business organization within three years of the initial taking of office by the officer. Time of employment in that case shall be counted only if, after the transfer or change in organization, the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party is the same or substantially similar to that which existed before the transfer or change in organization. For purposes of this paragraph, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an interest in the contracting party are regarded as having the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party.
(3)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if all of the following conditions are met:
(A)The agency of which the person is an officer is a local public agency located in a county with a population of less than 4,000,000.
(B)The contract is competitively bid and is not for personal services.
(C)The employee or agent is not in a primary management capacity with the contracting party, is not an officer or director of the contracting party, and holds no ownership interest in the contracting party.
(D)The contracting party has 10 or more other employees.
(E)The employee or agent did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
(F)The contracting party is the lowest responsible bidder.
(4)That of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
(5)That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.
(6)That of an attorney of the contracting party or that of an owner, officer, employee, or agent of a firm that renders, or has rendered, service to the contracting party in the capacity of stockbroker, insurance agent, insurance broker, real estate agent, or real estate broker, if these individuals have not received and will not receive remuneration, consideration, or a commission as a result of the contract and if these individuals have an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the law practice or firm, stock brokerage firm, insurance firm, or real estate firm.
(7)That of a member of a nonprofit corporation formed under the Food and Agricultural Code or a nonprofit corporation formed under the Corporations Code for the sole purpose of engaging in the merchandising of agricultural products or the supplying of water.
(8)That of a supplier of goods or services when those goods or services have been supplied to the contracting party by the officer for at least five years prior to his or her election or appointment to office.
(9)That of a person subject to the provisions of Section 1090 in any contract or agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of the California Land Conservation Act of 1965.
(10)Except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1091.5, that of a director of, or a person having an ownership interest of, 10 percent or more in a bank, bank holding company, or savings and loan association with which a party to the contract has a relationship of borrower or depositor, debtor or creditor.
(11)That of an engineer, geologist, architect, or planner employed by a consulting engineering, architectural, or planning firm. This paragraph applies only to an employee of a consulting firm who does not serve in a primary management capacity, and does not apply to an officer or director of a consulting firm.
(12)That of an elected officer otherwise subject to Section 1090, in any housing assistance payment contract entered into pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f) as amended, provided that the housing assistance payment contract was in existence before Section 1090 became applicable to the officer and will be renewed or extended only as to the existing tenant, or, in a jurisdiction in which the rental vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, as to new tenants in a unit previously under a Section 8 contract. This section applies to any person who became a public official on or after November 1, 1986.
(13)That of a person receiving salary, per diem, or reimbursement for expenses from a government entity.
(14)That of a person owning less than 3 percent of the shares of a contracting party that is a for-profit corporation, provided that the ownership of the shares derived from the persons employment with that corporation.
(15)That of a party to litigation involving the body or board of which the officer is a member in connection with an agreement in which all of the following apply:
(A)The agreement is entered into as part of a settlement of litigation in which the body or board is represented by legal counsel.
(B)After a review of the merits of the agreement and other relevant facts and circumstances, a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the agreement serves the public interest.
(C)The interested member has recused himself or herself from all participation, direct or indirect, in the making of the agreement on behalf of the body or board.
(16)That of a person who is an officer or employee of an investor-owned utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission with respect to a contract between the investor-owned utility and a state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which the person is a member, if the contract requires the investor-owned utility to provide energy efficiency rebates or other type of program to encourage energy efficiency that benefits the public when all of the following apply:
(A)The contract is funded by utility consumers pursuant to regulations of the Public Utilities Commission.
(B)The contract provides no individual benefit to the person that is not also provided to the public, and the investor-owned utility receives no direct financial profit from the contract.
(C)The person has recused himself or herself from all participation in making the contract on behalf of the state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which he or she is a member.
(D)The contract implements a program authorized by the Public Utilities Commission.
(17)That of an owner or partner of a firm serving as an appointed member of an unelected board or commission of the contracting agency if the owner or partner recuses himself or herself from providing any advice to the contracting agency regarding the contract between the firm and the contracting agency and from all participation in reviewing a project that results from that contract.
(c)This section is not applicable to any officer interested in a contract who influences or attempts to influence another member of the body or board of which he or she is a member to enter into the contract.
(d)The willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her interest in a contract pursuant to this section is punishable as provided in Section 1097. That violation does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
(e)This section shall be repealed on January 1, 2018.
SEC. 2.Section 1091 is added to the Government Code, to read:1091.(a)An officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member within the meaning of this article if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract and if the fact of that interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records, and thereafter the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract in good faith by a vote of its membership sufficient for the purpose without counting the vote or votes of the officer or member with the remote interest.
(b)As used in this article, remote interest means any of the following:
(1)That of an officer or employee of a nonprofit entity exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)), pursuant to Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(5)), or a nonprofit corporation, except as provided in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 1091.5.
(2)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if the contracting party has 10 or more other employees and if the officer was an employee or agent of that contracting party for at least three years prior to the officer initially accepting his or her office and the officer owns less than 3 percent of the shares of stock of the contracting party; and the employee or agent is not an officer or director of the contracting party and did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
For purposes of this paragraph, time of employment with the contracting party by the officer shall be counted in computing the three-year period specified in this paragraph even though the contracting party has been converted from one form of business organization to a different form of business organization within three years of the initial taking of office by the officer. Time of employment in that case shall be counted only if, after the transfer or change in organization, the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party is the same or substantially similar to that which existed before the transfer or change in organization. For purposes of this paragraph, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an interest in the contracting party are regarded as having the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party.
(3)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if all of the following conditions are met:
(A)The agency of which the person is an officer is a local public agency located in a county with a population of less than 4,000,000.
(B)The contract is competitively bid and is not for personal services.
(C)The employee or agent is not in a primary management capacity with the contracting party, is not an officer or director of the contracting party, and holds no ownership interest in the contracting party.
(D)The contracting party has 10 or more other employees.
(E)The employee or agent did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
(F)The contracting party is the lowest responsible bidder.
(4)That of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
(5)That of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, except a public officers financial interests do not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer.
(6)
(5)That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.
(7)
(6)That of an attorney of the contracting party or that of an owner, officer, employee, or agent of a firm that renders, or has rendered, service to the contracting party in the capacity of stockbroker, insurance agent, insurance broker, real estate agent, or real estate broker, if these individuals have not received and will not receive remuneration, consideration, or a commission as a result of the contract and if these individuals have an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the law practice or firm, stock brokerage firm, insurance firm, or real estate firm.
(8)
(7)That of a member of a nonprofit corporation formed under the Food and Agricultural Code or a nonprofit corporation formed under the Corporations Code for the sole purpose of engaging in the merchandising of agricultural products or the supplying of water.
(9)
(8)That of a supplier of goods or services when those goods or services have been supplied to the contracting party by the officer for at least five years prior to his or her election or appointment to office.
(10)
(9)That of a person subject to the provisions of Section 1090 in any contract or agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of the California Land Conservation Act of 1965.
(11)
(10)Except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1091.5, that of a director of, or a person having an ownership interest of, 10 percent or more in a bank, bank holding company, or savings and loan association with which a party to the contract has a relationship of borrower or depositor, debtor or creditor.
(12)
(11)That of an engineer, geologist, architect, or planner employed by a consulting engineering, architectural, or planning firm. This paragraph applies only to an employee of a consulting firm who does not serve in a primary management capacity, and does not apply to an officer or director of a consulting firm.
(13)
(12)That of an elected officer otherwise subject to Section 1090, in any housing assistance payment contract entered into pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f) as amended, provided that the housing assistance payment contract was in existence before Section 1090 became applicable to the officer and will be renewed or extended only as to the existing tenant, or, in a jurisdiction in which the rental vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, as to new tenants in a unit previously under a Section 8 contract. This section applies to any person who became a public official on or after November 1, 1986.
(14)
(13)That of a person receiving salary, per diem, or reimbursement for expenses from a government entity.
(15)
(14)That of a person owning less than 3 percent of the shares of a contracting party that is a for-profit corporation, provided that the ownership of the shares derived from the persons employment with that corporation.
(16)
(15)That of a party to litigation involving the body or board of which the officer is a member in connection with an agreement in which all of the following apply:
(A)The agreement is entered into as part of a settlement of litigation in which the body or board is represented by legal counsel.
(B)After a review of the merits of the agreement and other relevant facts and circumstances, a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the agreement serves the public interest.
(C)The interested member has recused himself or herself from all participation, direct or indirect, in the making of the agreement on behalf of the body or board.
(17)
(16)That of a person who is an officer or employee of an investor-owned utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission with respect to a contract between the investor-owned utility and a state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which the person is a member, if the contract requires the investor-owned utility to provide energy efficiency rebates or other type of program to encourage energy efficiency that benefits the public when all of the following apply:
(A)The contract is funded by utility consumers pursuant to regulations of the Public Utilities Commission.
(B)The contract provides no individual benefit to the person that is not also provided to the public, and the investor-owned utility receives no direct financial profit from the contract.
(C)The person has recused himself or herself from all participation in making the contract on behalf of the state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which he or she is a member.
(D)The contract implements a program authorized by the Public Utilities Commission.
(18)
(17)That of an owner or partner of a firm serving as an appointed member of an unelected board or commission of the contracting agency if the owner or partner recuses himself or herself from providing any advice to the contracting agency regarding the contract between the firm and the contracting agency and from all participation in reviewing a project that results from that contract.
(18)That of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, or sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, except a public officers financial interests do not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer.
(c)This section is not applicable to any officer interested in a contract who influences or attempts to influence another member of the body or board of which he or she is a member to enter into the contract.
(d)The willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her interest in a contract pursuant to this section is punishable as provided in Section 1097. That violation does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
(e)This section shall become operative on January 1, 2018.
SEC. 3.No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
(a)An officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member within the meaning of this article if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract and if the fact of that interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records, and thereafter the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract in good faith by a vote of its membership sufficient for the purpose without counting the vote or votes of the officer or member with the remote interest.
(b)As used in this article, remote interest means any of the following:
(1)That of an officer or employee of a nonprofit entity exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)), pursuant to Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(5)), or a nonprofit corporation, except as provided in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 1091.5.
(2)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if the contracting party has 10 or more other employees and if the officer was an employee or agent of that contracting party for at least three years prior to the officer initially accepting his or her office and the officer owns less than 3 percent of the shares of stock of the contracting party; and the employee or agent is not an officer or director of the contracting party and did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
For purposes of this paragraph, time of employment with the contracting party by the officer shall be counted in computing the three-year period specified in this paragraph even though the contracting party has been converted from one form of business organization to a different form of business organization within three years of the initial taking of office by the officer. Time of employment in that case shall be counted only if, after the transfer or change in organization, the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party is the same or substantially similar to that which existed before the transfer or change in organization. For purposes of this paragraph, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an interest in the contracting party are regarded as having the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party.
(3)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if all of the following conditions are met:
(A)The agency of which the person is an officer is a local public agency located in a county with a population of less than 4,000,000.
(B)The contract is competitively bid and is not for personal services.
(C)The employee or agent is not in a primary management capacity with the contracting party, is not an officer or director of the contracting party, and holds no ownership interest in the contracting party.
(D)The contracting party has 10 or more other employees.
(E)The employee or agent did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
(F)The contracting party is the lowest responsible bidder.
(4)That of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
(5)That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.
(6)That of an attorney of the contracting party or that of an owner, officer, employee, or agent of a firm that renders, or has rendered, service to the contracting party in the capacity of stockbroker, insurance agent, insurance broker, real estate agent, or real estate broker, if these individuals have not received and will not receive remuneration, consideration, or a commission as a result of the contract and if these individuals have an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the law practice or firm, stock brokerage firm, insurance firm, or real estate firm.
(7)That of a member of a nonprofit corporation formed under the Food and Agricultural Code or a nonprofit corporation formed under the Corporations Code for the sole purpose of engaging in the merchandising of agricultural products or the supplying of water.
(8)That of a supplier of goods or services when those goods or services have been supplied to the contracting party by the officer for at least five years prior to his or her election or appointment to office.
(9)That of a person subject to the provisions of Section 1090 in any contract or agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of the California Land Conservation Act of 1965.
(10)Except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1091.5, that of a director of, or a person having an ownership interest of, 10 percent or more in a bank, bank holding company, or savings and loan association with which a party to the contract has a relationship of borrower or depositor, debtor or creditor.
(11)That of an engineer, geologist, architect, or planner employed by a consulting engineering, architectural, or planning firm. This paragraph applies only to an employee of a consulting firm who does not serve in a primary management capacity, and does not apply to an officer or director of a consulting firm.
(12)That of an elected officer otherwise subject to Section 1090, in any housing assistance payment contract entered into pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f) as amended, provided that the housing assistance payment contract was in existence before Section 1090 became applicable to the officer and will be renewed or extended only as to the existing tenant, or, in a jurisdiction in which the rental vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, as to new tenants in a unit previously under a Section 8 contract. This section applies to any person who became a public official on or after November 1, 1986.
(13)That of a person receiving salary, per diem, or reimbursement for expenses from a government entity.
(14)That of a person owning less than 3 percent of the shares of a contracting party that is a for-profit corporation, provided that the ownership of the shares derived from the persons employment with that corporation.
(15)That of a party to litigation involving the body or board of which the officer is a member in connection with an agreement in which all of the following apply:
(A)The agreement is entered into as part of a settlement of litigation in which the body or board is represented by legal counsel.
(B)After a review of the merits of the agreement and other relevant facts and circumstances, a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the agreement serves the public interest.
(C)The interested member has recused himself or herself from all participation, direct or indirect, in the making of the agreement on behalf of the body or board.
(16)That of a person who is an officer or employee of an investor-owned utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission with respect to a contract between the investor-owned utility and a state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which the person is a member, if the contract requires the investor-owned utility to provide energy efficiency rebates or other type of program to encourage energy efficiency that benefits the public when all of the following apply:
(A)The contract is funded by utility consumers pursuant to regulations of the Public Utilities Commission.
(B)The contract provides no individual benefit to the person that is not also provided to the public, and the investor-owned utility receives no direct financial profit from the contract.
(C)The person has recused himself or herself from all participation in making the contract on behalf of the state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which he or she is a member.
(D)The contract implements a program authorized by the Public Utilities Commission.
(17)That of an owner or partner of a firm serving as an appointed member of an unelected board or commission of the contracting agency if the owner or partner recuses himself or herself from providing any advice to the contracting agency regarding the contract between the firm and the contracting agency and from all participation in reviewing a project that results from that contract.
(c)This section is not applicable to any officer interested in a contract who influences or attempts to influence another member of the body or board of which he or she is a member to enter into the contract.
(d)The willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her interest in a contract pursuant to this section is punishable as provided in Section 1097. That violation does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
(e)This section shall be repealed on January 1, 2018.
SEC. 2.Section 1091 is added to the Government Code, to read:1091.(a)An officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member within the meaning of this article if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract and if the fact of that interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records, and thereafter the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract in good faith by a vote of its membership sufficient for the purpose without counting the vote or votes of the officer or member with the remote interest.
(b)As used in this article, remote interest means any of the following:
(1)That of an officer or employee of a nonprofit entity exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)), pursuant to Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(5)), or a nonprofit corporation, except as provided in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 1091.5.
(2)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if the contracting party has 10 or more other employees and if the officer was an employee or agent of that contracting party for at least three years prior to the officer initially accepting his or her office and the officer owns less than 3 percent of the shares of stock of the contracting party; and the employee or agent is not an officer or director of the contracting party and did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
For purposes of this paragraph, time of employment with the contracting party by the officer shall be counted in computing the three-year period specified in this paragraph even though the contracting party has been converted from one form of business organization to a different form of business organization within three years of the initial taking of office by the officer. Time of employment in that case shall be counted only if, after the transfer or change in organization, the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party is the same or substantially similar to that which existed before the transfer or change in organization. For purposes of this paragraph, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an interest in the contracting party are regarded as having the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party.
(3)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if all of the following conditions are met:
(A)The agency of which the person is an officer is a local public agency located in a county with a population of less than 4,000,000.
(B)The contract is competitively bid and is not for personal services.
(C)The employee or agent is not in a primary management capacity with the contracting party, is not an officer or director of the contracting party, and holds no ownership interest in the contracting party.
(D)The contracting party has 10 or more other employees.
(E)The employee or agent did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
(F)The contracting party is the lowest responsible bidder.
(4)That of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
(5)That of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, except a public officers financial interests do not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer.
(6)That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.
(7)That of an attorney of the contracting party or that of an owner, officer, employee, or agent of a firm that renders, or has rendered, service to the contracting party in the capacity of stockbroker, insurance agent, insurance broker, real estate agent, or real estate broker, if these individuals have not received and will not receive remuneration, consideration, or a commission as a result of the contract and if these individuals have an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the law practice or firm, stock brokerage firm, insurance firm, or real estate firm.
(8)That of a member of a nonprofit corporation formed under the Food and Agricultural Code or a nonprofit corporation formed under the Corporations Code for the sole purpose of engaging in the merchandising of agricultural products or the supplying of water.
(9)That of a supplier of goods or services when those goods or services have been supplied to the contracting party by the officer for at least five years prior to his or her election or appointment to office.
(10)That of a person subject to the provisions of Section 1090 in any contract or agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of the California Land Conservation Act of 1965.
(11)Except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1091.5, that of a director of, or a person having an ownership interest of, 10 percent or more in a bank, bank holding company, or savings and loan association with which a party to the contract has a relationship of borrower or depositor, debtor or creditor.
(12)That of an engineer, geologist, architect, or planner employed by a consulting engineering, architectural, or planning firm. This paragraph applies only to an employee of a consulting firm who does not serve in a primary management capacity, and does not apply to an officer or director of a consulting firm.
(13)That of an elected officer otherwise subject to Section 1090, in any housing assistance payment contract entered into pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f) as amended, provided that the housing assistance payment contract was in existence before Section 1090 became applicable to the officer and will be renewed or extended only as to the existing tenant, or, in a jurisdiction in which the rental vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, as to new tenants in a unit previously under a Section 8 contract. This section applies to any person who became a public official on or after November 1, 1986.
(14)That of a person receiving salary, per diem, or reimbursement for expenses from a government entity.
(15)That of a person owning less than 3 percent of the shares of a contracting party that is a for-profit corporation, provided that the ownership of the shares derived from the persons employment with that corporation.
(16)That of a party to litigation involving the body or board of which the officer is a member in connection with an agreement in which all of the following apply:
(A)The agreement is entered into as part of a settlement of litigation in which the body or board is represented by legal counsel.
(B)After a review of the merits of the agreement and other relevant facts and circumstances, a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the agreement serves the public interest.
(C)The interested member has recused himself or herself from all participation, direct or indirect, in the making of the agreement on behalf of the body or board.
(17)That of a person who is an officer or employee of an investor-owned utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission with respect to a contract between the investor-owned utility and a state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which the person is a member, if the contract requires the investor-owned utility to provide energy efficiency rebates or other type of program to encourage energy efficiency that benefits the public when all of the following apply:
(A)The contract is funded by utility consumers pursuant to regulations of the Public Utilities Commission.
(B)The contract provides no individual benefit to the person that is not also provided to the public, and the investor-owned utility receives no direct financial profit from the contract.
(C)The person has recused himself or herself from all participation in making the contract on behalf of the state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which he or she is a member.
(D)The contract implements a program authorized by the Public Utilities Commission.
(18)That of an owner or partner of a firm serving as an appointed member of an unelected board or commission of the contracting agency if the owner or partner recuses himself or herself from providing any advice to the contracting agency regarding the contract between the firm and the contracting agency and from all participation in reviewing a project that results from that contract.
(c)This section is not applicable to any officer interested in a contract who influences or attempts to influence another member of the body or board of which he or she is a member to enter into the contract.
(d)The willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her interest in a contract pursuant to this section is punishable as provided in Section 1097. That violation does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
(e)This section shall become operative on January 1, 2018.
SEC. 3.No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
(a)An officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member within the meaning of this article if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract and if the fact of that interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records, and thereafter the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract in good faith by a vote of its membership sufficient for the purpose without counting the vote or votes of the officer or member with the remote interest.
(b)As used in this article, remote interest means any of the following:
(1)That of an officer or employee of a nonprofit entity exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)), pursuant to Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(5)), or a nonprofit corporation, except as provided in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 1091.5.
(2)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if the contracting party has 10 or more other employees and if the officer was an employee or agent of that contracting party for at least three years prior to the officer initially accepting his or her office and the officer owns less than 3 percent of the shares of stock of the contracting party; and the employee or agent is not an officer or director of the contracting party and did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
For purposes of this paragraph, time of employment with the contracting party by the officer shall be counted in computing the three-year period specified in this paragraph even though the contracting party has been converted from one form of business organization to a different form of business organization within three years of the initial taking of office by the officer. Time of employment in that case shall be counted only if, after the transfer or change in organization, the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party is the same or substantially similar to that which existed before the transfer or change in organization. For purposes of this paragraph, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an interest in the contracting party are regarded as having the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party.
(3)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if all of the following conditions are met:
(A)The agency of which the person is an officer is a local public agency located in a county with a population of less than 4,000,000.
(B)The contract is competitively bid and is not for personal services.
(C)The employee or agent is not in a primary management capacity with the contracting party, is not an officer or director of the contracting party, and holds no ownership interest in the contracting party.
(D)The contracting party has 10 or more other employees.
(E)The employee or agent did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
(F)The contracting party is the lowest responsible bidder.
(4)That of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
(5)That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.
(6)That of an attorney of the contracting party or that of an owner, officer, employee, or agent of a firm that renders, or has rendered, service to the contracting party in the capacity of stockbroker, insurance agent, insurance broker, real estate agent, or real estate broker, if these individuals have not received and will not receive remuneration, consideration, or a commission as a result of the contract and if these individuals have an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the law practice or firm, stock brokerage firm, insurance firm, or real estate firm.
(7)That of a member of a nonprofit corporation formed under the Food and Agricultural Code or a nonprofit corporation formed under the Corporations Code for the sole purpose of engaging in the merchandising of agricultural products or the supplying of water.
(8)That of a supplier of goods or services when those goods or services have been supplied to the contracting party by the officer for at least five years prior to his or her election or appointment to office.
(9)That of a person subject to the provisions of Section 1090 in any contract or agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of the California Land Conservation Act of 1965.
(10)Except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1091.5, that of a director of, or a person having an ownership interest of, 10 percent or more in a bank, bank holding company, or savings and loan association with which a party to the contract has a relationship of borrower or depositor, debtor or creditor.
(11)That of an engineer, geologist, architect, or planner employed by a consulting engineering, architectural, or planning firm. This paragraph applies only to an employee of a consulting firm who does not serve in a primary management capacity, and does not apply to an officer or director of a consulting firm.
(12)That of an elected officer otherwise subject to Section 1090, in any housing assistance payment contract entered into pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f) as amended, provided that the housing assistance payment contract was in existence before Section 1090 became applicable to the officer and will be renewed or extended only as to the existing tenant, or, in a jurisdiction in which the rental vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, as to new tenants in a unit previously under a Section 8 contract. This section applies to any person who became a public official on or after November 1, 1986.
(13)That of a person receiving salary, per diem, or reimbursement for expenses from a government entity.
(14)That of a person owning less than 3 percent of the shares of a contracting party that is a for-profit corporation, provided that the ownership of the shares derived from the persons employment with that corporation.
(15)That of a party to litigation involving the body or board of which the officer is a member in connection with an agreement in which all of the following apply:
(A)The agreement is entered into as part of a settlement of litigation in which the body or board is represented by legal counsel.
(B)After a review of the merits of the agreement and other relevant facts and circumstances, a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the agreement serves the public interest.
(C)The interested member has recused himself or herself from all participation, direct or indirect, in the making of the agreement on behalf of the body or board.
(16)That of a person who is an officer or employee of an investor-owned utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission with respect to a contract between the investor-owned utility and a state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which the person is a member, if the contract requires the investor-owned utility to provide energy efficiency rebates or other type of program to encourage energy efficiency that benefits the public when all of the following apply:
(A)The contract is funded by utility consumers pursuant to regulations of the Public Utilities Commission.
(B)The contract provides no individual benefit to the person that is not also provided to the public, and the investor-owned utility receives no direct financial profit from the contract.
(C)The person has recused himself or herself from all participation in making the contract on behalf of the state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which he or she is a member.
(D)The contract implements a program authorized by the Public Utilities Commission.
(17)That of an owner or partner of a firm serving as an appointed member of an unelected board or commission of the contracting agency if the owner or partner recuses himself or herself from providing any advice to the contracting agency regarding the contract between the firm and the contracting agency and from all participation in reviewing a project that results from that contract.
(c)This section is not applicable to any officer interested in a contract who influences or attempts to influence another member of the body or board of which he or she is a member to enter into the contract.
(d)The willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her interest in a contract pursuant to this section is punishable as provided in Section 1097. That violation does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
(e)This section shall be repealed on January 1, 2018.
SEC. 2.Section 1091 is added to the Government Code, to read:1091.(a)An officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member within the meaning of this article if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract and if the fact of that interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records, and thereafter the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract in good faith by a vote of its membership sufficient for the purpose without counting the vote or votes of the officer or member with the remote interest.
(b)As used in this article, remote interest means any of the following:
(1)That of an officer or employee of a nonprofit entity exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)), pursuant to Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(5)), or a nonprofit corporation, except as provided in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 1091.5.
(2)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if the contracting party has 10 or more other employees and if the officer was an employee or agent of that contracting party for at least three years prior to the officer initially accepting his or her office and the officer owns less than 3 percent of the shares of stock of the contracting party; and the employee or agent is not an officer or director of the contracting party and did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
For purposes of this paragraph, time of employment with the contracting party by the officer shall be counted in computing the three-year period specified in this paragraph even though the contracting party has been converted from one form of business organization to a different form of business organization within three years of the initial taking of office by the officer. Time of employment in that case shall be counted only if, after the transfer or change in organization, the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party is the same or substantially similar to that which existed before the transfer or change in organization. For purposes of this paragraph, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an interest in the contracting party are regarded as having the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party.
(3)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if all of the following conditions are met:
(A)The agency of which the person is an officer is a local public agency located in a county with a population of less than 4,000,000.
(B)The contract is competitively bid and is not for personal services.
(C)The employee or agent is not in a primary management capacity with the contracting party, is not an officer or director of the contracting party, and holds no ownership interest in the contracting party.
(D)The contracting party has 10 or more other employees.
(E)The employee or agent did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
(F)The contracting party is the lowest responsible bidder.
(4)That of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
(5)That of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, in a contract made by that public officer, except a public officers financial interests do not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer, and that public officer knowingly or willfully fails to disclose those interests. officer.
(6)That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.
(7)That of an attorney of the contracting party or that of an owner, officer, employee, or agent of a firm that renders, or has rendered, service to the contracting party in the capacity of stockbroker, insurance agent, insurance broker, real estate agent, or real estate broker, if these individuals have not received and will not receive remuneration, consideration, or a commission as a result of the contract and if these individuals have an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the law practice or firm, stock brokerage firm, insurance firm, or real estate firm.
(8)That of a member of a nonprofit corporation formed under the Food and Agricultural Code or a nonprofit corporation formed under the Corporations Code for the sole purpose of engaging in the merchandising of agricultural products or the supplying of water.
(9)That of a supplier of goods or services when those goods or services have been supplied to the contracting party by the officer for at least five years prior to his or her election or appointment to office.
(10)That of a person subject to the provisions of Section 1090 in any contract or agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of the California Land Conservation Act of 1965.
(11)Except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1091.5, that of a director of, or a person having an ownership interest of, 10 percent or more in a bank, bank holding company, or savings and loan association with which a party to the contract has a relationship of borrower or depositor, debtor or creditor.
(12)That of an engineer, geologist, architect, or planner employed by a consulting engineering, architectural, or planning firm. This paragraph applies only to an employee of a consulting firm who does not serve in a primary management capacity, and does not apply to an officer or director of a consulting firm.
(13)That of an elected officer otherwise subject to Section 1090, in any housing assistance payment contract entered into pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f) as amended, provided that the housing assistance payment contract was in existence before Section 1090 became applicable to the officer and will be renewed or extended only as to the existing tenant, or, in a jurisdiction in which the rental vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, as to new tenants in a unit previously under a Section 8 contract. This section applies to any person who became a public official on or after November 1, 1986.
(14)That of a person receiving salary, per diem, or reimbursement for expenses from a government entity.
(15)That of a person owning less than 3 percent of the shares of a contracting party that is a for-profit corporation, provided that the ownership of the shares derived from the persons employment with that corporation.
(16)That of a party to litigation involving the body or board of which the officer is a member in connection with an agreement in which all of the following apply:
(A)The agreement is entered into as part of a settlement of litigation in which the body or board is represented by legal counsel.
(B)After a review of the merits of the agreement and other relevant facts and circumstances, a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the agreement serves the public interest.
(C)The interested member has recused himself or herself from all participation, direct or indirect, in the making of the agreement on behalf of the body or board.
(17)That of a person who is an officer or employee of an investor-owned utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission with respect to a contract between the investor-owned utility and a state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which the person is a member, if the contract requires the investor-owned utility to provide energy efficiency rebates or other type of program to encourage energy efficiency that benefits the public when all of the following apply:
(A)The contract is funded by utility consumers pursuant to regulations of the Public Utilities Commission.
(B)The contract provides no individual benefit to the person that is not also provided to the public, and the investor-owned utility receives no direct financial profit from the contract.
(C)The person has recused himself or herself from all participation in making the contract on behalf of the state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which he or she is a member.
(D)The contract implements a program authorized by the Public Utilities Commission.
(18)That of an owner or partner of a firm serving as an appointed member of an unelected board or commission of the contracting agency if the owner or partner recuses himself or herself from providing any advice to the contracting agency regarding the contract between the firm and the contracting agency and from all participation in reviewing a project that results from that contract.
(c)This section is not applicable to any officer interested in a contract who influences or attempts to influence another member of the body or board of which he or she is a member to enter into the contract.
(d)The willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her interest in a contract pursuant to this section is punishable as provided in Section 1097. That violation does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
(e)This section shall become operative on January 1, 2018.
(a)An officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member within the meaning of this article if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract and if the fact of that interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records, and thereafter the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract in good faith by a vote of its membership sufficient for the purpose without counting the vote or votes of the officer or member with the remote interest.
(b)As used in this article, remote interest means any of the following:
(1)That of an officer or employee of a nonprofit entity exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)), pursuant to Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(5)), or a nonprofit corporation, except as provided in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 1091.5.
(2)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if the contracting party has 10 or more other employees and if the officer was an employee or agent of that contracting party for at least three years prior to the officer initially accepting his or her office and the officer owns less than 3 percent of the shares of stock of the contracting party; and the employee or agent is not an officer or director of the contracting party and did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
For purposes of this paragraph, time of employment with the contracting party by the officer shall be counted in computing the three-year period specified in this paragraph even though the contracting party has been converted from one form of business organization to a different form of business organization within three years of the initial taking of office by the officer. Time of employment in that case shall be counted only if, after the transfer or change in organization, the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party is the same or substantially similar to that which existed before the transfer or change in organization. For purposes of this paragraph, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an interest in the contracting party are regarded as having the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party.
(3)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if all of the following conditions are met:
(A)The agency of which the person is an officer is a local public agency located in a county with a population of less than 4,000,000.
(B)The contract is competitively bid and is not for personal services.
(C)The employee or agent is not in a primary management capacity with the contracting party, is not an officer or director of the contracting party, and holds no ownership interest in the contracting party.
(D)The contracting party has 10 or more other employees.
(E)The employee or agent did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
(F)The contracting party is the lowest responsible bidder.
(4)That of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
(5)That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.
(6)That of an attorney of the contracting party or that of an owner, officer, employee, or agent of a firm that renders, or has rendered, service to the contracting party in the capacity of stockbroker, insurance agent, insurance broker, real estate agent, or real estate broker, if these individuals have not received and will not receive remuneration, consideration, or a commission as a result of the contract and if these individuals have an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the law practice or firm, stock brokerage firm, insurance firm, or real estate firm.
(7)That of a member of a nonprofit corporation formed under the Food and Agricultural Code or a nonprofit corporation formed under the Corporations Code for the sole purpose of engaging in the merchandising of agricultural products or the supplying of water.
(8)That of a supplier of goods or services when those goods or services have been supplied to the contracting party by the officer for at least five years prior to his or her election or appointment to office.
(9)That of a person subject to the provisions of Section 1090 in any contract or agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of the California Land Conservation Act of 1965.
(10)Except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1091.5, that of a director of, or a person having an ownership interest of, 10 percent or more in a bank, bank holding company, or savings and loan association with which a party to the contract has a relationship of borrower or depositor, debtor or creditor.
(11)That of an engineer, geologist, architect, or planner employed by a consulting engineering, architectural, or planning firm. This paragraph applies only to an employee of a consulting firm who does not serve in a primary management capacity, and does not apply to an officer or director of a consulting firm.
(12)That of an elected officer otherwise subject to Section 1090, in any housing assistance payment contract entered into pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f) as amended, provided that the housing assistance payment contract was in existence before Section 1090 became applicable to the officer and will be renewed or extended only as to the existing tenant, or, in a jurisdiction in which the rental vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, as to new tenants in a unit previously under a Section 8 contract. This section applies to any person who became a public official on or after November 1, 1986.
(13)That of a person receiving salary, per diem, or reimbursement for expenses from a government entity.
(14)That of a person owning less than 3 percent of the shares of a contracting party that is a for-profit corporation, provided that the ownership of the shares derived from the persons employment with that corporation.
(15)That of a party to litigation involving the body or board of which the officer is a member in connection with an agreement in which all of the following apply:
(A)The agreement is entered into as part of a settlement of litigation in which the body or board is represented by legal counsel.
(B)After a review of the merits of the agreement and other relevant facts and circumstances, a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the agreement serves the public interest.
(C)The interested member has recused himself or herself from all participation, direct or indirect, in the making of the agreement on behalf of the body or board.
(16)That of a person who is an officer or employee of an investor-owned utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission with respect to a contract between the investor-owned utility and a state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which the person is a member, if the contract requires the investor-owned utility to provide energy efficiency rebates or other type of program to encourage energy efficiency that benefits the public when all of the following apply:
(A)The contract is funded by utility consumers pursuant to regulations of the Public Utilities Commission.
(B)The contract provides no individual benefit to the person that is not also provided to the public, and the investor-owned utility receives no direct financial profit from the contract.
(C)The person has recused himself or herself from all participation in making the contract on behalf of the state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which he or she is a member.
(D)The contract implements a program authorized by the Public Utilities Commission.
(17)That of an owner or partner of a firm serving as an appointed member of an unelected board or commission of the contracting agency if the owner or partner recuses himself or herself from providing any advice to the contracting agency regarding the contract between the firm and the contracting agency and from all participation in reviewing a project that results from that contract.
(c)This section is not applicable to any officer interested in a contract who influences or attempts to influence another member of the body or board of which he or she is a member to enter into the contract.
(d)The willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her interest in a contract pursuant to this section is punishable as provided in Section 1097. That violation does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
(e)This section shall be repealed on January 1, 2018.
SEC. 2.Section 1091 is added to the Government Code, to read:1091.(a)An officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member within the meaning of this article if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract and if the fact of that interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records, and thereafter the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract in good faith by a vote of its membership sufficient for the purpose without counting the vote or votes of the officer or member with the remote interest.
(b)As used in this article, remote interest means any of the following:
(1)That of an officer or employee of a nonprofit entity exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3)), pursuant to Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(5)), or a nonprofit corporation, except as provided in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 1091.5.
(2)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if the contracting party has 10 or more other employees and if the officer was an employee or agent of that contracting party for at least three years prior to the officer initially accepting his or her office and the officer owns less than 3 percent of the shares of stock of the contracting party; and the employee or agent is not an officer or director of the contracting party and did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
For purposes of this paragraph, time of employment with the contracting party by the officer shall be counted in computing the three-year period specified in this paragraph even though the contracting party has been converted from one form of business organization to a different form of business organization within three years of the initial taking of office by the officer. Time of employment in that case shall be counted only if, after the transfer or change in organization, the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party is the same or substantially similar to that which existed before the transfer or change in organization. For purposes of this paragraph, stockholders, bondholders, partners, or other persons holding an interest in the contracting party are regarded as having the real or ultimate ownership of the contracting party.
(3)That of an employee or agent of the contracting party, if all of the following conditions are met:
(A)The agency of which the person is an officer is a local public agency located in a county with a population of less than 4,000,000.
(B)The contract is competitively bid and is not for personal services.
(C)The employee or agent is not in a primary management capacity with the contracting party, is not an officer or director of the contracting party, and holds no ownership interest in the contracting party.
(D)The contracting party has 10 or more other employees.
(E)The employee or agent did not directly participate in formulating the bid of the contracting party.
(F)The contracting party is the lowest responsible bidder.
(4)That of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
(5)That of a public officer in the financial interest of that public officers child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, in a contract made by that public officer, except a public officers financial interests do not include any financial interest of those other persons unless the interest is actually known to the public officer, and that public officer knowingly or willfully fails to disclose those interests.
(6)That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.
(7)That of an attorney of the contracting party or that of an owner, officer, employee, or agent of a firm that renders, or has rendered, service to the contracting party in the capacity of stockbroker, insurance agent, insurance broker, real estate agent, or real estate broker, if these individuals have not received and will not receive remuneration, consideration, or a commission as a result of the contract and if these individuals have an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the law practice or firm, stock brokerage firm, insurance firm, or real estate firm.
(8)That of a member of a nonprofit corporation formed under the Food and Agricultural Code or a nonprofit corporation formed under the Corporations Code for the sole purpose of engaging in the merchandising of agricultural products or the supplying of water.
(9)That of a supplier of goods or services when those goods or services have been supplied to the contracting party by the officer for at least five years prior to his or her election or appointment to office.
(10)That of a person subject to the provisions of Section 1090 in any contract or agreement entered into pursuant to the provisions of the California Land Conservation Act of 1965.
(11)Except as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1091.5, that of a director of, or a person having an ownership interest of, 10 percent or more in a bank, bank holding company, or savings and loan association with which a party to the contract has a relationship of borrower or depositor, debtor or creditor.
(12)That of an engineer, geologist, architect, or planner employed by a consulting engineering, architectural, or planning firm. This paragraph applies only to an employee of a consulting firm who does not serve in a primary management capacity, and does not apply to an officer or director of a consulting firm.
(13)That of an elected officer otherwise subject to Section 1090, in any housing assistance payment contract entered into pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f) as amended, provided that the housing assistance payment contract was in existence before Section 1090 became applicable to the officer and will be renewed or extended only as to the existing tenant, or, in a jurisdiction in which the rental vacancy rate is less than 5 percent, as to new tenants in a unit previously under a Section 8 contract. This section applies to any person who became a public official on or after November 1, 1986.
(14)That of a person receiving salary, per diem, or reimbursement for expenses from a government entity.
(15)That of a person owning less than 3 percent of the shares of a contracting party that is a for-profit corporation, provided that the ownership of the shares derived from the persons employment with that corporation.
(16)That of a party to litigation involving the body or board of which the officer is a member in connection with an agreement in which all of the following apply:
(A)The agreement is entered into as part of a settlement of litigation in which the body or board is represented by legal counsel.
(B)After a review of the merits of the agreement and other relevant facts and circumstances, a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the agreement serves the public interest.
(C)The interested member has recused himself or herself from all participation, direct or indirect, in the making of the agreement on behalf of the body or board.
(17)That of a person who is an officer or employee of an investor-owned utility that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission with respect to a contract between the investor-owned utility and a state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which the person is a member, if the contract requires the investor-owned utility to provide energy efficiency rebates or other type of program to encourage energy efficiency that benefits the public when all of the following apply:
(A)The contract is funded by utility consumers pursuant to regulations of the Public Utilities Commission.
(B)The contract provides no individual benefit to the person that is not also provided to the public, and the investor-owned utility receives no direct financial profit from the contract.
(C)The person has recused himself or herself from all participation in making the contract on behalf of the state, county, district, judicial district, or city body or board of which he or she is a member.
(D)The contract implements a program authorized by the Public Utilities Commission.
(18)That of an owner or partner of a firm serving as an appointed member of an unelected board or commission of the contracting agency if the owner or partner recuses himself or herself from providing any advice to the contracting agency regarding the contract between the firm and the contracting agency and from all participation in reviewing a project that results from that contract.
(c)This section is not applicable to any officer interested in a contract who influences or attempts to influence another member of the body or board of which he or she is a member to enter into the contract.
(d)The willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her interest in a contract pursuant to this section is punishable as provided in Section 1097. That violation does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
(e)This section shall become operative on January 1, 2018.
|
Date
|
Status
|
|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2016 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 3430.) Ordered to the Assembly. |
| Aug 11, 2016 | August 11 hearing. Held in committee and under submission. |
| Aug 3, 2016 | August 3 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file. |
| Aug 1, 2016 | From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jun 30, 2016 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jun 21, 2016 | Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV. |
| Jun 20, 2016 | From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 15). |
| Apr 28, 2016 | Referred to Coms. on E. & R. and L. GOV. |
| Apr 7, 2016 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0.) Ordered to the Assembly. |
| Feb 11, 2016 | Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. |
| Apr 7, 2016 | In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. |
| Mar 31, 2016 | Read second time. Ordered to third reading. |
| Mar 30, 2016 | From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (March 30). |
| Mar 30, 2016 | From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3335.) (March 30). |
| Mar 17, 2016 | From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on GOV. & F. |
| Mar 10, 2016 | Set for hearing March 30. |
| Feb 25, 2016 | Referred to Com. on GOV. & F. |
| Feb 12, 2016 | From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 13. |
|
Date
|
Description
|
Location
|
Votes
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 2016 | Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] | Assembly Standing Committee on Local Government |
Passed |
|
| Jun 15, 2016 | Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Local Government] | Assembly Standing Committee on Elections and Redistricting |
Passed |
|
| Apr 7, 2016 | Senate 3rd Reading SB1011 Mendoza | Senate Floor |
Passed |
|
| Mar 30, 2016 | Do pass | Senate Standing Committee on Governance and Finance |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
Date of Hearing: August 3, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
SBPCA Bill Id:SB 1011
Author:(Mendoza) – As Amended Ver:August 1, 2016
Policy Committee: | Elections and Redistricting | Vote: | 6 - 0 |
Local Government | 5 - 0 |
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill provides, commencing January 1, 2018, for the purposes of Government Code Section 1090 dealing with conflicts of interests in contracts, that a public officer with membership on any state or local body, board, or commission, is deemed to have a remote interest in a contract if the officer's child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, has a financial interest in the contract, unless the financial interest of those other persons is not known to the public officer.
FISCAL EFFECT:
- The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), pursuant to legislation enacted in 2013, has authority to: (a) commence administrative or civil enforcement actions for violations of Section 1090 and related statutes; and (b) issue written opinions or advice in response to requests from persons subject to these laws. The FPPC will experience an increase in advice requests from public officials to determine whether they may have a financial interest in a contract as a result of a family relationship. Ongoing General Fund costs could be up to $210,000 annually for 1.5 positions in the legal and enforcement divisions.
- Potential but likely minor increase in state costs to the extent anyone is sentenced to state prison for violation of the bill's provisions. (The penalty for violation of the conflict of interest provisions is a fine of not more than $1,000, or by imprisonment in the state prison, and by permanent disqualification from holding any office in this state.)
COMMENTS:
- Purpose. According to the author, "The perception that political agendas coincide with personal financial interests is a common thread of concern amongst the public. Although Public officers are prohibited from entering into state contracts that directly benefit them financially, Public officers may be seen as having biases in their public contract decisions when the specific contract decision directly affects a child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of a child, parent, or sibling."
- Background. Section 1090 of the Government Code generally prohibits a public official or employee from making a contract in his or her official capacity in which he or she has a financial interest. In addition, a public body or board is prohibited from making a contract in which any member of the body or board has a financial interest, even if that member does not participate in the making of the contract. This prohibition, contained in Section 1090, dates back to the second session of the California Legislature (Chapter 136/Statutes of 1851).
State law recognizes two categories of exceptions to Section 1090. One category is "remote interests". Where a government official has a "remote interest" in a contract, he or she must take three steps before the body on which he or she sits may vote on that contract. First, the official must disclose the interest to the government body. Second, the interest must be noted in the government body's official records. Finally, the official with the "remote interest" must abstain from participating in the review and approval of the contract.
State law lists 16 situations that qualify as "remote interests." While the willful failure of an officer to disclose a remote interest in a contract would subject that officer to the conflict of interest penalties, the contract itself is not subject to cancelation due to the violation unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
- Precedent-Setting. This bill creates a new "remote interest," establishing a situation under which the financial interests of an elected official's relatives create a remote interest for the official. Most previously-established remote interests were designed to narrow the reach of Section 1090, by taking interests that were found by legal opinions to be financial interests under Section 1090, and redefining those interests as "remote interests." Conversely, this bill expands the scope of Section 1090 through the creation of a new remote interest, i.e. it makes interests currently not covered by Section 1090 subject to that law by defining those interests as "remote interests."
Because actions that affect the financial interests of a public official's spouse or dependent child may have a corresponding impact on the official, existing conflict of interest laws generally recognize that the financial interests of an official's spouse or dependent child can create a conflict of interest for the official. This bill, however, breaks new ground by extending the conflict of interest provisions of Section 1090 to situations where a governmental decision does not have the potential for having a financial impact on an elected official. Instead, this bill deems a public official's ties by blood or marriage with siblings, children, parents, and the spouses of those relatives to be sufficiently important as to prohibit the official from participating in a contracting decision.
- Prior Legislation. In 2015, SB 330 (Mendoza), a similar bill, was held on this committee's Suspense file. SB 330 was a somewhat more broad, however, in that it included the public officer's spouse, which the FPPC indicates would have increased the complexity of enforcement and advice.
Analysis Prepared by: Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
Date of Hearing: June 29, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Susan Talamantes Eggman, Chair
SBPCA Bill Id:SB 1011
Author:(Mendoza) – As Amended Ver:June 21, 2016
SENATE VOTE: 38-0
SUBJECT: Public officers: contracts: financial interest.
SUMMARY: Expands the definition of what constitutes a remote interest for purposes of California law governing public officials' conflicts of interest in contracting. Specifically, this bill:
- Provides, for the purposes of Government Code Section 1090 et seq. (Section 1090), dealing with conflicts of interests in contracts, that a public officer is deemed to have a remote interest in a contract if the officer's child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, has a financial interest in the contract and that interest is actually known to the public officer.
- Becomes operative on January 1, 2018.
- Provides that no reimbursement is required by this bill because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, or changes the definition of a crime, as specified.
EXISTING LAW:
- Prohibits, pursuant to Section 1090, members of the Legislature and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from being financially interested in any contract made by them in their official capacity, or by any body or board of which they are members.
- Provides that a contract made in violation of Section 1090 may be voided by any party to the contract, except for the officer who had an interest in the contract in violation of Section 1090, as specified.
- Provides that an officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract pursuant to Section 1090 if: the officer has only a remote interest in the contract, as defined; that remote interest is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records; and, the body or board approves the contract without counting the vote of the officer or member with the remote interest.
- Defines remote interest to include a number of interests, including that of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
- Provides that the willful failure of an officer to disclose the fact of his or her remote interest in a contract is punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by imprisonment in the state prison, and provides that such an officer is forever disqualified from holding any office in this state. A violation of remote interest laws does not void the contract, unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
- Allows the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) to commence an administrative or civil enforcement action for a violation of Section 1090 and related laws.
- Allows a person subject to Section 1090 to request that the FPPC issue an opinion or advice with respect to that person's duties under Section 1090 and related laws, and allows the FPPC to issue such an opinion or advice, subject to certain conditions.
- Prohibits, pursuant to the Political Reform Act (PRA), a public official from making, participating in making, or in any way attempting to use his or her official position to influence a governmental decision in which the official knows or has reason to know that he or she has a financial interest. A public official has a financial interest in a decision if the decision will have a material financial effect, as specified, on the official's spouse or dependent child.
- Provides that the common law of England, so far as it is not repugnant to or inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States, or the Constitution or laws of this State, is the rule of decision in all the courts of this State.
FISCAL EFFECT: This bill is keyed fiscal.
COMMENTS:
- Bill Summary. This bill expands the definition of what constitutes a remote interest under Section 1090. It provides that a public officer is deemed to have a remote interest in a contract if the officer's child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, has a financial interest in the contract and that interest is actually known to the public officer. The bill becomes operative on January 1, 2018. This bill is sponsored by the author.
- Author's Statement. According to the author, "The perception that political agendas coincide with personal financial interests is a common thread of concern amongst the public. Although Public officers are prohibited from entering into state contracts that directly benefit them financially, Public officers may be seen as having biases in their public contract decisions when the specific contract decision directly affects a child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of a child, parent, or sibling."
- Background. Two conflict-of-interest laws specifically govern the allowable conduct of government officials when they act in their official capacity: Section 1090, and the PRA.
Section 1090 prohibits public officials or employees from having a financial interest in any contract made by them in their official capacity, or by anybody or board of which they are members. Willful violation of this provision is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment, and any violator is forever disqualified from holding any office in the state. In addition, contracts that are made in violation of Section 1090 can be voided by any party to the contract, except the officer interested in the contract. For the purposes of Section 1090, a public official is generally considered to have a direct financial interest in a contract if that official's spouse has a financial interest in the contract.
Existing law provides a number of exceptions to Section 1090. Among other provisions, existing law provides that an officer shall not be deemed to be financially interested in a contract if: the officer has only a remote interest in the contract; that fact is disclosed to the body or board of which the officer is a member and noted in its official records; and, the body or board thereafter approves the contract without counting the vote of the member with the remote interest. Among the numerous instances of what constitutes a remote interest is an interest of a parent in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services. Willful violation of this provision is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment, and any violator is forever disqualified from holding any office in the state. However, a contract made in violation of the remote interest statutes is not void, unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
The PRA prohibits any state or local public official from using his or her official position to influence any governmental decision in which the official has a financial interest, or that will have a material financial effect on a member of the official's immediate family, which is defined to include a spouse or any dependent children.
- Common Law Doctrine Regarding Conflicts of Interest. In addition to Section 1090 and the PRA, the common law doctrine also governs conflicts of interests. The common law doctrine, codified in the Civil Code, provides that the common law of England, so far as it is not repugnant to or inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States, or the Constitution or laws of this State, is the rule of decision in all the courts of this State. The common law includes a prohibition against self-dealing.
In January 2009, the Attorney General opined that "[t]he common law doctrine prohibits public officials from placing themselves in a position where their private, personal interests may conflict with their official duties." The opinion noted that, while the PRA and Section 1090 focus "on actual or potential financial conflicts, the common law prohibition extends to noneconomic interests as well." The opinion stated that, even though the conflict of interest rules in the PRA and Section 1090 did not apply to the case at hand (which involved a redevelopment agency board member and her son who sought a loan from the board), "…it is difficult to imagine that the agency member has no private or personal interest in whether her son's business transactions are successful or not. At the least, an appearance of impropriety or conflict would arise by the member's participation in the negotiations and voting upon an agreement that, if executed, would presumably redound to her son's benefit."
The opinion concluded that "…the agency board member's status as the private contracting party's parent … places her in a position where there may be at least a temptation to act for personal or private reasons rather than with 'disinterested skill, zeal, and diligence' in the public interest, thereby presenting a potential conflict…. Under these circumstances, we believe that the only way to be sure of avoiding the common law prohibition is for the board member to abstain from any official action with regard to the proposed loan agreement and make no attempt to influence the discussions, negotiations, or vote concerning that agreement."
- Policy Considerations. The Committee may wish to consider the following:
- What is a Meaningful Financial Interest? The state's conflict-of-interest laws collectively draw the line around a public officer's financial interest to include the financial interests of the officer's spouse and minor children. This bill significantly expands this circle of financial interest (albeit a "remote" one) to include a public officer's (adult) child, parent or sibling, as well as the spouse of a public officer's child, parent, or sibling. Expanding the definition of a financial interest to encompass this much broader group of people begs a question the Committee may wish to consider: Do the financial interests of these individuals truly represent a financial interest for the related public official?
- How Will Public Officials Disprove Knowledge? While the penalty for violating the remote interest provisions of Section 1090 requires "willful failure" to disclose a remote interest, and while this bill provides that the remote interest would have to be "actually known to the public officer," it could be difficult for public officials to prove they were unaware of such a remote interest at the time a contract was approved. Given the penalties for violating Section 1090, the Committee may wish to consider whether the potential merits of this bill outweigh its potential unintended consequences.
- Is Legislation Necessary? Considering the broad reach of Section 1090, the PRA, and the common law doctrine over conflicts of interest by public officials, the Committee may wish to consider whether this bill is necessary.
- Previous Legislation. SB 330 (Mendoza) of 2015 was substantially similar to this bill.
SB 330 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 785 (Mendoza) of 2011 would have provided that a public official has a financial interest in a governmental contracting decision if an immediate family member of the public official, as defined, lobbies the agency of the official on that decision or is a high ranking official in a business entity on which it is reasonably foreseeable that the decision would have a material financial effect. AB 785 was held in the Assembly Local Government Committee.
- Arguments in Support. None on file.
- Arguments in Opposition. None on file.
- Double-Referred. This bill was heard by the Elections and Redistricting Committee on
June 15, 2016, where it passed with a 6-0.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by: Angela Mapp / L. GOV. / (916) 319-3958
Date of Hearing: June 15, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS AND REDISTRICTING
Shirley Weber, Chair
SBPCA Bill Id:SB 1011
Author:(Mendoza) – As Amended Ver:March 17, 2016
SENATE VOTE: 38-0
SUBJECT: Public officers: contracts: financial interest.
SUMMARY: Requires, beginning in 2018, a public officer to recuse himself or herself from voting on a contract made by the officer's governmental entity if the officer's child, parent, or sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, has a financial interest in the contract that is known to the public officer. Specifically, this bill:
- Provides, for the purposes of Government Code Section 1090 et seq. (Section 1090), dealing with conflicts of interests in contracts, that a public officer is deemed to have a remote interest in a contract for the purposes of Section 1090 if the officer's child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, has a financial interest in the contract and that interest is actually known to the public officer.
- Provides for the provisions of this bill to become operative on January 1, 2018.
EXISTING LAW:
- Prohibits members of the Legislature and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees, pursuant to Section 1090, from being financially interested in any contract made by them in their official capacity, or by any body or board of which they are members. Prohibits state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from being purchasers at any sale made by them in their official capacity, or from being vendors at any purchase made by them in their official capacity. Prohibits an individual from aiding or abetting a violation of Section 1090.
- Provides that an officer shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract pursuant to Section 1090 if the officer has only a remote interest in the contract, as defined, if the fact of the interest is disclosed by the officer to the board or body of which the officer is a member and that interest is noted in its official records, and the body or board authorizes, approves, or ratifies the contract without counting the vote of the officer or member with the remote interest. Provides that the term "remote interest" includes, among other interests, a parent's interest in the earnings of his or her minor child for personal services.
- Enumerates various financial interests for which an officer or employee is deemed not to be interested in a contract pursuant to Section 1090.
- Provides that a contract made in violation of Section 1090 may be voided by any party to the contract, except for the officer who had an interest in the contract in violation of Section 1090, as specified. Provides that the willful failure of an officer to disclose a remote interest in a contract does not void the contract unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
- Provides that a person who willfully violates Section 1090, or who willfully aids or abets a violation of Section 1090, is punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment in the state prison, and is forever disqualified from holding any office in the state. Gives the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) the authority to commence an administrative or civil enforcement action for a violation of Section 1090 and related laws.
- Authorizes a person subject to Section 1090 to request the FPPC to issue an opinion or advice with respect to that person's duties under Section 1090 and related laws. Permits the FPPC to issue such an opinion or advice, subject to certain conditions.
- Prohibits a public official, pursuant to the Political Reform Act (PRA), from making, participating in making, or in any way attempting to use his or her official position to influence a governmental decision in which the official knows or has reason to know that he or she has a financial interest. Provides that a public official has a financial interest in a decision if the decision will have a material financial effect, as specified, on the official's spouse or dependent child.
- Makes violations of the PRA subject to administrative, civil, and criminal penalties.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. Although the current version of this bill is keyed non-fiscal, the Office of the Legislative Counsel indicates that this bill should be keyed as a fiscal bill, as detailed below.
COMMENTS:
- Purpose of the Bill: According to the author:
The perception that political agendas coincide with personal financial interests is a common thread of concern amongst the public. Although Public officers are prohibited from entering into state contracts that directly benefit them financially, Public officers may be seen as having biases in their public contract decisions when the specific contract decision directly affects a child, parent, sibling, or the spouse of a child, parent, or sibling.
- Conflict of Interest Rules: As detailed above, public officials in California are subject to two main conflict of interest laws that are intended to prevent public officials from using their official positions for personal financial benefit. The PRA generally prohibits a public official from using his or her official position to influence any governmental decision, as defined, in which the official has a financial interest. The PRA's conflict of interest rules also prohibit public officials from participating in decisions that have a material financial effect, as specified, on the official's spouse or dependent child. Violations of the PRA's conflict of interest rules are punishable by administrative penalties, and in certain cases, by civil or criminal penalties. Criminal violators of the PRA's conflict of interest rules additionally are prohibited from being a candidate for elective office or from acting as a lobbyist for four years after the conviction.
Section 1090, on the other hand, applies only to contracting decisions. Section 1090 generally prohibits a public official or employee from making a contract in his or her official capacity in which he or she has a financial interest. In addition, a public body or board is prohibited from making a contract in which any member of the body or board has a financial interest, even if that member does not participate in the making of the contract. For the purposes of Section 1090, an official or employee also has an interest in the property and income of his or her spouse. Contracts made in violation of Section 1090 are void, and willful violators of Section 1090 are subject to criminal penalties and a lifetime ban on holding public office in the state. - Limitations on Section 1090: Various provisions of state law provide exceptions to, or limitations on, Section 1090. State law provides that an officer or employee is not deemed to be interested in a contract if his or her financial interest meets one of 14 different specified conditions. Additionally, state law provides that an officer shall not be deemed to be financially interested in a contract entered into by a body or board of which the officer is a member if the officer has only a "remote interest" in the contract and if certain other conditions are met, including requirements that the officer disclose the remote interest to the officer's board or body, and that officer's vote not count in determining whether to award the contract. While the willful failure of an officer to disclose a remote interest in a contract would subject that officer to the penalties outlined above, the contract itself cannot be canceled due to the violation unless the contracting party had knowledge of the fact of the remote interest of the officer at the time the contract was executed.
This bill creates a new "remote interest" under Section 1090, establishing a situation under which the financial interests of an elected official's relatives could create a remote interest for the official. Most previously-established remote interests were designed to narrow the reach of Section 1090, by taking interests that were found by legal opinions to be financial interests under Section 1090, and redefining those interests as "remote interests." This bill, on the other hand, seeks to expand the scope of Section 1090 through the creation of a new remote interest. Unlike most previous legislative efforts to create new remote interests under Section 1090, this bill makes interests that are not currently covered by Section 1090 subject to that law by defining those interests as "remote interests." - Breaking New Ground: California's existing conflict of interest laws are designed to prevent public officials from using their governmental positions to enrich themselves financially. As a result, those laws regulate situations where a public official's actions may have a direct financial impact on the official. Because actions that affect the financial interests of a public official's spouse or dependent child may have a corresponding impact on the official, existing conflict of interest laws generally recognize that the financial interests of an official's spouse or dependent child can create a conflict of interest for the official. In essence, existing conflict of interest rules are based on an objective standard: namely, those rules apply to situations where a public official's finances may be affected by his or her official actions.
At its essence, this bill seeks to protect against situations in which outside individuals may have—or may appear to have—an undue influence over governmental decisions made by public officials. In contrast to the relatively objective standard that underlies existing conflict of interest rules, the determination about what constitutes undue influence is more subjective. This bill deems a public official's ties by blood or marriage with siblings, children, parents, and the spouses of those relatives to be sufficiently important as to prohibit the official from participating in a contracting decision. Such a change from the traditional understanding of a financial interest raises policy issues that the committee should carefully consider.
For example, providing that a public official has a "financial interest" in a contract based solely on family relationships may not account for situations where an official does not have close ties to a family member who has a financial interest in a contract that the official's governmental body is considering. Under the provisions of this bill, for instance, a public official could be deemed to be financially interested in a contracting decision if the estranged sibling of that public official worked for the company that was awarded the contract, even if the official was not regularly in contact with the sibling.
On the other hand, this bill may not address situations where individuals other than family members may have a significant influence on public officials. For example, it is possible that the godparent, neighbor, friend, or pastor of a public official could have an undue influence on an official's decision, yet none of those relationships would be regulated by this bill.
Finally, in order for a public official to comply with the provisions of this bill, that official will need to consider the financial interests of various family members when that official is involved in making contracting decisions. Unlike prior related legislation, which is described below, this bill explicitly provides that the financial interest of a relative in a contract must "actually [be] known to the public officer" in order for that officer to be deemed to have a remote interest in the contract under Section 1090. While this language may help protect public officials in situations where they have no way of knowing about the financial interests of their relatives (e.g., in situations where the official is estranged from a relative), this bill nonetheless could force a public official to consider the financial interests of a dozen family members or more in order to determine whether the official is able to participate in awarding a contract. - Common Law Doctrine against Conflicts of Interest: Notwithstanding the difficulty of creating a clear conflict of interest rule that protects against the potential for undue influence, as discussed above, the common law doctrine against conflicts of interest may nonetheless deal with the problem that the author raises.
In a January 2009 opinion by the Office of the Attorney General (No. 07-807), the common law doctrine against conflicts of interest was suggested as a potential source of authority in a situation where both the PRA and Section 1090 were found to be inapplicable to a redevelopment agency board member whose independent adult son sought a commercial loan from the board.
According to that opinion, "[t]he common law doctrine 'prohibits public officials from placing themselves in a position where their private, personal interests may conflict with their official duties,'" and it notes that while the PRA and Section 1090 focus "on actual or potential financial conflicts, the common law prohibition extends to noneconomic interests as well." The opinion noted that even though the conflict of interest rules in the PRA and Section 1090 did not apply in that situation, "…it is difficult to imagine that the agency member has no private or personal interest in whether her son's business transactions are successful or not. At the least, an appearance of impropriety or conflict would arise by the member's participation in the negotiations and voting upon an agreement that, if executed, would presumably redound to her son's benefit."
For that reason, the opinion concluded that "…the agency board member's status as the private contracting party's parent … places her in a position where there may be at least a temptation to act for personal or private reasons rather than with 'disinterested skill, zeal, and diligence' in the public interest, thereby presenting a potential conflict…. Under these circumstances, we believe that the only way to be sure of avoiding the common law prohibition is for the board member to abstain from any official action with regard to the proposed loan agreement and make no attempt to influence the discussions, negotiations, or vote concerning that agreement."
To the extent that the common law doctrine against conflicts of interest applies to situations like those raised by the author, this bill may be unnecessary.
- Fiscal Bill and Suggested Amendment: Previous legislation that was similar to this bill, as described below, was keyed fiscal, and was identified as a state-mandated local program. According to the Office of the Legislative Counsel, this bill should be keyed fiscal, and identified as a state-mandated local program; instead, this bill was erroneously keyed as a non-fiscal bill. Committee staff recommends a technical amendment to correct that error.
- Previous Legislation: AB 785 (Mendoza) of the 2011-12 Legislative Session would have provided that a public official has a financial interest in a governmental contracting decision if an immediate family member of the public official, as defined, lobbies the agency of the official on that decision or is a high ranking official in a business entity on which it is reasonably foreseeable that the decision would have a material financial effect. AB 785 was approved by this committee on a 6-0 vote, but failed passage in the Assembly Local Government Committee on a 0-6 vote.
SB 330 (Mendoza) of 2015 would have provided, beginning in 2017, that an elected officer of a state or local governmental entity was deemed to have a remote interest in a contract made by the governmental entity if the officer's spouse, child, parent, or sibling, or the spouse of the child, parent, or sibling, had a financial interest in the contract. SB 330 was approved by this committee on a 5-0 vote, but was held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee's suspense file. - Double-Referral: This bill has been double-referred to the Assembly Local Government Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by: Ethan Jones / E. & R. / (916) 319-2094
Office of Senate Floor Analyses (916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) 327-4478 | SB |
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1011
:
SENATE GOVERNANCE & FIN. COMMITTEE: 7-0, 3/30/16
AYES: Hertzberg, Nguyen, Beall, Hernandez, Lara, Moorlach, Pavley
DIGEST: This bill expands the definition of remote interest to include the financial interests of a public officer’s child, parent, or sibling, or the spouses of those individuals.
Existing law:
- Prohibits members of the Legislature and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from having a financial interest in any contract made in their official capacity, or by any body or board of which they are members. (Government Code Section 1090)
- Specifies circumstances under which an officer or employee is exempt from the prohibitions against having a financial interest in public contracts, including non-interests and “remote interests.”
- Prohibits, under the Political Reform Act of 1974, state or local public officials from participating in governmental decisions where the official has a financial interest.
This bill:
- Expands the definition of what constitutes a remote interest under Section 1090 to include the financial interest of the child, parent, or sibling of a public officer, or the spouse of a child, parent, or sibling, if the financial interest of those individuals is known to the public officer.
- Makes the bill’s provisions effective on January 1, 2018.
California state and local officials who negotiate, make, or vote on public contracts are subject to two main conflicts of interest laws: Section 1090 et seq. of the Government Code (known simply as “Section 1090”) and the Political Reform Act of 1974.
Section 1090. The origins of Section 1090 formalized the longstanding common law rule prohibiting public officials—including board members, officers, and employees—from having a personal financial interest in the contracts they participate in making while exercising their official capacities. Financial interest has been liberally interpreted by the courts and includes the property and income of his or her spouse. The consequences of violating Section 1090 are severe: a contract that runs afoul of the law is void, even if it is fair and the affected official did not intend to receive a personal benefit. Willful violators can also face criminal penalties ranging from fines to prison time, plus a lifetime ban on holding public office.
Section 1090 contains several exceptions. In particular, state law identifies 17 situations that do not constitute financial interests, but that present some risk of undue influence. These “remote interests” include when a public contract would financially benefit a public official’s minor child or a nonprofit corporation at which a public official is also a non-salaried officer. Section 1090 requires an official with a remote interest to publicly disclose his or her interest, note the interest in the public record, and abstain from voting on the contract or influencing the other board members. The government body on which he or she sits may only approve the contract if there are sufficient votes to pass it without the interested official. Thus, only public officials that sit on multi-member boards may use the remote interest exception; officers and employees may not.
The Political Reform Act. In 1974, California voters passed Proposition 9 to create the Political Reform Act (PRA), along with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), the agency tasked with enforcing the PRA through administrative and civil penalties. In 2013, the Legislature expanded the FPPC’s jurisdiction to include Section 1090 (AB 1090, Fong, Chapter 650, Statutes of 2013). The PRA is broader than Section 1090 because it prohibits any state or local public official from using his or her official position to influence any “governmental decision” in which the official has a financial interest. The PRA also applies to decisions that will have a material financial effect on a member of the official’s “immediate family,” which the Legislature has defined as a government official’s spouse or dependent children. The PRA supersedes most other conflict of interest laws, including Section 1090, in the case of an inconsistency. Public officials must therefore consider whether a conflict exists under either the PRA or Section 1090, or both.
Comments
- Purpose of the bill. Existing law does not expressly forbid state and local officials from awarding public contracts to their adult children, parents, siblings, in-laws, or other relatives. This bill is motivated by concerns that the financial interests of family members beyond an official’s household may be unduly influencing official decisions in public contracting, thereby undermining public confidence in government. For example, a 2015 audit of the City of Industry found that the former mayor and his family benefited from favorable contracts totaling more than $326 million over 20 years. SB 1011 furthers the intent of Section 1090, which was originally enacted to codify common law prohibitions against conflicts of interest in contracting. It also adds much needed clarity by unequivocally stating that it is unacceptable for public officials to participate in contracts that benefit their families and in-laws.
- Raising the stakes. While SB 1011 clearly prohibits public officials from making or voting on public contracts that would benefit certain close family members, California judges can already use the common law doctrine against conflicts of interest to invalidate agreements tainted by this kind of self-dealing. However, officials who violate the common law doctrine are not subject to criminal prosecution. SB 1011 significantly stiffens the penalties for a public official that makes or votes on a public contract benefitting his or her adult child, sibling, parent, or in-law. Should state law impose the same penalty in these cases as when a public official directly enriches him or herself?
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:
None received
None received
3/31/16 15:46:02
**** END ****
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
Senator Robert M. Hertzberg, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: | SB 1011 | Hearing Date: | 3/30/16 |
Author: | Mendoza | Tax Levy: | No |
Version: | 3/17/16 | Fiscal: | No |
Consultant: | Favorini-Csorba | ||
Public officers: contracts: financial interest
Expands the definition of remote interest to include the financial interests of a public officer’s child, parent, or sibling, or the spouses of those individuals.
Background
California state and local officials who negotiate, make, or vote on public contracts are subject to two main conflicts of interest laws: Section 1090 et seq. of the Government Code (known simply as “Section 1090”) and the Political Reform Act of 1974.
Section 1090. The origins of Section 1090 formalized the longstanding common law rule prohibiting public officials—including board members, officers, and employees—from having a personal financial interest in the contracts they participate in making while exercising their official capacities. Financial interest has been liberally interpreted by the courts and includes the property and income of his or her spouse. The consequences of violating Section 1090 are severe: a contract that runs afoul of the law is void, even if it is fair and the affected official did not intend to receive a personal benefit. Willful violators can also face criminal penalties ranging from fines to prison time, plus a lifetime ban on holding public office.
Section 1090 contains several exceptions. In particular, state law identifies 17 situations that do not constitute financial interests, but that present some risk of undue influence. These “remote interests” include when a public contract would financially benefit a public official’s minor child or a nonprofit corporation at which a public official is also a non-salaried officer. Section 1090 requires an official with a remote interest to publicly disclose his or her interest, note the interest in the public record, and abstain from voting on the contract or influencing the other board members. The government body on which he or she sits may only approve the contract if there are sufficient votes to pass it without the interested official. Thus, only public officials that sit on multi-member boards may use the remote interest exception; officers and employees may not. The courts and the Attorney General have found that there is an additional, non-statutory exception to Section 1090: a “rule of necessity” that allows an interested public official to participate in a contract if (1) the government agency must contract for essential services but no other source is available, and (2) the board or official is the only authority that can legally act on the matter.
The Political Reform Act. In 1974, California voters passed Proposition 9 to create the Political Reform Act (PRA), along with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), the agency tasked with enforcing the PRA through administrative and civil penalties. In 2013, the Legislature expanded the FPPC’s jurisdiction to include Section 1090 (AB 1090, Fong). The PRA is broader than Section 1090 because it prohibits any state or local public official from using his or her official position to influence any “governmental decision” in which the official has a financial interest. The PRA also applies to decisions that will have a material financial effect on a member of the official’s “immediate family,” which the Legislature has defined as a government official’s spouse or dependent children. The PRA supersedes most other conflict of interest laws, including Section 1090, in the case of an inconsistency. Public officials must therefore consider whether a conflict exists under either the PRA or Section 1090, or both.
Common Law Conflict of Interest. In 1850, California’s first legislature adopted the English common law as the state’s basic legal framework, insofar as it did not conflict with state statutes or the state and federal Constitutions. This legal framework remains in place today. Independent of Section 1090 and the PRA, California courts continue to apply the common law doctrine against conflicts of interests to invalidate public contracts tainted by self-dealing, even in situations when Section 1090 or the PRA do not apply. In several recent opinions, the Attorney General’s Office has suggested that the common law doctrine against conflicts of interest is broader than Section 1090 and the PRA, even prohibiting public contracts that raise only potential conflicts of interest, or even the mere appearance of impropriety. For example, the Attorney General has opined that a contract that benefits the adult child of a public official might be prohibited under common law, even though neither the PRA nor Section 1090 consider it a financial interest. Courts can void a contract that violates this common law doctrine.
Proponents of stricter conflict of interest laws want to expand Section 1090, bringing statutory conflict of interest prohibitions closer in line with the common law doctrine.
Proposed Law
Senate Bill 1011 bill expands the definition of what constitutes a remote interest under Section 1090 to include the financial interest of the child, parent, or sibling of a public officer, or the spouse of a child, parent, or sibling. In order to be considered a remote interest, the financial interest of those individuals must be known to the public officer. These provisions become effective on January 1, 2018.
State Revenue Impact
No estimate.
Comments
1. Purpose of the bill. Existing law does not expressly forbid state and local officials from awarding public contracts to their adult children, parents, siblings, in-laws, or other relatives. This bill is motivated by concerns that the financial interests of family members beyond an official’s household may be unduly influencing official decisions in public contracting, thereby undermining public confidence in government. For example, a 2015 audit of the City of Industry found that the former mayor and his family benefited from favorable contracts totaling more than $326 million over 20 years. SB 1011 furthers the intent of Section 1090, which was originally enacted to codify common law prohibitions against conflicts of interest in contracting. It also adds much needed clarity to common law by unequivocally stating that it is unacceptable for public officials to participate in contracts that benefit their families and in-laws.
2. Raising the stakes. While SB 1011 would clearly prohibit public officials from making or voting on public contracts that would benefit certain close family members, California judges can already use the common law doctrine against conflicts of interest to invalidate agreements tainted by this kind of self-dealing. However, officials who violate the common law doctrine are not subject to criminal prosecution. SB 1011 would significantly stiffen the penalties for a public official that makes or votes on a public contract benefitting his or her adult child, sibling, parent, or in-law. Should state law impose the same penalty in these cases as when a public official directly enriches him or herself?
3. Universally remote. The remote interests statute only applies to public officials that sit on multi-member boards. Thus SB 1011 does not prevent a public employee or other public officer from participating in a contract that would benefit their family members. If it is improper for a board member to participate in these contracts, it may also be improper for employees or other public officials who make similar decisions.
4. Related legislation. SB 1011’s provisions are substantially similar to the provisions of SB 330 (Mendoza, 2015), which would have repealed the current remote interest exception for the financial interest of a minor child of a public officer and declared the financial interest of the spouse, child, parent, or sibling, or spouse of the public officer’s child, parent, or sibling. SB 330 passed the Senate Governance and Finance Committee on a 7-0 vote but was held under submission in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Support and Opposition
(3/24/2016)
Support: Unknown.
Opposition: Unknown.
-- END --
Discussed in Hearing
Assembly Standing Committee on Local Government
Assembly Standing Committee on Elections and Redistricting
Senate Floor
Senate Standing Committee on Governance and Finance
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):